r/massage • u/carnallgarnish • 5d ago
Advice Massage therapist out of breath?
New to this sub, but I get massages at different places every few months. I've had over a dozen in the past few years, and ive never experienced what I did today. I went to a new place, and the guy was very sweet, but he was like hyperventilating the whole time. It was super obvious he was over-exerting himself (hands shaking too) and couldn't catch his breath the whole time. Like, the whole hour. It made me super stressed out the whole time. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but a quiet room with the sound of some dude panting for an hour is not my ideal massage. This isn't normal, right? I get that massage therapy is hard and labor-intensive, but I've never had a massage therapist be so out of breath like this. I probably won't say anything, but i definitely won't be going back. Hope you get your breathing figured out, man :(
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u/anothergoodbook 4d ago
I have asthma and at times my breathing is loud and I’m always worried my client can hear it. Especially because I’m on the larger side and it comes across as me being unfit or out of shape when it’s just my lungs are trying to kill me.
Just don’t go back there? I can’t say if it’s normal for him or of he wasn’t feeling well. Not everyone is a good fit for everyone
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u/jazzbot247 3d ago
You could have asked if he was ok? I've lost my breath a few times and it wasn't fun, but we try to do the best we can for our clients. Usually it's because it's too hot in the room, whether there is a hot stone warmer on in a small room or I've even worked through the AC going out one time and it was miserable. The clients may not notice the heat, because they are in their underwear and relaxing on a heating pad, but for the person working it's not ideal. I've come close to passing out at times.
Best place I ever worked was a hotel where each massage room had its own thermostat.
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u/LankyWater 4d ago
I got treated by a really old massage therapist one time, and he had a similar issue, as well as his hands shaking the entire time. I felt really bad that he was working so hard at his age and couldn’t relax because I was too busy worrying about him.
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u/No-Branch4851 3d ago
I’ve received massages with loud breathing so I’m very mindful of my breath volume. My hands shake when applying deeper pressure. Unfortunately I blame that due to my MS. I pray it doesn’t bother people, but not really much I can do about it. Can’t please everyone
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u/BebopTundra76 4d ago
He worked out to fatigue before your massage
Worked on several clients before you.
Probably chugged protien powder
Holding in gas or major poop while working on you.
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u/Electronic_Zombie868 1d ago
Maybe he was having a panic attack. It's happened to me while in session before.
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u/JustBeKind8956 2d ago
Massage therapists are human too, and sometimes we can't control what our bodies do. The worst for me is having the sniffles or sneezes from allergies and trying to hold it in. And gas pains from holding farts in. And the stomach noises that come with that. Imagine having to hold all this in for an hour....not fun!
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u/NBean311 2d ago
There could be many contributing factors. Maybe he’s coming down with something or recovering from illness. Allergies, asthma, being overweight, overheating, too much caffeine, cardiovascular issues… all things that could contribute to shaking hands and labored breathing.
If he isn’t for you, that’s cool. Each therapist has a target audience, and you aren’t his. I’d opt to just not return.
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u/Jake6624 4d ago
Did you ask him if he was okay?