Massage Therapists, what are some of your most awkward or disgusting experiences with Clients?

Massage Therapists, what are some of your most awkward or disgusting experiences with Clients?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Massage therapists. What are some of your most awkward or
disgusting experiences with clients? Story one. I really enjoyed doing
this work. I'm a guy, by the way. Honestly, the
strangest thing I usually deal with are some odd phone calls,
but that's about it. One time a caller asked me
what kind of massage I do. That's often a roundabout
way of asking for something inappropriate. I told him, clearly,

(00:22):
Swedish massage. He said, oh, that's something my partner and
I would be interested in. Do you also, do you
know a special kind of massage for women? Now? I
find that word frustrating because it doesn't actually mean what
people think, but it's often used as a hint for
something that isn't part professional massage. I just said no.

(00:43):
Then he asked again, could you and I said no.
From there it was just an awkward moment where we
both pretended he hadn't just asked me for something I
don't offer, and we ended the call as politely as possible.
The only other unusual moment I remember was when a
kind but very lonely older man once told me how
much much appreciated having a good looking person take care
of him. I admit at first it felt a little uncomfortable,

(01:06):
but then I just laughed inside and thought, well, at
least he called me pretty. For a split second, I
jokingly imagine living a life of wealth as someone's companion,
inheriting a mansion and fortune someday. But then I remember,
now I'm married and my life is already set on
a different path. That said, the strange moments are rare
and the benefits of this job are worth it. Swedish

(01:27):
massage is fascinating. It's based on real medical knowledge of
how the body works. You learn terms like desclamation and lymphatic.
Of course, there are perks. Sometimes women hire you for massage,
sometimes men, and yes, occasionally you do get a client
who's very attractive, but professionalism always comes first. Honestly, the
majority of my clients are men, since a lot of

(01:50):
women therapists prefer not to work with male clients. Personally,
I enjoy it because men usually have more muscle, and
that's the fun part for me, digging deep into a
thigh or shoulder and helping loosen things up. TLDR A
few weird calls and funny life thought aside. Massage is
an amazing career story two. Not me, but my karate

(02:11):
slash jiu jitsu instructor went through this backstory. He's a
small guy, kind of quiet, but super skilled. One day
he came into class late with this strange look on
his face. We finished training, and just as I was
about to leave, I asked him what was wrong? Honestly,
I wish I hadn't. He took a deep breath and said,
are you sure you want to know? I said yes,

(02:32):
because he's a good guy, and I felt like I
should listen. So here's what happened. Earlier that day, he
had an appointment with a client. She was a larger lady,
maybe two hundred to three hundred pounds, and had just
come from a gym. I actually laughed when he said that, because, hey,
at least she was put in an effort. She wanted
to cool down and relax. She was very kind, but

(02:53):
my instructor wasn't prepared for what he was about to face.
He gave her the full treatment, massage, hot stone, room,
the works. She had money, so she went all in.
That part wasn't the problem. The problem started when she
went to bathroom. After she stayed in there until about
five to ten minutes before closing. Once she left, my

(03:13):
instructor decided to go in and clean up. That's when
he smelled something horrible. He opened the door and froze.
On the wall was a disturbing art project made out
of something no one should ever use his paint, and
to make it worse, she had shaped it into something
that looked like him. He said. For the next week
or two he was honestly nervous about coming into work.

(03:33):
The staff even pulled the security footage and confirmed it
was her TLDR. My instructor once had a client who
left behind a very gross bathroom art project, and he's
never forgotten it. Story three. This happened while we were deployed.
There was an opportunity to get massages from the local workers.
Now we had already heard some wild stories about these
massage therapists. Basically, people said they were just older ladies

(03:57):
who did massage you. They beat you up. My buddy
had been having terrible back pain and finally said, forget it,
I'm gonna try. So he goes in, gets on the table,
wraps a towel around himself, and lies down. The lady,
who looked about eighty years old, maybe one hundred and
thirty pounds with our fritic looking hands. Starts the massage,

