Front or Back?

[Latching On]

I've learnt techniques that start face up, and some that start face down, and some that say "the course notes say start face down/up, but do whatever works for you".
If I am doing a facial with the massage, I'll start face down and finish with the facial (don't worry I'm a ualified esthetician) no-one wants to have that lovely just-had-a-facial skin stuck in a face hole regardless of how comfy the face hole/cradle is.

In general I start them face down, because I finish them off with the totally relaxed work at the end so they float out.
Stones I start them face up since the stones do all the work on the back while they are face up, but a lot of my clients say that they like my usual massages more because they end face up. I do tend to go pretty firmly if needed, and most people do need it on the back. I also find people are easier to get off the table face up, face down you say "end of massage, I'll go out and let you get up, take it slowly" and face down they don't want to get off the table.
I also do a lot of pregnancy massage and for the last trimester most of them just have 1hr face down, I get them off the table easily because I'm helping them get off the bodyCushion and they usually want to use the bathroom asap

 

[awbball4]

Of course, the needs of the client usually dictates what I'm going to do, but if they are coming for a straight Swedish massage, I always start them supine. We were taught this in school, so I continued that way. I'm always surprised when a new client says "face up?".

I like to start on the face before I have anything on my hands. If I do start prone, I do santize my hands before working on the face, but I never feel as if it's the same as washing them thoroughly with hot soapy water.

Starting supine does give the clients a chance to chat. I find that the majority of clients will chat for a couple of minutes at the beginning of the massage and then quiet down. It's hard to talk with the face in the face cradle.

For new clients, I feel that if they have any sort of trust issues and feel a need to look at me, they will be more comfortable with that if we start supine.

Since the majority of people hold their tension in their upper shoulders and back, I am finishing up with that and they leave the office with one of the largest parts of their body feeling freshly relaxed.

 

[Griffyn]

I start supine unless asked to start prone.

 

[Tino {20}]

I start all my sessions supine, and prefer it that way when I get work myself. All the tension in the head/face, neck & upper thoracic are addressed first.

I use "The Rose of Sharon" technique with the "cervical wave" myself, and everyone loves that. Just have to watch it though with those heavier clients, or you can hurt yourself doing it ! I don't know about the rest of you, but I almost always feel like I pickup or "pull off" a huge amount of stuck energy from most people when doing this move. It's easy enough to clear out by sending "cords" down off your wrists & elbows, plus shaking out your arms after the move is complete.

After those moves I do some Active Isolated Stretching for the arms & shoulders, followed by massage, to open up & release all that upper body tension. From there I move on to the feet & legs. I vary things a bit after that, sometimes doing hot stone or energy work, before having them turn over.

 

[bullsfootball]

I guess I don't have a always the same way method. In school they encouraged us to not always start & end in the same place. Now that I am practicing that makes sense to me. Depends on what their issues are.
And I love the come to Jamica move.