If I asked you what percentage of people bring their car in for regular maintenance, what do you think that number would look like? 10%? Maybe 15%? Regardless, most people wait until their car is making some janky noise and then finally, it gets the attention that it’s been screaming for (literally). Well, this is no different from what I’ve seen in over 7 years as a massage therapist.
You see, our bodies are our vehicles––human vehicles to be exact. They’re what gets us from point A, to point B, and all the way to point Z––but only if we get the ‘tires’ rotated, and the ‘oil’ changed, and the maintenance done.
We tend to skip the maintenance work though. We wait until we’re the ones making some janky noise and then we realize, “hey, maybe I should do something about this.”
Not all, but I’d say about 80% of the people who come in for a massage fall into a similar category:
I have this pain that I can’t take anymore.
My body is all messed up, please fix me.
I pulled my hamstring and it hasn’t been right since.
My doctor told me that I need to come get a massage (as he’s handing you prescription pills).
I threw my back out twerking to WAP.
The chances of your car randomly breaking down if it is routinely serviced is significantly lower than the car that never gets the TLC it needs. Our bodies aren’t any different.
Yes, you might have things that need to get repaired here and there, but it won’t be a blown engine. Same thing goes for the body. We’ll always tweak ourselves here and there. There’s no way around this one. But if we’re routinely taking care of ourselves that chance for a torn ACL or herniated disc drastically decreases.
All I’m doing is stating the obvious––some real no brainer shit––but yet massage continues to face a big issue.
It has always been looked at as a luxury. You know that scene in the movies where the table is outside on the deck of a hut overlooking the ocean? That. That’s how people see massage.
Well one, that’s stupid. The person would be covered in sweat and that massage would suck. And two, that narrative needs to change. Massages can absolutely be a luxury, but I’d argue to say that they’re more of a necessity.
(Like what in the fuck am I even looking at here? Hot stone in the middle of the summer with a table set up in the ocean? Fuck off.)
REWRITING THE NARRATIVE
Out of the almost 8 years that I’ve been a massage therapist, there are 4 main reasons that usually keep someone from coming in for a massage. Lucky for you guys, I have destroyed each argument through my own superfluous rounds of mental chess. This officially leaves you zero reasons to not be getting a massage.
Time – I don’t have the time to get massages, Justin.
Yes you do.
Unless you’re a (single) parent hustling your ass off, running from this to that, time is a poor excuse. Like really poor, dude.
Even the person who works crazy hours has at least one day out of an entire month to squeeze in a 60 minute massage. If you don’t, my friend, a massage is the last thing you need. A self-help seminar in time management is where you should really be investing your energy . . . and this is a blog about how everybody should be getting massages.
Money – Show me the money baby! Well, show me the money actually.
Money is another poor excuse . . . unless. Unless all your money goes to rent, bills, groceries, and straight up necessities. You get a pass if that’s your case. Know who doesn’t get a pass? Fucking Fred. Fuck Fred. Who even names their kid Fred anymore? Stupid.
Fred spends all of his money on clothes, jewelry, and other bullshit trying to impress girls, but even then it’s still a lost cause because well, let’s face it, it’s Fred.
Don’t pick spending money on useless things over taking care of yourself. Even if you’re not going to get a massage, there are so many other ways we can be taking care of the body. Yet we’d rather trade in that experience for another night at the bar. Or another pair of shoes. Or another watch. Or another Onlyfans subscription.
You get the point. Don’t be a Fred.
Bad First Experience – This one is actually huge and I don’t give it nearly enough credit.
A terrible first experience with massage can be an instant deal breaker for life. But don’t let it. If you find yourself here, give massage another shot. I’m telling you that there is nothing like getting a really awesome massage. I’m not just saying that either.
I’ve had massages where I wonder if this person even knows that you can tell they don’t give a shit about what they’re doing. But I’ve also had massages where I thought I met God. So there’s that to look forward to.
It might take a little bit to find the right spa or therapist, but it’ll be well worth it once it all comes together. I promise you. Money back guarantee.
Touch – This one is tricky.
A lot of people don’t get massages because of the touch factor.
It’s so awkward.
I don’t feel comfortable with somebody touching me.
I’m just supposed to lay there?
This is an easy work through. Most of the time when it comes to people being uncomfortable with touch, it’s really people uncomfortable with themselves.
(Gasp, you can’t say that Justin! It’s 2020! People will get offended!)
I can say this because I’ve been there. I used to hate being touched. It’d make my skin crawl. But the more that I’ve worked through my bullshit and learned to sit in the discomfort of being touched, the more ok I became with it. So much so that you couldn’t touch me enough nowadays.
(Ok, that got a little awkward.)
However . . .
What’s not an easy work through is trauma from the past that makes touch unbearable for someone. I’ve dealt with this first hand and here’s what I have to say for that: I think massage might even be more important for these people. Let me explain.
If massage is off the table because of sexual or physical trauma from the past, say no more. Some doors are better left unopened. But (and you knew this was coming), I am a big believer in working through any trauma.
Know that whatever the reason is for touch not sitting well with you is also a guiding star in where you have some area of your life that needs work. Your discomfort (to anything in life) is a chance to get curious. Why do massages make me so uncomfortable? Why do I cringe anytime someone touches me? Why do I have such a hard time completely relaxing during a massage?
If you find yourself here and think that massage may be something you want to give a shot but you have your hesitations due to trauma, there are two things you should do.
- Make sure you have a therapist that you see regularly. Getting a massage could potentially trigger that past trauma and this is where having a therapist is crucial.
- Find a massage therapist that you feel totally comfortable with. Ask people you know who get frequent massages as to who they’d recommend. A lot of this will be trial and error but that’s the best place to start.
These are all the reasons that keep people from coming in and clearly some are more serious than others. Wherever you find yourself though, I truly believe that getting routine massages is one of the best forms of self-caret and to rob yourself of that pleasure would be a complete shame.
In the end, prioritizing massage is an act of self-love. Simple as that. It’s basically saying I love myself enough to take care of the vehicle that I’ve been giving––which is why I wrote this blog.
I know I didn’t get into the myriad number of health benefits that massage has to offer, but this was more to illuminate the concept of our body being a vehicle that we need to give more care to.
Can somebody go their whole life without getting a massage? For sure. But they also probably have the mobility of a two-by-four alongside a less than stellar quality of life. Don’t be that person who waits until their 60s for their first massage. Or even worse, never gets one.