(04:17):
but it wasn't massage at all. She just started punching
him his back, legs, neck like he owed her money.
He said it was the beating of his life, and honestly,
he swore she could have knocked out a professional fighter
with how hard she hit. Now here's where things went downhill.
We've been away from home and our partners for about
four months, and as his body got used to the treatment,

(04:40):
something embarrassing happened. He became physically, let's just say, overly relaxed.
At that exact moment, the towel slipped, the old lady
saw it, and before he could even react, she moved
faster than he thought humanly possible. The next thing he knew,
she had grabbed him in a way that made him scream.
She squeezed, twisted, and basically he hit him with what

(05:00):
he described as a one to two combo. We were
all sitting outside when we saw him stumbling back to
the tent, trying to pull his clothes on while hunched over,
looking like he had just lost a fight. He was
wailing and clutching himself like his life was over. When
he finally managed to explain what happened, we couldn't stop
laughing until he said, in the most broken voice we'd
ever heard, she hit me with a combo and I

(05:22):
think she broke me. He couldn't you know, for about
a month afterward because it hurt too much. To this day,
he swears he'll never get another massage again. TLDR. My
buddy got massaged by an old lady overseas, but instead
of massage, he got punched, grabbed, and hit with a
combo move. He'll never forget. Story four. I used to
be a massage therapist at my local YMCA. There was

(05:45):
a group of four women, all in their early fifties
who would come in after playing tennis. They took turns
getting massages. At first, it was great. They were easy going,
usually tip well, and were fun to chat with. But
then things got weird. One of the women asked me
if I could always put her first on the schedule.
She even offered me a diamond tennis bracelet if I agreed.

(06:07):
I politely said no to the gift, but promised I'd
rotate the order fairly so everyone got a chance to
be first sometimes. At first she seemed fine with that,
but over time she started getting more demanding. She would
beg me to extend her session, cutting into her friend's time.
She kept offering me expensive presents, fancy meals, even shopping trips,

(06:27):
things I wasn't comfortable accepting. The more I turned her down,
the stranger her behavior became. Finally, one day she stopped
being subtle. She crossed the line and made a very
direct advance toward me. I pulled back immediately and told
her very politely that I wasn't interested in her that way.
That's when she completely flipped. She raised her voice so

(06:48):
that not on her friends, but also my coworkers could hear.
She accused me of leading her on for months and
yelled that I didn't deserve her time or money. Then
she started insulting my appearance and even my education, and
just like that, she stormed out, angry, yelling, and not
even fully dressed. I was mortified everyone in the building heard.

(07:08):
That same day I quit. I started working as a
waiter instead, and honestly, I never had the nerve to
go back to massage therapy again. TOLDR a client at
the YMCA became obsessed cross the line and then calls
a huge public scene when I rejected her. It was
a last day I ever worked as a massage therapist.
Story five. I've seen a lot as a massage therapist,

(07:30):
but some moments stick out more than others. The funniest
tattoo I ever saw a completely naked Yoda. The grossest
a zombie. Well, let's just say it was in a
private place. Now. I can't tell you how many times
clients have tried to cross boundaries and grabbed me. The
weirdest was one guy who just casually reached out and
honked my chest like it was a joke. The scariest

(07:53):
my boss once booked a client who was clearly not
well mentally. He was filthy, couldn't communicate properly, and gave
off a really dangerous vibe. I tried to make it
clear this was professional massage, but he didn't get it
and suddenly grabbed my upper thigh hard. That one shook me.
The most shocking of very friendly artists who, near the
end of his session, tried to drag my hands somewhere

(08:15):
it definitely wasn't supposed to go. I immediately dropped his
shoulders walked out of room and let the receptionist handle him.
He spent a long time in the restroom, made some
creepy comments about me tip way too much, and left.
But the biggest creep award goes to a young guy
I worked on in a resort town down south. After
his massage, he invited me to his room for a drink.

