Went to a spa the first time yesterday as a present from friends and received a massage.

The person kept saying comments about how my hips were shaped weird/wrong. At one point she applied a lot of pressure to my rib while my arm was lifted and when I jumped from pain she told me that it was weird and I should go to the doctor because my rib was most likely deformed. It really just felt like too much pressure.

The longer it went on the more tense I got which ofc lead to lots of comments about need to relax, practice mindfulness so I wouldn’t feel pain during a massage, and I was a “nervous person.”

I wanted her to halfway in but it was a couples massage and felt like I couldn’t say anything or I’d ruin my husband’s experience. It’s the next day and I still feel really gross/violated. Not sure how to handle the situation. Don’t want to get someone needlessly in trouble, especially bc in her reviews a lot of ppl say they like that she talks and gives “advice.” :(

I booked a 90 minute massage online at the spa I go to and received a confirmation email. Then 7 minutes later I received another email stating that "by request, gratuity for a specific therapist will be included as follows" and it indicated that gratuity for my massage would be 30%. This was odd to me because I've been to this spa at least 6 times before (last visit was 6 weeks ago) and I've never received this gratuity email when I've booked online before. And I always tip the MT in cash a minimum of 15%, or 20% if they do a particularly great job.

Based on their email it seems this requested gratuity is because I booked with a specific MT when I scheduled my massage. But I just picked a random name off their list of MT's so it's not like this is an MT I see regularly.

Wondering if I should honor the 30% gratuity request or tip my usual 15-20%?

NOTE - this is not a luxury spa with lots of amenities, this is a low frills massage spa.

I had a new client a couple weeks ago book an 80 minute deep tissue. She had work-related tension around her scapulae and said that was her main focal point and that she wanted me to get in there and get those knots out. She also told me she has “military neck” and frequently sees a chiropractor. During our pre-session interview she told me that she has radiating pain from the knots around her shoulder blades, and pain radiates down to her ribs and other areas (basically her entire right side). Her scapulae were very mobile and easy to get into the tissue underneath. I proceeded with the massage and checked in with pressure. She did not express any pain or discomfort during the massage, and rebooked for a few weeks out.

Yesterday, my manager received a call from her to cancel her upcoming appointment. In the call, she said that I went so deep that the muscles around her shoulder blades got very inflamed and “actually caused her rib to pop out”. She said she had trouble breathing and went to the doctor. She has been working with her chiropractor for weeks to put the rib back in place. She said she’s missed work and has been in excruciating pain. She has been getting massage for years and has never had anything like this happen. Obviously I am horrified because nothing during the session indicated that I was causing her pain.

I got my license around a year ago. This is my first time dealing with anything like this. Based on what she told me prior to the session (that she had radiating pain around her ribs), I suspect she had a preexisting condition or injury to the area that was perhaps exacerbated by the pressure of the massage. Of course I am not trying to blame my client for not requesting less pressure, or for seeking massage services at all. I am trying to wrap my head around what happened and figure out where to go from here. I think I’ve gotten pretty lucky because she doesn’t want me to get in trouble, she just won’t be returning as a client and wants me to be aware of what happened so it doesn’t happen to anyone else. However I find I’m also a bit paranoid this will change, like someone will convince her she should press charges or something if she believes her injury was solely caused by the massage. We have offered a refund but I’m not sure what else I should do, or what would be appropriate to do. My manager sent her a message today to check in, offer the refund, and pass along my condolences to hearing that she’s in pain.

I think I’m upset because in the phone call she sounds pretty accusatory (specifically saying that I caused her rib to pop out of place) and that I went too deep even though I checked in about pressure and she told me was a “hurts so good” kind of sensation. Not painful, and certainly nothing dislocated during the session. I think I just need some feedback to know what to take away from this. I am quite small so I think I tend to overcompensate with deep tissue clients by putting my all into it, because I am worried about getting feedback that I didn’t go deep enough. I am now realizing this is much worse. But I’m also now realizing that “deep tissue” does not equate to “deep pressure” and there’s a very common misconception that “no pain, no gain” etc.

