Massage with Clothes on?

I was working at The Saguaro hotel in Palm Springs. A girl came into the spa for a massage and she didn’t really know what to do to get ready for getting massaged. After a couple of tries guiding her, she opted to keep all of her clothes on and I let her know it was all right.

After the treatment, she checked out at the desk with my manager. He said she loved her massage and asked me what I did and I told him:

She kept all her clothes on and I did Tuina.

Tuina is Chinese medical massage. It’s like a Chinese version of deep tissue that uses fast, oscillating movements and acupressure to disperse energy and improve the flow of merdian pathways.

In the west, we think that all massage has to be fully naked or partially clothed. You can be fully clothed and still get a great massage.

Three types of Eastern massage that are traditionally fully clothed include Tuina (China), Shiatsu (Japan), and Thai massage.

There are western techniques that can be applied fully clothed, such as compression, stretching, trigger point therapy, and myofascial release.

A therapist with a variety of skills and training can adapt to most situations. As massage therapists, I think we owe it to ourselves and the community we serve to learn as much as possible so that when situations such as the one described above arise we have the tools necessary to deliver great work.