Massage therapists can handle clients who request deeper pressure by assessing whether it will achieve the session’s goals, educating clients about body awareness and the effectiveness of less painful techniques, and maintaining open communication. Therapists are also encouraged to acknowledge their physical limits to protect their health and provide quality service. Ultimately, balancing client expectations with professional boundaries leads to better outcomes for both clients and therapists.
Key Takeaways
- Always evaluate whether increasing pressure will help achieve the client’s session goals, rather than assuming more pressure is automatically better.
- Inform clients that pain doesn’t always equate to effective results, and explain how lighter techniques can be just as beneficial for their body.
- Help clients develop a better understanding of their body and how it responds to massage over time, especially for those unfamiliar with massage therapy.
- Protect your health by acknowledging your physical limits, adjusting techniques, or referring clients to another therapist if necessary.
- Maintain a dialogue with clients to find a pressure level that satisfies their needs without compromising your ability to perform safely and effectively.
We’ve all had that client on our table who wants deeper and deeper work. Early in my career, I would push, contort, and ultimately strain my body to heed their request. I wanted the client to come back for another session. Does this sound familiar?
Finding the balance between what is good for one’s body as a practitioner and what is deep enough to achieve the client’s body goals can be challenging.
Part one of this article discussed maintaining good customer service and a healthy body. Part one answered the physical component of the problem, “when giving more pressure hurts.”
Now, we are going to look at the “why.” Ask yourself: Why is the client asking for more pressure, and is more pressure needed?
There are three components to consider when handling the “more pressure” request. The first is the client’s body awareness. The second is preconceived notions about pain and educating the client about your work. The third component is acknowledging your limits. These three components can make a happy client without straining our bodies.
Will more pressure achieve the session goals?
When a client wants deep tissue massage, it may be for various reasons. One client may be an experienced massage receiver and know their body well, while another may ask for deep tissue massage because their friend told them to.
Ask yourself, “Will more pressure achieve the session goals?” The answer is maybe. As you begin the massage, you must check in with the client about pressure and make adjustments. If the client asks for more pressure and you agree it may be helpful, you will begin by getting strict on your body mechanics (see part one of this topic) and increasing your pressure.
Your assessment of whether the increased pressure is advantageous will continue in the steps below.
Client body awareness.
Many clients cannot express what is happening in their bodies during a massage session. You can help them gain body awareness over time.
A first-time client asking for more pressure without body awareness may result in a therapist’s sore back or hands afterward. In other words, the client is asking for more pressure, but even if you increase the pressure to your full capability, they won’t feel it’s enough.
Educate the client.
Most clients have yet to learn what it takes to do what you do. It is your job as a professional to explain your work when needed. This comes into play for the clients who think pain is the only way to get results.
Depending on your philosophy of massage and bodywork, you will explain things differently to clients. Inform the client that some bodies respond better to less pain during a massage. Pain does not always equal gain in the massage and bodywork world. Whether it is deep tissue, rolfing, or trigger point work, the pain level for each client will vary.
It’s good to educate the client about how you do things and the options for reducing the pain level. You aren’t telling the client you won’t give them more pressure; instead, you are evaluating the need for more pressure.
It’s a conversation, a back-and-forth communication, until an agreement is reached. The client may agree to try a few sessions with less pressure. If you get the results they are looking for, they likely won’t care what amount of pressure was used. The client is happy it worked, and the massage therapist’s body is happy because it wasn’t strained.
Acknowledge your limits
Acknowledging your limits is difficult. We don’t want to lose a client because we didn’t or couldn’t give them more pressure. It could be that you are not physically strong enough to provide a massage at the depth of pressure they are requesting.
You may be fighting a chronic hand pain issue that doesn’t allow you to do deep work while you heal. Tendonitis of the elbow is common in massage therapists, and this overuse injury may not allow you to work in the deeper pressure category.
Your limit may be one deep tissue session per day or 25 clients a week. Your limits will change over time, and taking care of your body is essential to the longevity of your career.
It could also be that your philosophy of massage doesn’t align with their request, and you’d prefer not to work with that client. In the big picture, sending a client to a therapist who is better suited for them may be your best customer service.
If you have tried teaching the client body awareness and educating the client about your work and then are forced to acknowledge you aren’t the best therapist for that client, that is alright. Good for you. You set your pride aside and honor your boundaries. Sometimes, letting a client go is best for everyone.
I know massage therapists who have worked for 45 years. You better believe they have figured out how to massage with more pressure while caring for their bodies. Good body mechanics, exercise, stretching, and educating clients about pressure and how it affects results are all skills that long-term therapists have mastered, and now you can master them, too.
About the Author
Angela Lehman is a massage therapist of 25 years turned online educator, promoting fitness and nutrition for massage therapists. She runs The Fit MT. With her kinesiology degree specialized in nutrition, she trains therapists in healthy eating, exercise and body mechanics to prolong their careers.