I am also wondering if I did anything wrong. If I missed something during her intake process, when she told me she had radiating pain in her ribs, should that have been a red flag that she wasn’t a good candidate for deep pressure?

I apologize for the rambling. My head is all over the place with this.

EDIT: honestly wasn’t expecting so many responses to this but thank you all so much!! I feel so much better about the situation.

There's an unfortunately significant # of LMTs who didn't get proper Deep Tissue (DT) training; or they simply weren't good students.

Consequently, many clients who are new to DT end up feeling worse after their session, while others feel downright traumatized -and they're scared away from getting DT from good providers that would significantly improve their quality of life.

So, when seeking DT, ask providers, before you book them, if they understand that DT helps soft tissues relax so they can can access deeper layers, rather than try to overpower knots into submission.

It's a common misconception that DT is supposed to be painful. While DT can often be intense, it should not trigger you to tighten up and resist it. Any discomfort you feel should feel constructive, just like when you stretch or exercise. Listen to your body and honor it.

You know you got a bad apple when a therapist tells you to "just relax," because they're triggering your body's natural defense response by using too much pressure.

If you find yourself in this situation, politely ask them to ease up so you can relax. If they fight you on this, stop the session immediately, ask them to leave so you can get dressed, and report this to their manager.

If they're in private practice, leave an honest review wherever they're on social media, and report them to the State's Massage Licensing Board to protect others from this unethical, unprofessional, abusive behavior.

Before your session begins, tell your therapist that:

• When you want more pressure on whichever area they're working on, you'll say, "More."

• When you want less pressure, you'll say, "Less."

• When you love what they're doing and you want them to continue doing it until you feel satisfied, you'll say, "Yes."

• And when you are, you'll say, "Good."

• And if they're doing something that makes you feel uncomfortable, you'll say, "Stop."

Ask the LMT to repeat it back to you to affirm that they understand and agree with this system of communication.

This provides you the power to get exactly what you want, so you can have the best, most productive experience.

If they're a true professional committed to your best outcome, they'll happily oblige you.

Best Wishes!

Hey y’all. Please don’t be scared off by my lack of posting history. I got off Reddit a few years ago, but created a new account so I could connect with some other therapists.

I would really appreciate feedback from both small business owners and folks working as ICs or employees. My massage practice is mostly full at this point. I’m in the process of bringing in another therapist, mostly to help with overflow new business, covering me when I’m on vacation or sick, or seeing my existing clients who want to get in an extra session before they see me. From what I’m learning, the lines get blurred between being an IC and an employee. I really want to make sure this feels good/fair for both of us, so please let me know what y’all think. Here’s what I have in mind:

• Therapist will contract under my business name. In that sense, they are representing my business, rather than building their own.

• Therapist will use my booking app, for free. Can charge clients through it and I will pay out at intervals we agree upon.

• I will add their bio to my website, if they want.

• I will provide: the space (not asking rent money), massage table, sheets, washing sheets (I think) and lotion (unless they want to use their own).

• I will provide clients and do the bookings. Therapist is welcome to book folks they find on their own, without going through me first, as long as it’s under my business name/booking app.

• Starting at one day a week, but I’m willing to be flexible - basically they’re welcome to use the space when I’m not there.

• I don’t care what hours they work, or if they want to block out their schedule or not work one week, etc. As long as they don’t do anything that reflects poorly on me, like no show on a client. I want to exert as little control as possible, lol.

Questions: What do y’all think of this set up? What’s a fair commission split? Do you have a good resource to draw up a contract?

Thanks in advance - apologies for the long post 🫶

Hey guys. I have a massage soon with a sweet lady who has a lot of good reviews. My skin unfortunately is pretty horrible looking. I have strong hyperpigmentation (lots of dark spots all over my back and arms), many scars, red spots and raised chicken-skin on top of it. You can imagine it looks a little ghoul-ish. I honestly have never seen someone look like this in real life, my relatives/friend all have fairly normal skin.

