Angela Heili's Blog

As I stated in my ‘Welcome!’ post, there are some medical conditions that I am not comfortable working with until I become certified and licensed. Even if you the client have any of the medical conditions I have listed below, and are comfortable receiving a massage, I will have to respectfully decline. Safety is very important to me. Until I have the knowledge and the confidence to work with these specific medical conditions, I feel much more comfortable referring you to a certified, licensed MT (Massage Therapist).

The following are medical conditions that will preclude a client from a massage at this time:

Auto-Immune Diseases (Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, HIV/AIDS, etc)
Blood Clots
Cancer
Cirrhosis of the Liver
Diabetes
Embolism
Heart Defects
Heart Disease
Recent Surgeries
Pregnancy
Uncontrolled High Blood Pressure

There are quite a few people who have never received a massage, or it’s been many years since they have had a massage, and have no idea what to expect during their massage appointment. The following will give you a very good idea of what to expect during a chair and table massage:

During a chair massage the client is always fully clothed. I’ll review your intake form with you and ask for any clarification needed, I’ll discuss any areas of tension you may have. I will show you how to properly position yourself in the massage chair which is fully adjustable for a variety of clientele. No matter if you are 7 feet tall or 3 feet tall, the chair can be adjusted to suit you, from the face cradle, to the chest cushion, to the angle and height of the seat.

After you get comfortable in the chair, I will begin the session with some stretching and warming of the muscles of your entire back and shoulder areas. The back, shoulders, arms, head and neck are the primary areas of the body focused on during a chair massage. The massage can be tailored to meet the needs of each client. On occasion I use a massage lotion for the hands and arms. This is an unscented organic lotion.

During a table massage the client has the option of being completely dressed, completely undressed or anywhere in between. Your comfort level is important, so don’t think you have to be completely undressed for a table massage.

Again, at the time of the appointment, we will review your intake form and discuss any areas of tension or soreness. If you choose to be completely or partially undressed, I will leave the room to give you privacy will you undress and get on the table, face down under the linens. When you are ready, I will come back into the room, and check to make sure you are comfortable on the table. Any adjustments to the linens, bolster under your ankles, or face cradle can be done accordingly.

The massage will begin with stretching and warming of the muscles of the back. Various massage techniques will be performed from one area of the body to the next starting with the back, neck, and arms. During the massage, only the part of the body being massaged will be uncovered to your comfort level. I do not perform massage on a fully unclothed, undraped client. Even if you are perfectly comfortable being completely nude, it is against the Therapeutic Massage Code of Ethics.

Once bodywork is completed on the back and neck, I will cover that area back up and move to your legs. One leg and foot will be undraped and massaged at a time. After completing both legs, the back, neck and shoulders, and backs of the arms, I will have you turn over onto your back. To help you turn over and avoid you getting caught up in the linens, I will “tent” the linens over you. To do this I will stand at your side and lift the far side of the linens. In this position, you will have full privacy.

Once you have gotten comfortable again, I will massage your arms, shoulder,neck, head and face. If your comfort level allows, I will massage your abdomen. To do this, I will have a pillow case to drape the chest area. This will be tucked in under your arms to prevent possible chest exposure. After securing the chest covering, I will undrape your abdomen no further than your hip bones. If this is uncomfortable, more coverage can be requested. Massage will then be performed on your abdomen. Upon completion of the abdominal massage, I will redrape your abdomen and chest and move to your legs and feet. Again one leg and foot will be massaged at a time. This will complete the massage. At this time I will step back out of the room to allow you time to get up and privacy to get dressed again.

There are many different kinds or modalities of therapeutic massage. However there is one thing massage is not. A professional Therapeutic Massage is NOT an erotic or sexual experience. If at any time during the massage, a client makes any sexually suggestive comments or touches the Massage Therapist inappropriately, the massage will end immediately and the client will be expected to pay in full for the scheduled massage. The Massage Therapist then reserves the right to refuse to schedule any subsequent appointments for that client.