(08:36):
I refused. He lost it, yelling at me, calling me names,
and harassing me until we kicked him out. I thought
it was over. It wasn't. That man followed me around
for two weeks. Sometimes he'd invite me to run away
with him back to his grandmother's house. Other times he'd
scream at me, call me awful names, and even threatened me.
If we had known he was staying that long, we

(08:58):
would have had him. And the most exhausting client, an
older woman who spent her entire session going on a
racist rant. That one was just draining. But the hardest
part of all wasn't the creeps or the scary clients.
It was my internship. I trained in an oncology ward,
working with people who didn't have much time left. They
were my first real clients. They were so kind, so

(09:21):
grateful and Honestly, some of the most wonderful people I've
ever met. Most of them are gone now, but I'll
never forget how they made me feel. All that said,
this is still the best job in the world. Sadly,
I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and my pain won't let
me keep working much longer. It breaks my heart. I
want to do this forever. It's all I've ever dreamed of.

(09:43):
So if you're thinking about becoming a massage therapist, do it.
Do it for me. You won't regret it. Story six.
My mom is a massage therapist and for a while
she worked out of our house. She had a little
studio set up downstairs where clients would come for their session.
One day, a woman came in in her late sixties.
She was a little on the heavier side, but very confident.

(10:04):
As always, my mom explained the standard procedure. Please undress
to your comfort level and get in the covers. I'll
step outside until you're ready. A few minutes later, my
mom knocked and asked if the woman was ready. She
said yes, so my mom walked back in only to
find the woman standing in the middle of the room
completely unclothed. The woman looked at her and said, honey,

(10:26):
I'm sure you've seen more than this in your day. Spoiler,
she had not edit funny enough. This ended up being
my most popular story ever. Thanks mom. Story seven. This
one wasn't awkward for the client because he never knew
he found out, but it was hilarious for us. So
I had let this guy into massage room to get settled.
He had only a towel on and was supposed to

(10:48):
lie on the table under the sheet. Now, massage tables
have that little face hole at the top where you're
supposed to rest your head. Well, this guy must have misunderstood.
He laid down the wrong way and let his private
parts hang right to the face hole instead. Apparently he
looked totally relaxed, probably thought it was super comfortable. The
therapist said. She nearly burst out laughing when she walked

(11:10):
in and realized what happened. Story eight. My mom has
been a massage therapist for over twenty years. She's in
her fifties now, and she absolutely loves her job. She
works with all kinds of clients, elderly people, people who
are overweight. It doesn't matter to her. She sees everyone
as people and She's never the type to be easily
grossed out or judgmental, but one thing she does mind

(11:33):
is when people cross the line. The worst example was
when she was giving massage to a client who happened
to be a friend's husband. In the middle of the session,
he decided it would be appropriate to ask her for
something completely unprofessional. That moment really upset her because she
takes her work seriously and respects her clients. For someone
to disrespect her like that, especially a friend's husband, was

(11:54):
one of the most troubling experiences she ever had in
her career. Story nine. This wasn't me as massage therapist.
I was the one getting a massage. I was on
an island in Fiji, and it seemed like the perfect
idea to get a massage in one of those little
beach huts. Sounds relaxing, right, Well not for me. I
had been smoking a little earlier, so I was kind
of floating and my skin felt extra sensitive. I laid

(12:18):
down on the table, face in the little cutout hole
and the massage began. But instead of relaxing, every touch
felt insanely ticklish. I kept tensing up without meaning to,
which clearly frustrated the massage therapist. The more tense I got,
the more stress she seemed, and the vibe in the
hut was going downhill fast. Then it got worse. I sneezed,

(12:39):
and not just a little sneeze, a big, messy one.
Suddenly there was this long, dangling string of snot hanging
from my face through the headhole the massage table. It
swayed there like a vine in the wind. I tried
sniffing it back in, but no luck. I reached up
to wipe it, but the table was too wide to
reach my face without moving. So there I was with

(12:59):
this green ribbon swinging down toward the ground. I finally thought, okay,
just let it go. We're on a beach, no big deal.
But that's exactly when she stepped around to massage my shoulders,
placing her perfectly pedicure feet directly beneath it. I panicked.
I sniffed and sniffed desperately try to reel it back in,
but it just dangled their, threatening to snap loose. Meanwhile,

