Favorite Music for Massage

One of the reasons I wanted to become a massage therapist was to allow flexibility in my schedule to play music. Music is another of my passions. But the music I play (mostly singer-songwriter and old-time string band music) is not good for massage. It’s better in coffee houses, listening rooms and dance floors.

But one of the offshoots of this passion is that I love supporting other independent musicians, so I seek out music that will be good in the massage room. I prefer music I can buy directly from the musician. One good source for CDs is CDBaby since they also make many of the selections available for individual purchase through iTunes. But, I digress... Buying independent music is important to me, so I'll share with you some of my favorites.

1. The Amazing Jellies: Council of Sea Beings by Ruth Mendelson. Mendelson is a professor at Berklee School of Music and composed this work for an exhibit at the Boston Aquarium on jellyfish. It’s very “floaty.” There are two versions on the CD and a third cut called, “Cochiti,” which predictably has a Native American theme with no-so-soothing drumming. I skip that cut.

2. Since I play guitar, I started out by looking for cool guitar CDs. In three years I have not yet tired of either Counting the Ways or Luna by Ed Gerhardt, a blissful guitarist who used to record with Windham Hill.

3. For a celtic flavor, I prefer Celtic Guitar Summit with Steve Baughman and Robin Bullock.

4. Another therapist (and musician) introduced me to Arthurian Dream Suite by Roger Davis, a Wilmington, NC, jazz guitarist.

5. Which led me to having a few jazz selections around... Some folks don’t like vocals, and some don’t mind. So for the latter, I’ll sometimes play Rebecca Martin’s People Behaving Like Ballads. She is a talented singer and songwriter from New York,

6. I also like Alison Brown, banjo player extraordinaire, and owner of Compass Records, a great label for independent artists. Most of her albums work, though my top pick is Alison Brown Quartet, Out of the Blue.

7. I recently discovered a few local artists. Richard Shulman plays piano and synthesizer and is based in Asheville, NC. I picked up a copy of 11:11, a series of meditations on piano which is now in a regular rotation.

8. Benjamin Jobst is a body-worker based in Saluda, NC. He created Seven Metals Singing Bowls using Tibetan singing bowls, gongs and chimes for his recordings. He intentionally created a recording with no discernible tempo or rhythm to help the brain shut off while receiving therapy (or meditating). Most of my clients love it. One of my clients, a musician, hates it, and so I always change it out before that session and chuckle.

I do my best to stay away from recordings I think are overused in massages like Pachelbel Canon in D (the “Margaritaville of classical music”) or Enya unless a client specifically requests it. Tell me what music you like to enjoy while you're in the massage room. I'd love to know!

“A friend is someone who knows the song of your soul and sings it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” Anonymous

Why I love my work - #1 in a long series

I have to tell you a story that starts with the first time I worked with a particular client. He is a double-amputee, missing both his left arm and leg lost in an accident. It was my first time working with a double-amputee, and it was his first time to get a massage. We were at an outdoor event, so he was clothed and in his wheelchair. He was very sensitive to touch on the area where he had lost his arm, so I worked really slowly and gently. While I worked, he told me some of the horrific details of the accident, and how his life was saved. A few days later, I emailed him to follow up after the massage. This is part of his reply (quoted with permission):

“Your massage was a first for me, and I'm now convinced that I should have tried massage therapy sooner. It definitely helped!

Since my accident I've suffered from phantom pain in my left arm, every evening in some form. To keep the pain at a manageable level I take oxycodone + Percocet, twice a day. After 4 years of taking these narcotics I've reached the point that I get withdrawal symptoms if I miss a dosage. The medical theory is that it's better to stay on the pain medication to keep the pain at a manageable level. Kind of like taking an aspirin just in case you get a head ache!"

While I was working on him, he said that he felt his left (phantom) hand unclench and relax. It's common for amputees to feel a part of the amputated limb long after it's gone. His experience with this pain didn't surprise me, but I am thrilled that he finally felt some relief from the pain. He continued:

"I'm presently seeing a new doctor … who's been encouraging me to try alternatives, and has suggested trying massage therapy. If this helps, as it appears it has, I plan on slowly weaning off the prescribed narcotics. After our session I was amazed at how much better my left shoulder felt! Friday night was a rare night, as I actually got 8 hours of sleep. I normally get 3 to 4 hours of total sleep, due to problems with my left shoulder + phantom arm pain."

Because of this closure, he plans to continue with massage therapy back home. I'm glad we had the chance to have this exchange and that I had the opportunity to introduce him to the relief he felt.

"No single therapeutic agent can be compared in efficiency with this familiar but perfect tool...the human hand. If half as much research had been expended on the principles governing manual treatment as upon pharmacology, the hand would be esteemed today on a par with drugs in acceptability and power." --J. Madison Taylor, M.D. 1908

Preparing to see a massage therapist

“Do I have to take all of my clothes off?”

This wasn’t really going to be my first topic, but when I mentioned creating a blog and some of the topics, the unanimous choice of my colleagues was that this should be first. It's the first question people want to ask, but they don't. Even the fear of asking the question keeps a lot of folks away from every trying massage because they are afraid the answer will be, “Yes, of course you have to.”

But you don’t. Think about the purpose of getting a massage. If it’s for relaxation, and you’re totally stressed about being undressed, how successful can I (or any therapist) be in getting you to be relaxed? Won’t happen.

That’s why we’re taught the lovely phrase, “Please undress to your level of comfort.”

I think some people are also afraid they have to undress in the presence of the therapist. That doesn’t happen. After greeting a new client, explaining what will happen, I leave the room while my client gets ready. They know what to expect before I leave the room.

Now, there are folks who have had lots of massages or spent a lot of time in medical facilities who put me in a position where I had to leave rather quickly to avoid seeing them getting undressed. (No, really, I don’t want to see you undress. Let me leave and wash my hands.) But that is a totally different matter.

Related to the clothing issue is “draping,” or being covered during the massage. I like flannel sheets and a light blanket on top. The law in both South and North Carolina requires least a sheet or towel covering genitals and breasts. Legal talk gets so specific.

There are only two parts of you uncovered at any given time: your head, of course, and the part I'm working on. I don't work on those legally spelled-out areas, so genital areas and female breasts always remain draped. Heck, this only makes sense, and it's required by South Carolina law. The only exception to this rule is breast massage. It may be performed as part of breast cancer rehabilitation, but only with prior written permission of the client, and only by a therapist with specific training in breast cancer massage.

So, if you leave your clothes on, what’s typical? Usually underwear. Now, guys... briefs or boxer briefs are fine. Regular boxers, um, could be a problem when the therapist works on your legs. That’s just a thought for you.

Women, if you leave your bra on, which is fine, I will ask whether it is okay to unhook it while I work on your back. It’s a bit easier, and gives you better results, but if you say no, it stays hooked.

I’ve had at least three clients who left their trousers on. Mostly that is when I’m only working on the upper body. It presents a challenge when you have low back pain, and probably isn't as effective. But I work around it. It’s your choice; you’re paying me to give you the massage, and your sense of comfort and safety comes first.

It can be a bit unnerving not knowing what to expect going into your first massage. And, when you have no information, you're often worse off than knowing the truth. Now that you know what really does happen, I hope you're able to think about the clothing and draping issues a little differently. If you're thinking you can benefit from massage therapy, be sure to talk to a licensed therapist before committing to an appointment. You deserve the time it takes to ask a few questions. Make sure you're comfortable, and you'll probably see that the benefits of massage greatly outweigh the risks. You may even find that you had nothing to worry about at all!

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” M. Kathleen Casey