Massage Tutorial: Working on a Fully Clothed Client

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You're used to massaging clients with oil... so what do you do when someone stays fully clothed?
1:00 Strategy (using chair massage and myofascial release techniques)
1:40 Walking your way down the back
4:00 Moving to unilateral work, using soft fist
5:23 Applying transverse pressure
6:35 How to decrease pressure
7:18 Using forearm/elbow
7:40 Petrissage during clothed massage
8:30 Deep friction of the rotator cuff
10:08 Integrating the entire body
10:45 Lifting regions of the body
12:04 Using the bounce of the body to preserve your back
12:35 Static techniques
14:18 Massaging the foot through socks
16:25 Gliding to create superficial friction
17:30 Using oil when possible

When massaging a clothed client, you can borrow a lot from your experience with chair massage, but you can also keep your Swedish mentality. Walk your way down the body, compressing toward the hips, allowing each compression to tell a story about the body. Let your routine flow, even if each individual contact isn't able to.

Take this opportunity to use the extra traction provided by the clients' clothes. You'll be able to drag the fascia in ways that you might not be able to otherwise, and you can access areas like the glutes and pecs without needing to worry about the drape slipping. Make sure to get informed consent about sensitive areas, even when there's no possibility of exposure.

Mainly, try to embrace the traction rather than trying to somehow glide as if you were using oil. There's a lot of feel-good stuff that you can do with static techniques, and it can be a great opportunity to embrace slowness and stillness.

If you'd like to see some faster clothed massage with more movement, check out my clothed stretching/massage routine for the legs and hips:    • Massage Tutorial: Clothed low back/hi...  

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