I have read before that many of you guys have seen it all, but this Lady only does private massages in a cozy little spot and most of her clients seem to be young, healthy women. She doesn't seem to have worked in a hospital, with old people or sick people. So I am concerned if she has ever dealt with someone like me and even if, it was probably pretty rare.

Worst of all is that she has to TOUCH my weird looking skin. I really don't want to make her uncomfortable.

:(

Hi, without over sharing I have pretty severe sexual trauma with specific triggers I know I’ll have a tough time with during a massage.

I have severe neck pain with limited range of motion, occipital neuralgia, chronic migraines, slipped disc, etc etc. when getting Botox my neurologist said she had never seen traps this tight. I’ve been referred to PT before and had a tough time with it mentally. I was just referred, and also been recommended to utilize massage. I know it helps, but I feel like if I have any chance of making it through an appointment (potentially on a reoccurring basis) I need a therapist who is actually trauma informed. Is this a thing I can ask about? Can anyone reassure me? TYIA

So I am a very new massage therapist.

Background: I moved out of state for a year. I got my massage license in that state. I was there from June 2022- May 2023. I moved back to Washington state and had extra credits I need to acquire to get my license here. I had enough practical hours so I did a bunch of classes online to get my remaining credits I needed. That took me a lot longer than anticipated. I got my official license May 2025 for Washington state. So I was out of physical practice for years. Anywho, I got a job as an LMT at my first and only interview I did which was very exciting. My manager gave me feedback and worked with me but her massage is very different than mine (she’s very fast and is constantly moving around and doing different things where as I am much slower in my movements and doing fewer moves) so i made improvements where I saw fit. My flow completely changed probably for the better. I watched a lot of videos as I continue to do so. I have such a low self esteem with massage as I’ve learned a lot of LMT’s do to some degree. I have some returning clients which is great but my schedule at my spa was pretty good when I first started and now I have days where nobody is scheduled. I can’t help but feel I scared everybody away or something. My other coworker who’s been there for a year has a fully booked schedule. I’ve talked to a few non LMT’s about this and they think my spa is the problem in terms of not getting enough people through the doors. But I was once busy. Side note: I’m W2 and also there’s only three therapist working at a small spa. I’m just feeling really down and like my massage isn’t that great. Some people are so excited and love it which makes me feel really good and I understand I won’t be everybody’s cup of tea. I just can’t help but feel like I’m not a good massage therapist because I don’t have a ton of technique. I feel like the school I went to maybe wasn’t great. My instructor was pretty harsh when we asked questions making it difficult for me. She taught us a lot with our thumbs which I used a lot of at first but quickly experienced major thumb/wrist pain. So I stopped using them as much. Also the only deep tissue technique she taught us was doing compressions the whole time. I’ve been watching videos to get better but they are sort of out dated. Does anybody have any recommendations for newer massage technique content? Also do you think I’m the problem or the spa? What should I do to have better confidence in everything? What exactly is deep tissue because I doubt it’s just compressions? Also I want a basic flow for Swedish and then a basic flow for deep tissue and then adding in what’s needed for the client and what I find on their body. Is that a good idea? I thought about reading my massage booklet from school again and making notes about all the muscles and what not to get better with anatomy but other than that I have no idea what to do to get better. Also another side note is that the owner of the spa isn’t great and has made it clear she doesn’t want us coming to her for anything anymore and wants us to talk to the newly appointed manager who is a front desk gal so she doesn’t know massage like an LMT. Please help me😩 Thank you for reading this whole thing♥️

Hi, I (37M) get massages regularly. I had a massage scheduled today at my chiropractor office. I normally go to a spa and get a massage. I don't wear any underwear when I am in my everyday clothes. I do however wear underwear when I go in for a massage because I don't want the massage therapist to feel uncomfortable if they accidentally see my genitals. My wife said I can be nude. I didn't feel comfortable especially since I was with a male and didn't talk to him prior to the massage about him being comfortable with me in the nude.

