Massaging a "sensitive" area..?

[AToriaBethh]

Hi,

My mum has just ditched 30 years of teaching to re-train as an aromatherapist, and has just got her course outline in the post today However, she noticed that, in the part that details which parts of the body will be worked on in each term, 'abdomen' was included. This really surprised both of us- we can't imagine very many people wanting to have this done....is this correct?

 

[DaySleeper]

Hi azalia,

Abdomen massage is routinely taught as part of the Body Massage. It is just from the bottom of the rib cage to just above pelvic bone, and is very gentle.

However, I have to admit that since passing my exams 2+ years ago, I have very very few clients that have the abdomen included!!

Most women seem to be too shy to have you look at their stomachs!! And many female therapists are not happy to massage the abdomen of men they do no0t know.

I guess that as long as you know how to, it is up to you and the client whether it is part of the routine.

K xx

 

[dyniaqe]

Hi Azalia

It is part of a massage routine, it is good for the colon. A lot of people dont like to have it done because in the Holistic sense we hold our emotions in that area and the massage can stir the energy up.

Most people after the course dont put the abdomen massage in unless the client asks for it or they feel comfortable with the client.

Love and Light

Loopy Lass

 

[brandon m]

I was taught to massage the abdomen (in both men and women - not that there should be any difference). As Loopy Lass states it is good for the digestive system and can help a sluggish bowel.

I always explain to clients which areas I am going to massage and check that they are happy with all of it and with the exception of one or two, they all have their abdomens treated.

Lesley

 

[Weej]

I was taught to do it too, it is afterall part of the body![&:]

Actually I don't always do it and yes, some people are shy about it, though having said that I did it today on somebody who came in with a bad stomach ache and it helped even though she told me she would probably punch me when I put my hands on her. (she didn't).

I really like having it done, it is very nice.

 

[Madd-e]

I used abdomen massage a lot on my son when he was a baby. It was a great help...

Amber

 

[afzycalea]

Hi Azalia
I have been doing massage for the last 4 years and it is only since I have been working in a holistic healing centre (9 months) that people are quite happy to have their abdomen massaged. i always ask the client if they are happy for me to massage the area. It is very nice to have your abdomen massaged..

 

[Artism]

I never do get that "dont massage a mans abdomen", very very strange....

Yep I do them, can be very helpful as you are stimulating the digestive system and help peristalsis......when I run through my sequence with a client I explain what I do and then they have the choice of leaving out any bits....
Its their money so they can have whichever bit (apart from genitali obvioulsy) they like done or not done!
T
x

 

[you dig my swag*]

Yep, I do abdomens and buttocks too doesn't embarrass me in the slightest (some therapists even do breasts). But I always ask my clients as many people are sensitive about their tummies. Your mum will soon get use to working on different parts of the body. She will also find that working in a room with other students you will see all parts of the body that you weren't expecting, so be prepared

 

[cannabis-northern-light]

Thanks for that everyone!

She has just started today, and someone (who is doing holistic massage all over again this year to meet the ITEC requirements instead of VTCT) said much the same thing.

 

[Bindestrio]

Yes, I did ITEC, so maybe the VTCT don't do it?[&:]

This is my slant on it. I started training in 2000 and felt a bit awkward about the male thing then but have long since gone past it. I am no longer bothered in the slightest and anyway we only have one or two weirdos in the clinic, one who kindly left a deposit on the couch cover and if he came back I wouldn't do him purely because of that as I think that is disgusting. If I had been the therapist I would have handed him the couch cover to wash.

I am not bothered at all now as all the men I do are lovely. As far as I am concered they can take their pants off or leave them on, have their bums or stomachs done or not. Once you realise how important a good bum massage is and how it can help people you just do it - for them. I did my friend's bum yesterday and she was eternally grateful. It was just another part of the body that needed doing. So it makes a stomach pale really. What's the big deal? We get a lot of ill people and if it helps then so be it. I would do breasts if I needed to, though wasn't taught it.

I also do NAET treatments and we have to make contact with a point right in the centre of the lower abdomen, male or female, you can't avoid it. I do sometimes wonder when I do a man if they dress to the left or right and I can see their eyes widen when I do it but so far it's been ok!

The sooner you get past all this the better for you as a therapist and I suggest jumping right in there and doing men. They'll thank you for it.

 

[June Lee]

Oh no, I didn't mean it that way...I meant that someone who had already trained in holistic massage had told my mum that the abdomen in massaged because of digestion etc etc.. The fact that she had done VTCT was irrelevant really

[:'(] I agree about the couch cover!!!

 

[tramalnewers]

Bums? It's the gluteus group of muscles... Loads of meridians run through them.

Artemis

 

[amz m]

Yes, I certainly wasn't suggesting we should leave these things out by any means

 

[tgenluavijiimjedx]

i was taught abdomen massage on VTCT course and it is excellent for sluggish bowels, irritable bowel and my daughter when she is premenstrual

 

[D-Tes]

I did VTCT too, and I massage my female clients' abdomens, but I ask them before I start whether they want me to do this. But we were also taught that ethically female therapists shouldn't massage men's stomachs or buttocks (or the inside of the thighs), and male therapists shouldn't massage the same areas on women. It's to do with erogenous zones. I know that people can be aroused by having their feet massaged, but I've always stuck to the rules. I had one icky male client once who kept asking me to massage his thighs, and it turned out he was really getting off on it. It was horrible, and I dropped him as a client immediately (I wasn't overreacting, by the way, he tried to book another appointment and asked whether I'd do it without covering him in towels!)[:'(]

 

[jhesed]

If stomacks, buttocks or thighs are erogenous zones, surely that is true whether the therapist or client is male or female.

If all of that lot was missed out, by a therapist, either male or female, I would feel short changed and would not become a regular client.

There must be other ways of excluding difficult clients than by exluding large areas of the body from the massage.

 

[Rebecca]

Hi[sm=wave.gif]

I did an NVQ in Aroma massage (5 years ago) and massaging the abdomen is included and regarded as one of the most important areas ie Solar Plexus (emotional element etc) and for digestion. All of my clients have this area included in their massage as I tell them that it is part of the massage routine and for their benefit but have always given them the option. Male and female alike (something I've learned to deal with over the years).

It's a very soothing routine and so part of the aroma msg concept.

I hope your Mum is enjoying her course.

Wendy

 

[Anansi]

I have clients with IBS, (and some with other abdomen related issues, esp constipation), and they find that to have their tummies massaged brings instant confort and relief.

Most peple don't even like the thought of it, though if it's done correctly, it is very soothing.

give it a go!!

LoisX