Many clients, even those that have been getting massage for years, are unsure exactly how much they should disrobe for their massage. As with so many things, the answer is that it depends. The most important thing is for you to be comfortable and able to relax. It’s also important to remember that no matter you how much you disrobe, during a professional massage, you’ll always be draped with a sheet or towel so only the area being worked on is uncovered. You can also request that certain areas are avoided during massage.
Many therapists are trained that the amount of clothing you take off defines your comfort zone, and I tend to follow this rule of thumb. If you leave your underwear on, I take it as a sign that you prefer to have your gluteal area worked through the sheet. I rarely move or adjust underwear to access the gluteal muscles.
My clients are about a 50/50 mix of those that fully disrobe and those that leave their underwear on. I don’t have many clients that wear anything more than their underwear or are fully clothed. From a therapist’s perspective, it often doesn’t matter.
The other factor to consider is the type of massage you’ll be receiving and the purpose for it. If you’re having a full-body relaxing massage without a lot of specific areas with tense muscles, then leaving your underwear on won’t interfere with the effectiveness of the massage. In this situation, your gluteal muscles can be effectively massaged through a sheet. But if you have low back and hip or upper leg issues, removing your underwear provides me a wider range of techniques to loosen and release tight gluteal muscles, which are often a factor in low back pain.
A few other pieces of information:
Ladies, it’s best if you remove your bra, even if you choose to leave your panties on. Occasionally, massage oils and lotions can stain delicate fabric. It’s also more difficult to work the length of your neck muscles with bra straps in the way (many neck muscles attach to your shoulder blade or vertebrate in the mid-back). Rest assured, your breasts will remain fully draped at all times.
Guys, if you want to leave your underwear on, it’s better if you don’t wear the long boxer briefs that fit snugly around your upper leg. Those make it tough to fully work on your quadriceps, hamstrings, and other leg muscles (remember the comfort zone guideline). Briefs or traditional boxers are a better choice.
And if you’re more comfortable leaving all of your clothes on, I’m trained in techniques that can be applied while you’re fully clothed. However, make sure you wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothes since I will often do a lot of stretching in this situation.
And remember, when in doubt – ASK! Questions like these are really quite common, and my goal is to make you as comfortable as possible.
My clients are about a 50/50 mix of those that fully disrobe and those that leave their underwear on. I don’t have many clients that wear anything more than their underwear or are fully clothed. From a therapist’s perspective, it often doesn’t matter.
The other factor to consider is the type of massage you’ll be receiving and the purpose for it. If you’re having a full-body relaxing massage without a lot of specific areas with tense muscles, then leaving your underwear on won’t interfere with the effectiveness of the massage. In this situation, your gluteal muscles can be effectively massaged through a sheet. But if you have low back and hip or upper leg issues, removing your underwear provides me a wider range of techniques to loosen and release tight gluteal muscles, which are often a factor in low back pain.
A few other pieces of information:
Ladies, it’s best if you remove your bra, even if you choose to leave your panties on. Occasionally, massage oils and lotions can stain delicate fabric. It’s also more difficult to work the length of your neck muscles with bra straps in the way (many neck muscles attach to your shoulder blade or vertebrate in the mid-back). Rest assured, your breasts will remain fully draped at all times.
Guys, if you want to leave your underwear on, it’s better if you don’t wear the long boxer briefs that fit snugly around your upper leg. Those make it tough to fully work on your quadriceps, hamstrings, and other leg muscles (remember the comfort zone guideline). Briefs or traditional boxers are a better choice.
And if you’re more comfortable leaving all of your clothes on, I’m trained in techniques that can be applied while you’re fully clothed. However, make sure you wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothes since I will often do a lot of stretching in this situation.
And remember, when in doubt – ASK! Questions like these are really quite common, and my goal is to make you as comfortable as possible.
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