(13:21):
she kept massage on my back with these spidery fingers
that only made me more ticklish, and I was trying
not to laugh while also trying not to drop the
vine onto her toes. Eventually the session ended, I sat
up and the thing slapped right across my face. She
handed me a tissue, looking absolutely disgusted while I try
to thank her and exit as quickly as possible, But

(13:42):
of course it wasn't over. On my way out, I
walked face first into a thick wooden beam supporting the hut.
The crack of my head was a final cherry on
top of what was, without a doubt, the most awkward
massage of my life TLDR. Being ticklish, sneezing mid massage, dangling,
and hitting my head all combined to create the worst
massage experience ever. Story ten massage therapist here. One thing

(14:07):
I'll never understand is why so many men, not all
but a lot, expect something extra beyond a normal massage.
That is not what I do, that is not what
I advertise, and it is not part of massage therapy.
Yet after spending an hour working on them, often sweaty, hairy,
and not exactly pleasant, they'll ask me if there are
additional benefits. It's frustrating and disrespectful. Women, on the other hand,

(14:30):
usually just come in get their massage, say thank you.
And leave. It's a much better experience overall. Unfortunately, most
of my clients are men, so I deal with this
more often than i'd like. CI edit, It's now six
am where I am, and I'm completely exhausted. I'll answer
more questions when I can. In the meantime, feel free
to read through the comments, and I hope you all

(14:52):
have a good day, night, or morning wherever you are.
Story eleven. This is kind of a reverse of the
usual weird massage client stories. A friend recommended a massage
place near me, so I decided to try it out.
When I got there, this very attractive guy came out
and told me he would be my therapist for the
next hour. I thought, score, and let me tell you,

(15:12):
he had magic hands. It was honestly the best massage
of my life. I'd always heard how men sometimes get
a little too relaxed during massages, but I never thought
it could happen to women. Well, apparently it can. But
then came the weird part. As I'm lying there enjoy myself,
I suddenly feel him lean and a little closer, and
let's just say it was obvious he was a little

(15:33):
too relaxed as well. I didn't know what to do,
so I just let the session finish, thanked him, and left.
It was hands down the best massage I've ever had,
but I walked out feeling a little more frustrated than
when I walked in. TLDR went in for massage, got
the best with my life, but things got awkward when
the therapist himself got a little too in the moment.

(15:53):
Story twelve. This happened when I was still in massage school.
I was giving a guy a massage, and toward the
end I noticed he was shifting around a lot and
acting a little awkward. He mentioned it was his first massage,
so I didn't think much of it and just finished
the session. When it was over, he came out looking
super embarrassed. He barely made eye contact, paid as quickly

(16:13):
as he could, and rushed out the door. I went
back into the room to change the sheets, and that's
when I noticed something unusual. Right there under the top
sheet was a shiny little spot. I had a pretty
good idea what it was, but to be sure, I
leaned closer. Yep, exactly what I thought. Let's just say
he left behind his own kind of tip. The worst part,

(16:35):
he didn't even tip me money just left that instead.
To be fair, I think it was probably an accident
based on how embarrassed he was. It happened sometimes when
people get too relaxed, and if you think that's bad,
one of my classmates had it worse. She gave a
massage to an older man and he got so relaxy.
Let's just say he completely ruined her sheets. In a

(16:55):
totally different way, TLDR guy got too relaxed during massage
and left behind a very gross tip. My classmate had
a similar horror story, but even messier story thirteen. I'm
a beauty therapist and I do massage as well. One time,
a girl about my age in her twenties came in
for a full body massage. It was a gift from

(17:16):
her boyfriend. Everything seemed normal, but as I started the massage,
I noticed something strange. The oil on her skin looked streaky,
kind of brownish, and it had a weird smell. After
a while, she casually mentioned that she had spent the
whole morning applying fake tan before coming in. I looked
down at my hands and they were completely brown, like
I had just dipped them in melted chocolate. I had

