No matter whether you are a massage newbie or a veteran, the question crosses all of our minds, I’m sure. We thought we’d help settle the debate once and for all from a professional perspective.
First, it is important to note that the most obvious answer is for you to do what you are comfortable with! If the idea of lying nude under your coverings makes you nervous or gives you anxiety, we want you to be settled and happy during your massage. So, leave them on.
I’ve noticed that no matter how many times a client has had professional massage before, when they come to me it’s one of their first questions, and sometimes no one has ever given them proper direction or an explanation of the benefits of being nude. I am always sure to tell them that they will be professionally draped at all times.
What does this mean? Basically that the only body part that will be undraped at the time is the one we are working on directly and genitals will remained covered the entirety of the massage.
But what are the perks of disrobing completely? It gives us the opportunity to work muscle groups that we can’t easily get to with undergarments on...sometimes this also means socks. Massage is intentional, professional, therapeutic touch. Oftentimes we have to work through and manipulate several layers of tissue in order to get to the root of an issue. Especially if you have complaints involving the low back, hips and legs. Your glutes tend to hold a lot of tension and at times this tension can cause problems in your upper back and shoulders. After all, everything is connected.
People tend to forget that we also hold tension in our feet...we are on them most of the day. Taking your socks off gives us an opportunity to give your feet some love. In Ayurveda, a daily foot massage of 5-10 minutes is believed to bring back awareness to your body and provide some love and support to your nervous system due to the large amount of nerve endings innervating our feet.
I asked the other ladies their thoughts (do they prefer clients to completely disrobe?) and this is what they had to say:
“Yes. If the client is comfortable, I prefer they remove all clothing so I can best access lower back & postural chain muscles.” ~Trisha
“We’ll, I always say, if you want to keep your underwear on youre free to do so because if youre uncomfortable during the massage then I’m not really doing my job because you should be comfortable. But in order for me to access the full length of the leg and address areas that the lower back puts stress on, I can’t do a lot of that with underwear on and I don’t cross underwear boundaries so even if boxers cover like most of the hamstrings I won’t address any areas that are covered.” ~ Ali
For fun, we asked Kelsey too!
“I have no idea if my clients have underwear on or not so I prefer them to do whatever makes them most comfortable!” ~ Kelsey (esthetician)
We hope this gives you some clarity. If you are ever unsure or unclear about anything, remember it is YOUR appointment, ask questions!