Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

Any masseurs around to answer a question?

9 replies

SwanNoise · 27/09/2023 22:21

I’ve recently gained a lot of weight, I’m up to a size 22. I’ve got a massage booked for just before Christmas and I was wondering how awful it will be for the masseuse? Does anyone here do massages? How terrible is it to massage a large person? I’m so embarrassed about my weight, but I love a massage so don’t want to cancel it, but feel bad for the poor person doing the massage

OP posts:

DifficultBloodyWoman · 28/09/2023 00:48

I have a friend who is a (fabulous) massage therapist and I asked her this a while ago as I am not exactly slender.

She said that a body is just a body. The only gross bit is with clients who may need to exfoliate but haven’t before their massage.

Part of that conversation was ‘you just another piece of meat, DifficultBloodyWoman’.

I think you had to be there. It was both amusing and reassuring at the time.

EBearhug · 28/09/2023 02:16

I'm not a masseuse, but I had plenty of massages when i was size 22. Didn't occur to me it could be an issue (it's not) - we just talked about having tight shoulder muscles.

seymourhoffwoman · 28/09/2023 02:21

I would treat you as any other client. Only thing that I find difficult is people who have not washed or stink of fags.

NurseP · 28/09/2023 02:47

I do massage and would not bat an eyelid at anyone's body shape or size. If people are bothered by such things then massage is not the job for them!
I hope you enjoy the massage!

MassageForLife · 28/09/2023 03:01

I've massaged bodies much bigger than yours - and there is nothing awful about it! Your body is amazing. Sure, it's bigger than it used to be. And maybe there's things about it that you don't like - but your massage therapist isn't looking at you with that lens.

If you get the impression that your therapist is being a bit negative about your size - that's on them. Bin them off and find a better one - most of us are not like that.

I have had clients tell me about friends that would benefit from massage, but won't come because they are so self conscious. It makes me really sad, because I don't see them the way they see themselves. I would love for them to receive caring, healing touch and maybe to start feeling more positivity towards the amazing body that has kept them alive all these years, that has taken them everywhere they have been and facilitated everything they have done.

You, and your beautiful body, are amazing. Enjoy your massage!

FictionalCharacter · 28/09/2023 03:31

@DifficultBloodyWoman
The only gross bit is with clients who may need to exfoliate but haven’t before their massage

This worries me a bit! How would I know I need to exfoliate and what’s the gross bit?

MassageForLife · 28/09/2023 05:21

FictionalCharacter · 28/09/2023 03:31

@DifficultBloodyWoman
The only gross bit is with clients who may need to exfoliate but haven’t before their massage

This worries me a bit! How would I know I need to exfoliate and what’s the gross bit?

Don't worry.

The only time I have had an 'issue' is when clients have recently been in the sun a little too much, and their skin is just about to peel - the massage speeds up the process a bit 🙂

But it's only dead skin, it's not a big deal, and it's much more obvious to the therapist than it is to the client - we can feel it much more than they can (based on what my clients have told me - I can't speak for everyone).

I've also had clients with psoriasis, and a similar but different thing can happen with them, with flakes of dry skin coming off. Often they will have massive amounts of insecurity about it, and again, it's not an issue. It's an honour that they feel comfortable enough with me to come for massage.

I would say that if you get the impression that your massage therapist has an issue with anything to do with your body (skin, hair, sweat, size, feet etc) then it's time to find a different therapist. Just turn up clean and free from strong odours (eg stale sweat, strong perfume, cigarette smoke).

Original poster

SwanNoise · 28/09/2023 08:23

Thanks everyone! I feel so much better now!

OP posts:

Pinkdelight3 · 28/09/2023 08:54

Glad you've got reassurance. No one has mentioned this, but I'd just add as someone who loves massages and gets them a lot - I'm a size 16-18 and though I've never had any real problems massage-table-wise, some masseuses have wider tables than others and I much prefer a wider one. It's okay with the standard/narrower ones as my arms can dangle off the sides, but it's brilliant when they're wider and there's no issues with arms or when they need to part your legs to work on them. And the wider tables feel sturdier when I have to turn over. So just mentioning that in case it's something to factor in. Thai places are often good because they often have wide beds that can take a lot of weight (esp when they're practically standing on you!), but that mightn't be your bag. Main thing though is not being embarrassed to ask about things, I've never met a masseuse who was judgy about bodies and they're mostly very keen to make you feel relaxed and get the most from it.

Flip