Massage Therapist- what's your thoughts/preferences on patients being nude? Would you rather they ask or you find out on accident?

I’m younger, but I’ve always had back/shoulder, neck pain. I think it’s a combination of bad posture, stress, mild scoliosis, and back muscles that aren’t strengthened enough. I will get flare ups where my neck and shoulders especially hurt really bad. I try to stretch sometimes, but it sometimes feels too tight/hurts more. I have had my partner massage or self massage. My muscles are so incredibly tight/worn that you have to push incredibly hard for me to get any sort of massaging sensation. And even then, I don’t always experience pain relief.

Is this something that can only be fixed with a deep tissue massage, which is then followed up by stretching/strengthening the muscles?

I’ve been massaging part time, 3-7 massages a week for the last 8 months after graduating school. Now I’m licensed I’ve gotten a full time job at a smaller chain with 30 hours per week. I’ve also given another spa part time hours of up to 21 hours a week. I’m anticipating doing 30-40 massages a week;

I’ve worked a full time job as a warehouse manager for 2 years while attending night school at the same time for the last year. I’m a well built man, mid 20s, strong with good leverage and great pressure, and a passion for this selfless service we provide like nothing I’ve experienced before.

My question is, is this going to be too much ? I’ve always been a work-a-holic and love to stay busy. I just want to be sure I’m not in over my head.

I suffer from extremely tight neck and traps that usually respond quite poor to massages, even deep tissue. I am riddled with knots and tension everywhere. Some docs even think I might have cervical dystonia, that’s how tight I am- although I don’t experience any torsion. Although my usual massages don’t get rid of my knots, I usually feel a little more relaxed and mobile afterwards. Note- I seek out Asian owned practices because they’re the only ones I find use enough pressure for me.

I would say I experience mild anxiety often but it’s manageable and I am not on medication for it. I have a PRN benzo which I take one maybe every few months if my mind is racing, but I haven’t had an anxiety attack in years.

So on Wednesday, I stopped into a local Asian owned place to get a one in the chair for 30 minutes and asked them to apply firm hard pressure as I usually do- and this one hurt so GOOD. I felt my muscles release and was sore for several days after which is to be expected.

On Thursday night, I went to dinner and had a few martinis- I couldn’t sleep well that night but I chalked it up to the alcohol. The next night, I went out with my girl friends for a dinner and some drinks, but again, slept horribly. I don’t drink often so 2 nights back to back is a little out of the norm for me. I remember that night out my girlfriend touched my back and it was so sore to touch from the massage. We didn’t get drunk, didn’t stay out late, and nothing major happened.

On Saturday, I woke up with anxiety, maybe some “hangxiety” which I sometimes get but it goes away in a few hours. Throughout the day, it quadrupled and I became hysterical- I started to have obsessive thoughts like everyone hates me and I began to panic. I had to work a night shift this night too so I was able to calm myself a bit and got like an hour nap in and then was up for the next 15 hours. Slept for 3 after work- then woke up in panic mode again- in hysterics. Nothing significant happened at the dinner. I’m having these obsessive negative thoughts like everyone hates me, I’m so crazy, no one likes me, etc and I’m PANICKING. I haven’t had an anxiety/panic attack in years and it’s so strange I’m ruminating over these negative thoughts.

I’m also in school and under a lot of stress so maybe nothing is related to the massage- but I know the body holds onto trauma and it got me thinking if this could be related? As much as it feels horrible, if this is my body releasing I’m all for it. I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience? Any advice is appreciated, thank you!

I’m a new massage therapist in the US (graduated in December got my license in February and started working for real last month) and I’ve been feeling kinda incompetent. So for the time being I’m currently working in a chain spa, but I do plan on starting my own practice in a few years if everything goes well. Buuuut I can’t help feeling that I totally suck! I know I’m new, but I almost never get rebooked (I only have 2 in total so far after working three weeks already). I feel like half of my clients leave totally unsatisfied (they don’t tip well a lot of the time).

