Hygiene

One of the main complaints I hear from other massage therapists (and myself) is about hygiene.

Hair

Hair should be without gel, pomade, and stuff like hairspray when you want a scalp massage.  Massage oil and the products in your hair do not blend well, and can become a sticky, mucus-like mess.  You may not see it, but your massage therapist will have the new concoction stuck to their hands, and possibly rubbing it on other parts of your body.  

Spray-Tan

Spray tan is unnecessary for your massage.  If you have this stuff all over your skin, the linens will become stained.  The mixture of the massage emollient and your tanning lotion will begin to smear over your body and your massage therapist's hands and arms, possibly also staining their uniform.

Sweat

If you have hyperhydrosis (overactive sweating, typically excessive sweating on the feet and hands), please let your massage therapist know this.  They can help prevent it by giving you a handtowel, or uncovering the areas so that your hands and feet can breathe.  Hyperhydrosis can become so watery that when mixed with massage oil, can create a slick that is just too much.  If you prefer to keep your socks on because of this, let your therapist know.  

Feet

A study of approximatey 600,000 people was done, and 20% (roughly 120,000 people) said they did not wash their legs when they bathe.  The people that do not wash their legs, usually do not wash their feet either.  Your massage therapist will spend some time on your feet, and although they look clean because they are rinsed off, a lot of times the odor from sweat and bacteria is still there.  Please bathe thoroughly before your massage, and wear shoes that don't stink.  Your massage therapist most likely will not say anything, but I guarantee, if your massage therapist is adding hand sanitizer or essential oils to your feet, it's because they smell.  If your massage therapist would rather massage over the sheet on your feet, it is either smell and/or dirt.  

Some people indeed skip washing their feet while showering. It’s a curious phenomenon, as our feet are hardworking and often accumulate dirt, sweat, and dead skin cells. Here are a few reasons why some folks might neglect their feet during showers:

1. Neglect or Oversight: Sometimes, people simply forget to pay attention to their feet. The shower routine becomes automatic, and they focus on other body parts.

2. Assumption of Rinse-Off: Some individuals believe that the soapy water running down their bodies will naturally cleanse their feet. However, this might not be sufficient to remove all the grime.

3. Sensitivity or Discomfort: Feet can be sensitive, especially if someone has foot-related issues like bunions, corns, or ingrown toenails. The thought of scrubbing their feet might be uncomfortable.

4. Time Constraints: In our fast-paced lives, people may rush through showers, prioritizing essential areas like the face, armpits, and private parts. Feet might get left out due to time constraints.

5. Lack of Awareness: Not everyone is aware of the importance of foot hygiene. Educating people about foot care can make a difference.

Remember: Proper foot hygiene is crucial. Regularly washing your feet helps prevent odor, fungal infections, and other foot-related problems. So, next time you’re in the shower, give those feet some love! 🚿👣

Sunscreen and the Back

The same reasons some people don't wash their feet also go with not washing the back.  A lot of people can't reach their back.  Some people assume the soap from shampoo rinsing down their back is clean enough.  There have been many times I have applied massage oil to someone's back, only to have last week's sunscreen begin morphing into a boogery mess (imagine the sticky balls of glue on your hands when you were a child, or getting sticky rice on your hands and trying to get it off) rolling all over the back.  It does not come off.  It just simply moves with the hands.  

Another part of the back, and this is not what makes massage therapy luxurious, but some people have sebum and keratin plugs popping out of their pores upon the first massage stroke.  This is usually due to not properly exfoliating the skin when bathing.  Rest assured, the massage oil, gel, or lotion is not textured.  These things are like sandy balls that pop out of the skin of your back and roll around and you will feel it, and your massage therapist definitely will feel it.  Some people have 1 or 2 that come out, some people have hundreds.  To be quite frank, it feels disgusting.  Please exfoliate.

Full Make-Up

Some people cannot fathom leaving their home without make-up.  They feel naked without it.  I understand insecurity, believe me.  But, it is so unnecessary to have full make-up.  If you need your face massaged, make-up is not ok.  For at least a half hour, you will be face down, face smashed into a face cradle, and your therapist may be manipulating your neck, shoulders and scalp, causing your face to move in that face cradle.  You will be leaving mascara, lipstick, your foundation and your eyebrows all over the face cradle cover.  Most spas don't have disposable, paper face cradle covers.  They use washable ones, and when you leave your make-up all over the cover, sometimes those make-up stains do not come out.  So, in the trash it goes.  

Masseuse, Masseur, Massage Therapist

The correct term for the person who is trained from an accredited school in massage is called Massage Therapist.  I see so many online reviews that refer to the therapist as a Masseuse (even when they are male).  

