Massage Therapy Tools Must Fit the Client’s Needs

By Selena Belisle, CE Institute LLC Founder & Instructor

I have been practicing and receiving massages for nearly 40 years.  One of the few modalities that’s always interested me, but I do not practice, is Bamboo massage.  I’m always a little nervous with massage tools after seeing some therapist be less sanitary than others with them.  Nevertheless, I’d really like to love this modality, and have had a handful of these sessions before today. Unfortunately, today I stopped the bamboo massage, and asked for something else, once I realized it really wasn’t what I wanted or needed! I wish the therapist would have suggested changing the session for me instead, but we were both relieved and happy once I asked for change. Here’s how it went:

I have a lot of inflammation in my body. I’m getting older in my mid-50s. I have survived a major motorcycle accident for the past three decades as well as encountering new impediments, such as bilateral labral tears in my hips, bilateral meniscus tears in my knees, a few different types of arthritis and an overall achy body. I also competed on the world stage as a world class athlete in my teens into my 30s, so I’ve got some pretty good wear and tear on my bones and joints as well. The last thing I want right now is any sort of deep tissue when I already have so many aches and pains every few inches from the top to the bottom of my body.  I’d simply like to relax and enjoy a nice soothing massage, and feel good in my body for however long the session may last and longer.

I didn’t realize until today that something like bamboo massage is really best applied for those who want deeper pressure despite having decades of massage experience, in addition to being a massage therapy CE provider.  I’m writing all of this because LMTs must ask, how do clients know what’s best for them when even I couldn’t tell earlier today, when I booked the wrong type of massage appointment for my own personal needs?

Simply rolling and rubbing a bamboo stick up and down soft tissue doesn’t feel that great, when compared to a great set of hands.  Somehow I thought this massage tool of a bamboo stick was going to magically feel great at any pressure, but it didn’t. Bamboo sticks give a therapist leverage to simply push down with extra weight into the muscles for a deeper tissue massage.  But to me, they’re not great when a client simply wants to relax with something that feels softer, nevermind the power of human touch which is superior to all. That’s not to say that the therapist didn’t apply her bamboo sticks properly.  It’s just to say when a client wants to relax and is already suffering with many aches, pains and soreness, perhaps applying a hard tool to the soft tissue wouldn’t be their best option for relief.

Massage tools, whether they’re cups, scrapers, stones, bamboo or other implements are usually hard surfaces. One of the softest and gentlest tools a massage therapist can employ is their own hands!  So when a client asks to relax but has booked a massage with a tool, perhaps it's best to review their goals in a little bit more detail, and explain that they will be massaged or have their soft tissue manipulated with a hard object.  While stones can be gently applied to the body with various thermal therapies from hot to cold, other massage tools such as cups might require a good amount of suction that is not always gentle to create suction or be effective.

I’m not saying that bamboo massage is bad - it is not.  I have had wonderful bamboo massages in the past when I had different objectives, such as wanting more stretching, increased circulation and manipulation of soft tissue. 

There are many different massage modalities available to meet client goals, and while some therapists like to use the same modality regardless of client’s needs because that’s their specialty, it’s really up to a therapist to learn different modalities to provide the best one that will create the best result.  

After less than ten minutes of having a bamboo stick rubbed up and down my hamstrings and calves, I asked the massage therapist to switch to a Swedish massage instead, which she gladly did.  I had to ask her to use less pressure a few times during her bamboo application, and I could tell she didn’t really enjoy applying the bamboo with such little pressure either.  So if a client is repeatedly asking for something different than what is being provided, please take a moment to think or ask if the right modality is being used?  Sometimes the right therapist is simply using the wrong modality to get the job done.

This is just a sampling of ideas when using tools for massage practice. To learn more professional massage therapy practices and ideas, please visit: https://ceinstitute.com/