What to Expect During a Massage (Your First Session Explained)

When I first decided to go to massage school, I was 19 years old. I had never had a massage before – I know, crazy – so I truly had no idea what to expect. Yet, here I am, nearly two decades later, still slinging my oil. Massage is clearly…amazing. But, if you’re anything like me, then you might have no idea what to actually expect during a massage. But don’t worry at all! I’ll cover everything you’ll need to know about your first massage in this blog article.

what to wear to a massage

First things first. You might be feeling a little unsure about what to wear to your first massage in Beaverton ever. You might be thinking, “Do I wear shorts? A bra? Do I keep my underwear on? Maybe I’ll just keep my clothes on.” All of these questions and thoughts are completely normal.

I typically say, wear what’s comfortable. When I’m doing my intake with my client, just before leaving, I’ll tell them to undress to their comfort level. Comfort level is completely different person to person. I’ve literally left the room to come back in and find the client nearly fully clothed laying on top of the table.

For reference, I do use oil during my massages, so fully clothed isn’t the best option. We’ll just end up doing a bunch of compressions the whole time and you won’t get the full experience. For my massages, when I say “undress to your comfort level,” what I mean is, you can leave your underwear on, but please remove everything else. As I said, I use oil in my massages, and I don’t want to get that on your clothes as it may stain them.

If you’re breastfeeding, you may want to leave your breastfeeding bra on just to help collect any drips that happen. That’s totally fine. If someone does leave their bra on for whatever reason – it’s happened many times over the course of my nearly twenty years – I usually just move the straps out of the way (with permission first), and if there’s a clasp in the back, I’ll ask if it’s okay that I unclasp it when you’re face down.

Please note: I work the glutes through the sheets, so whether you’re wearing underwear or not, that’s my own personal draping line.

No matter what, I always recommend wearing clothes that you’re okay with getting a little bit of oil, lotion, or cream on. I wouldn’t wear your fancy silk or clothes that you would have to take to the dry cleaning because some oil got on them. Although I try not to slather you up, it does happen from time to time, especially if someone has a lot of body hair (you have to use more oil/lotion so that you don’t pull it).

Do you wear clothes during a massage

This is a common question I receive from clients who have never had a massage before. For my massages, generally, no. I will always make exceptions, of course, but as I said before, I use oil in my massages. Plus, you’re really missing out. I use hot stones, hot towels, essential oils – all of which you can’t really experience if you’re fully clothed. That said, if you are truly uncomfortable removing your clothes, I do offer a fantastic buccal massage, which can be modified so that you don’t need to remove your shirt.

what to take off for a massage

If you haven’t received a massage before, or haven’t had many, you might be curious what you should take off for a massage. As previously mentioned, I say “undress to your comfort level.” So, you can leave your underwear on, or take them off. I recommend that you take off your bra. I use oil and have a solid flow for my massages – bras detract from the experience. But, if you need to keep yours on for whatever reason, just let me know and we can work around that.

should I talk during a massage

Another common question I get for someone’s first massage, or sometimes it’s a question lingering beneath the surface, is if they should talk during a massage, and if so, how much. This is YOUR massage. If you want to talk the entire session, by all means, talk. Talking is how some people relax. If you want total silence? That works, too. My intention is to serve you. I follow your lead. And although I can’t give you 100% total silence, I can give you about 99%. There are still some questions that I need to ask, like checking in on pressure, then I’ll have you flip over and I’ll need to talk for that. And after I have you flip, I’ll check in on your comfort level. If I see you tensing, flinching, or anything else, I’ll check to see if you’re okay or need any adjustments, but that’s about it. I follow your lead.

do they massage your whole body

A question you might have is whether we massage your whole body. All I can say is, every practitioner is different. For my style of massage, I completely customize my massages for my signature and expanded whole care therapy. If you’re struggling with headaches, for instance, we might just work on the face, scalp, neck and upper back. If you want to sink into the table and forget the world outside? We’ll probably do a full body. If you’re desk bound and having lower back pain, we might do a focused upper body and glutes session. Whether I massage your whole body completely depends on you, your treatment goals, and how much time we have.

do they massage your legs in a massage

Although this question hasn’t been asked of me quite as much, I have been asked a handful of times whether I massage the legs in a massage. The answer – yes. I absolutely work on the legs in a massage. The legs are an integral part of our bodies. They’re what get (most of us) to every single place we’ve ever been. They have huge muscles (quads and hamstrings) that carry an enormous load. These muscles also have connections through attachments and fascia that affect our core and lower back. And our legs have smaller, but not less important, muscles that go from our lower leg into our feet, which control the movements of our toes. They’re how we walk, run, dance…everything. So yes, I absolutely will massage your legs, if that’s what you want.

What to expect during a massage: Final ThoughtS

I absolutely love being someone’s first massage therapist because I know that I set the bar high. When someone comes in for a massage with me, I listen to their needs, focus on what they want focused on, and work hard to give them the best possible experience. One thing that I really try to do is to make you feel comfortable…this is your space. Whether you’re needing a 90-minute upper body massage, a full body total relaxation massage experience, or if you’re unsure about how to dress down or what to do, my intention is to create a safe and welcoming environment and give you what you need in that moment.

I really hope that this article was both informative and helpful. If you have any questions at all, please reach out via email, or by filling out the contact form. If you’re ready to book a massage in Beaverton with me, you can head over to my Book Online page.