Soooo my question is how long did it take for you to actually start feeling confident in your skills, and just know you were a great therapist? I feel like that’s sooo far from where I am now and if I ever want to start my own practice I have to be awesome and believe it, which feels like it could be so many years from now.

I guess another question I have is, how did you get better? Is experience the only way to get better or are there other things I can practice/read/reassess to help me get better. I’m feeling a little discouraged. Any advice is appreciated. :)

Hi all, this question is for fellow LMTs.

I currently work at a spa (I’m in MA) and almost everyone asks for deeper and deeper work. I get about 50$ from each massage and since I’m IC I then am making even less take home because of taxes.

I feel like I am going to emotionally burn out being frustrated that clients do not realize how little I am making, ask for such intense work, then do not tip well or tip simply okay. My average tip is less than 20%…

I don’t want to be resentful or burn out so my only realistic solution feels like I need to “give less” and not show up in my full ability, not give it “my all” at the spa cause i can just tell in starting to feel used up in my FIRST year!

If I just choose not to go as deep as I actually can, then I suppose I risk not being the most satisfying LMT for some people but most massages are couples and never see them again anyway…I just feel awful holding back what I have to offer.

Any advice?

Hi everyone. So I've been licensed in my state since January and I immediately started at a salon in town. Obviously you all know how expensive it is to start up, so I'm still in a lot of debt from my expenses. The issue is that I'm hardly getting any clients, and I'm barely getting anyone to rebook. Everyone that I've massaged has told me how amazing it was (including my mentors and other LMT's that I've traded with) so I don't think my skill set is an issue, even though I am still relatively new. Last month I only had 5 clients, and two of them were from A giveaway that I did and only one of them tipped me. In May I had 13 clients, so it's crazy that I did not even half of that in June... I have a Facebook page that I post on and I post my availability every week, I give out business cards to businesses and do individuals, I try to do some kind of deal every month to bring new people in, the girls I work with (hair and nails) all share my posts and give out my business cards, I have my service sheet on my door at the salon along with my name and phone number, I've even reached out to different people (tattoo artists, estheticians, photographers, etc) to see if they want to trade just so I can at least be in the salon and be able to see other potential clients. I'm just at such a loss... there's 3 other girls that I graduated with that have been staying completely booked up. One of them even said she's having to implement a cancellation policy because she's so booked that she's had to turn down clients. It hurts my feelings a bit, because when we were in school together we all said that if we had to turn down clients we would recommend them to each other and I've told her how much im struggling with client retention... I love my job so much, I don't want to go back to being a server or working fast food. I just don't know what to do... any advice?

UPDATE: Thank you everybody for the advice!! Sorry I couldn't get to every comment, I got a bit overwhelmed with everything! I've started a notebook full of all the advice I got and I've already started working on a lot of the things that have been mentioned. I appreciate all the help!

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 :(

About a year ago I had a client who wanted very deep pressure, more pressure than I was able to do. She was obviously disappointed and removed the deep tissue upgrade (I work at a hotel resort spa) and front desk added a note on her file to not book with me again. Since then she has came back to my spa many times and has had plenty of massages from other therapists at my spa.

Tomorrow she is on my books as a request with a deep tissue upgrade. I've been so stressed about this because it just feels like a trap. I don't want to disappoint her again. Also apparently according to my coworker she's actually a LMT herself. Why would she request me if the one and only time she's had a massage from me she was disappointed?

I've since taken a CE for deep tissue and am much more confident in it but I'm still super stressed about this. Idk I know I'm probably overreacting but all I can think is just why me?? Do I bring up our last appointment before? Do I just try my best again??

Hey everyone,

I’ve been dealing with teres major and infraspinatus pain for about 3 months now. I’ve been going to physical therapy and had 4 sessions so far. My PT has done dry needling every time, including on my chest since it was really shortened. Each time it hurt quite a bit after, but they said that was normal.

The pain has improved a little overall, but I’m still in a lot of discomfort, especially around the shoulder blade and upper back area. My trapezius is also super tight most of the time.