Archaically (and possibly currently still in use in countries outside the United States) the term Masseuse is used for someone who massages, self-taught or just because they have great hands.  Masseuse and masseur is gender-specific.  Masseuse is a female.  Masseur is a male.  A massage therapist is used for a person who has formal training in massage therapy, and is either registered, licensed, or state certifed.  Massage Therapist can be male or female.

Masseuse became associated with illicit operations.  To be more blunt, Masseuse is used a lot in sex work.  Massage Therapist is used for people in the health and wellness industries.  It has a more professional and clinical connotation.  In more recent years, Masseuse or Masseur has become an offensive word, and many Massage Therapists will correct the title they studied hard for and earned.

When I was a child, to work in massage, you didn't have to be educated in the field in Southern California.  Each "Masseuse" or "Masseur" had to go to the police department of the city that they would be working in upon hiring, pass a Venereal Disease test, give a mugshot picture, give their fingerprints, and get a permit to work in a massage establishment.  This was done through the Vice unit, the unit that does prostitution and drug sting operations.  By default, Massage Therapy ads were placed in the Adult Entertainment section of the newspaper.  A legitimate massage ad, could read, "Therapeutic Massage by Jane, $60 hr, luxury day spa," and would be placed next to "Exotic full body Massage by beautiful Red Head."  You can clearly see the difference.  Being placed in the Adult Entertainment section and being treated as such by the police department, made it a constant battle of fighting and weeding out sexual offenders and lonely men.

For years, massage therapists fought this.  They went to board meetings.  They protested.  They wrote articles and letters.  They pushed to fight this misclassification and ill-treatment.

I watched the industry change.  It went from 100 hours of schooling to 300, to 500, to 1000, to getting Nationally Certified and/or passing the MBLEX, to the California Massage Therapy Counsil certificate.  Each city had their own ordinances, meaning they had their own laws on how much schooling a person needed, whether they needed to have a veneral disease test done or not, had to give fingerprints, pass a background check, pass a test in front of police officers and massage instructors hired by the police station.  It was such a hassle for people who legitimately wanted to be health care professionals in Massage Therapy, but at least with the extra add-ons, Massage Therapists were being recognized as being health care professionals.

Massage Therapists were sometimes called Massage Technicians on their permits.  It took years before a legitimate Massage Therapist in the state of California could work anywhere without all the various ordinances and police departments getting involved when the California Massage Therapist Counsil (CAMTC) was formed.  It was an answer to our prayers.  We could work in two different cities, not be confined to one city, pay a fee every 2 years, and proudly hang our state certificate in our office or lobby.  We could also quickly identify the legitimacy of another massage therapist by verifying their certificate number through the CAMTC.

Unfortunately, many people have not lost the old lingo, passing it on from generation to generation.  A Massage Therapist earned their title.  A Masseuse or Masseur is now outdated and, very much, not preferred.  This also includes "Massage Parlor" another outdated word.

A Massage Parlor goes along with the Masseuse and Masseur lingo.  Massage Parlors hid and hide themselves in the guise of a spa.  A spa, boutique, wellness center, clinic, or studio is the preferred massage establishment of a Massage Therapist.  

Some people are confused by the term "Spa."  A spa is typically associated with a jacuzzi, right?  Well, in the massage industry, it can confuse a potential client.  They may think there is a jacuzzi in the building.  In ancient history, a spa was a place for bathing.  Ancient Greece and Rome had bathing rituals, that included being washed in hot water, then rinsing in cold water.  Afterward, they would be moisturized by having a liniment or emollient rubbed into their skin, a massage if you will.  In Ancient Egypt, bathing in running water was considered a holistic approach to not just cleansing your body, but cleansing your spirit, use of flowers and parfums from flowers in the water was their form of Aromatherapy.

Today, spas (aka Massage establishments) use these ancient holistic approaches in healing of mind, body, and spirit.  They use scent in the form of incense, candles, essential oils, or the essential oils in the massage oil.  They may offer steam rooms, jacuzzis, or saunas in higher end spas, for the same reasons of ancient times...opening the pores, sweating the toxins out, relaxing the muscles and joint, and overall feeling of wellbeing and cleansing.  This is why many of the massage establishments without jacuzzis or tubs, call themselves a spa.  It's about paying homage to the ancient healing rituals of our ancestors.  Just don't call it a parlor.

I hope my explanation helps you understand why your Massage Therapist may cringe when you write a public review referring to their spa as a Massage Parlor and referring to them as a Masseuse/Masseur.  

Revolutionize your vocabulary.