What to Wear to a Massage

I find this question is coming up a lot lately with new clients so I thought I would address it. Ha! Get it, adDRESS it? Okay, corny, I know, but that’s just how I can be sometimes. So you’re here because you want to know what to wear to a massage. I view this as a multi-part question so I’m going to break it down into at least two parts here. First, quite literally what to wear to a massage and the second what to wear during the massage.

So what does one wear to a massage?

Well, that depends on where you’re coming from. Whether it’s work, working out, the pool or puttering around the house, you definitely want to wear clothes. Unless of course you’re already in the spa and they’ve got you robed or wrapped in a sheet. I’m not a spa so if you walk in my door wrapped in a sheet I’m going to look at you funny. Typically my clients come in wearing work clothes or casual street clothes. Sometimes they come in their workout clothes and sometimes even in their pajamas. Some of my later in the day clients bring their pajamas with them so they can be ready for couch surfing when they get home. So to sum it up, wear whatever you want to your massage, just wear something. The more comfortable, the better cause I always find comfy clothes easier to put on after the disappointment of a massage that has just ended.

 So what does one wear during a massage?

I get this question a lot and a while back I wrote an article on it. Lately though I’ve noticed that article, while humorous and hopefully answered the on/off debate, did not adequately cover the subject. (Sometimes I just can’t help myself.) Anyway, what I’ve discovered is that sometimes this question is less about what you might or might not be wearing, but how much of you is left exposed during the massage.

I recently had a gentleman call asking a lot of questions. At first I thought maybe he was fishing for those illegal kinds of services I don’t provide, but then I realized he was genuinely concerned about whether he would be lying unclothed and uncovered on the massage table while I worked on him. A few days later I had another similar phone call so I am here to say that you will never be unclothed and fully exposed on my massage table or any reputable massage therapist’s table for that matter.

Different methods are taught at different schools, but I learned to use what we call a drape in the massage business. I use a flat sheet for a drape, some massage therapists use towels or blankets, but I was taught with a sheet (at a minimum). My table is typically dressed with a fitted sheet, a flat sheet and a blanket depending on the weather.

As a new client, I will brief you on how to lay when you get on the table and part of that instruction is to cover yourself with the sheet. I have learned over the years that there are many different interpretations of “cover yourself with the sheet,” but all of those are okay.

During the massage you will be covered with the sheet and I will use my mad draping skills to uncover only those areas that I am working. If I need your leg, I’ll uncover it while protecting your dignity and modesty. If I need your back, I’ll cover your leg and uncover your back. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, until the massage is complete. Thus keeping most of the body covered at any given time. Of course, if you’re hot and need to stick your arms or feet out, that is ok too.

If this all sounds too complicated or scary or if you don’t want to remove any of your clothes during the massage, that’s okay too. Any good massage therapist can work directly through your clothing doing compression massage techniques. Many are even trained in stretching techniques or Thai massage which is typically performed on fully clothed individuals. So there’s yet another slant on this question.

So what do you think? Did I hit all the angles of this subject or have I left anything out? Let me know in the comments and I’ll answer any other questions you might have.

♥

Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Only Ashi-Thai Therapist!