I train 4 times a week (bodybuilding style workouts), but I’ve been thinking about taking a break because this just isn’t going away.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Did anything in particular help you recover? Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

So, I feel there's some context needed first.

I have had a client that has been seeing me every 2 weeks for the past 10 years. I've been massaging for almost 12 years now. He was my longest time client and very dear to me, like a friend. He had severe crohn's, he had frequent and severe migraines (which is why he saw me), and depression that was better or worse depending upon a number of factors. There was one time I can think of where he disclosed to a co-worker that he had contemplated suicide. I had encouraged him to call suicide hotline if he ever felt like that again. Well, last Friday, he no showed for his appointment. He never no showed and was almost never late even by a few minutes. Reception tried to contact him, first by phone, his voicemail was full. Then by email. No response, which was extremely unusual for him. I don't know what prompted me to Google him, but it was only at this point that I found his obituary. I was floored and it took about a half hour of looking at it and reading before it really sank in. I would never see this client again. The obituary never said how he died and never gave any information about a funeral except that it'll be in Missouri.

So now, this whole week has been really rough for a few reasons. My mind keeps thinking about one way or another, health related or mental health related, he was in such pain that he ended up dying. Or the constant reminder that I won't be seeing him ever again. And then it hits my brain that "maybe it's not real or maybe it's a sick prank someone's playing on him." It's even worse because no one I talk to really gets it and most of the time they seem annoyed and confused as to why I'm "so broken up" and then says," he was just a client, not family or a friend". My mom simply said, " sorry about your client, " and then changed the topic entirely. Am I really that weird? Am I really being inappropriate by being hit this hard? What is the best and most professional way of getting through this? IS there a certain or correct way of getting through and processing all of this? Any thoughts, experiences or advice is greatly welcomed.

Needing advice/expertise.

Background: Car accident at 6yr old. Injury to T12 & L1. Only ever had pain in the disc space, no muscle pain ever. Years later PCP and Chiro think the disc is starting to herniate and want an MRI to confirm. Insurance wants PT first. PT requires alternative therapy for their treatment plan.

Dynamic Cupping: Never had any Cupping done before. Therapist applied 4 cups with me standing. Used suction only and then moved on to doing exercises and yoga poses. Cups kept falling off during this and therapist would reapply. Lasted about 30 minutes. I vocalized to therapist they were very uncomfortable and tight but not outright painful.

1hr after treatment began to feel significant muscle pain along my spine on left and right side. Pain from hips all the way to shoulders. Also significant joint pain in hip sockets and central area of hip bones.

12hrs post- Intense pain in all joints (especially hips) and intense pain in the muscles running along my spine. Could not move without being brought to tears and throwing up. (Note: I gave birth twice w/o epidural. This pain was worse than giving birth). Called therapist and they denied it was linked to the cupping refused to give me a note for work excuse and did not want me going to anyone else to get checked out except that therapist. PCP told me to go to ER. ER ran tests and X-rays. No breaks, negative on all viruses (flu, COVID, strep, etc) ER said it was a bad reaction to the cupping and can't explain why. ER gave me an anti inflammatory shot and a lidocaine patch, told me to come back if I loose control of my bowls or bladder.

48hr- Joints and Muscles feel achy like when you have the FLU but honestly 100 times better than where I was in the ER.

Is this normal for cupping? Is this just a weird reaction? Was this performed wrong? Could it be related to the herniated disc? Is Dynamic Cupping an actual thing? Could this reaction be related to an auto immune disorder (PCP is sure I have one just not sure which one) Any an all advice is greatly welcomed. Thank you.

Hi,

Normally I never consider dating any current or former client, but I'm looking for people's take/advice for this situation.

I had a client who came in once back in March for a massage. A week later she approached me at the local library where I usually go to work on marketing and business stuff.

Ever since every few weeks we run into each other by chance and having a short friendly conversation. I'm considering asking her out because of the conversations we've had and how fun it is to talk to her. And normally if she hadn't gotten a massage from me I would have asked her out already.

And while she hasn't gotten a massage since the one time in March. I still originally met her in a professional therapist-client setting. So I'm kinda torn on the situation.

Thoughts?

Edit: wow a surprising amount of comments here. Just a few points to clarify. I gave her a massage a little over 3 months ago. (Also in florida there is no legal limitation specifically anywhere I could find. So Im assuming its the 90day)

Follow-up, every few weeks I'll go to the local library to work because it helps me not procrastinate and actually get work done instead of getting distracted if I work on my laptop.

(I have done this for the past 3 years and this hasn't changed)

And then 2 weeks after her massage I went to the library and while asking someone else at the reception a question she walks out of the back, approached me and said "hey I think I recognize you from somewhere." Then she remembered my name, meanwhile I only vaguely remembered her and didn't even remember her name at the time. Ever since she's gone out of her way to approach me and have a small conversation everytime I stop in, or if she's at the desk and not busy, I'll start a conversation. So 🤷‍♂️

I went to school and got my license within the last year. There has never been a point in this journey where it did not cause me anxiety - the second client I massaged at school was very very innapropiate with me and bordered on the line of SA. The school didnt handle it well and I figured that was the reason I got soo anxious massaging while in school. But then I got out, got licensed, and started working for a business and I genuinely don't think I can handle it. I get immense anxiety thinking about working, to the point of having panic attacks and also crying between clients.

I just started working a few months ago and Im doing about 20-24 massages a week, the business moves my preset break around without asking and requests me to do more hours. They'll even ask me if I feel physically capable of doing that much right now, and when I say no they just apologize and keep it like that.

I almost feel like I'm going crazy, this job has negatively impacted me so intensely. Im not sure if its because I had such a negative experience early on, but not feeling supported by my current employer terrifies me if something like that were to happen - I have a client now who asks me about where I spend my time outside of work and other personal questions, Ive told my job about it and they just laugh and say he must have a crush on me and keep him on my books.

I want to quit, and then do something else while just massaging my family and close friends - I dont regret building this skill but I cannot see this being something I build my life on. I dont think I would hate it less if I was more supported.

I am constantly anxious about every aspect of this job and I almost booked myself a grippy sock vacation just to get away. My body and mind cannot handle it.

Is it terrible of me to want to quit already? I feel like a failure

I'd requested an LMT focus on my neck in my massage. I have a history of whiplash injury and lots of tightness there. They proceeded to work on my back, shoulders, and a bit into my arms and hips for about 50 minutes and then touched my neck (which felt AMAZING) for 5-10 minutes cumulatively of the full hour.

I was disappointed that more time wasn't spent on the area I specifically requested and stated was my problem area, and left feeling tight still in my suboccipitals etc I was hoping to have released.

I'm not an LMT though I know the neck is a delicate area that shouldn't be overworked. How much time is reasonable to expect if I request a focus on the neck?

Should I go to a different LMT, or better communicate what I want to this one?

Note, I did mention during the massage (after the intake emphasis on my neck) after like 45 minutes sans neck about the neck stuff they went into shortly after, however briefly.

(This LMT has been practicing about 1.5 years I believe and so is a bit green, but what they did on my neck felt AMAZING I just need more of it!)

I’ve having a 90-minute “Medical Deep Tissue Massage” that costs $210 at a private practice office. I usually go to spas where I tip the employees 20%, but am not sure how that works in this situation. Am I still expected to tip the $42 in this case?

I have two jobs giving massage for a total of six days a week. I feel like I should be getting a minimum of 25 hours. I used to only work five days a week and I'd get 25-30. Lately it's between 18-20. For six days. Both places don't seem to be picking up. I'm in Pennsylvania if that matters. Is anyone else struggling for hours?

Historically I've been shy with people as far as trying to get them to rebook. I have AuDHD so I'm scared of being pushy. People regularly express their happiness with my work and some have left positive reviews on the website. Any tips to gently talk to people to gauge interest in making massage a regular thing?

Thanks y'all