(17:38):
to gently explain to her that it probably wasn't the
best idea to get a massage right after tanning, because
now her tan was going to be one big streaky mess.
Definitely a tan fail. Luckily, I haven't had any super
creepy experiences myself, though I know some my coworkers have.
One of them had a guy come in and when
she told the massage was finished, he actually offered her

(17:59):
extra money for they were special extras. She was so
uncomfortable she ran off crying. TOLDR a fake tan client
turned my hands brown mid massage. And while I've avoided
the creepy experiences, some of my co workers haven't been
so lucky. Story fourteen. I once had a very eccentric
client coming to our clinic asking for a two A
non massage, a type of Chinese massage. Normally, we give

(18:22):
clients privacy to undress down to their comfort level before
we start, but with this guy, I didn't even get
the chance to step out of a room. Before I
could hand him a towel, he dropped his pants and
revealed a bright, sparkling blue g string. He was about
fifty eight years old, had a big belly, gray hair,
a gold earring, and was very hairy. As I started
the massage, he began talking about his own line of work.

(18:46):
He claimed he was a special kind of mass use
and kept describing the way he did massages in a
very suggestive manner. Basically, he was over sharing way too
much about his supposed skills and trying to advertise himself.
While I was stuck massaging the entire session, he kept
making comments like you're really good with your hands, while
also bragging about how great he was at his job.

(19:08):
Let's just say it was one of the most awkward
massages I've ever had to give. Story fifteen. Not me,
but my girlfriend. She does waxing as well as massage.
One day, she was carefully waxing a client and noticed
what looked like a big mole in a very sensitive spot.
She worked around it cautiously, trying not to hurt the client,

(19:28):
but at one point she accidentally pulled too close and
the mole came right off. Turns out it wasn't a
mole at all. Yeah, it was exactly what you're imagining TLDR.
My girlfriend once thought she ripped off a mole during
a wax, but turned out to be something else. Entirely
story sixteen. This happened when I first started getting massages.

(19:48):
I had a voucher, so I booked an appointment with
a massage school student. It was one of the first
times I'd ever had a professional massage. He asked me
to undress to my comfort level, get under the covers,
and said he'd be back a few minutes. At first,
everything was fine. Most of the massage felt great. I
was relaxed and almost falling asleep. But about three quarters

(20:08):
of the way through things got weird. I was lying
on my stomach and he was working on the backs
of my legs. At one point I thought I heard
him mumble something, but I couldn't make it out, so
I just stayed still. Then, as he moved from my
caves up to my thighs, he grazed a couple of
areas that he definitely shouldn't have. I froze, not sure
what to do or say. And then the worst part,

(20:30):
he actually leaned down and licked the back of my thigh.
I jumped up, immediately, grabbed a sheet, and freaked out. Thankfully,
he didn't try to follow me or stop me from leaving,
but the experience was terrifying to this day. I refused
to ever have a male massage therapist again. TLDR, a
massage school student, crossed a major boundary during my first

(20:51):
massage and the experience left me shaken. For good story seventeen.
I'm not a massage therapist, but this is one of
my favorite funny massage related story where he's to tell.
Back in January, me and about thirty classmates went on
a four week trip to Vietnam. While we were there,
we'd often talked to random people in the streets because
you never know what kind of interesting travelers you'll meet.

(21:12):
Around the tenth day, I walked up to a guy
who had a bunch of tattoos, including one that looked
really fresh. It was a Southern Cross, so I asked
him if he was from Australia. He said yes. Then
I asked if he was from Tasmania. Again yes. Turns
out this guy literally lived only twenty minutes from my house.
What are the odds, right? So I called my friends

(21:33):
over and we all started chatting with him. He looked
kind of rough around the edges, but he was friendly.
He introduced us to a couple of very pretty Vietnamese
women who were standing next to him, and they smiled
and said helo. That's when he told us that he
had actually met when the women at a massage parlor
in Vietnam went back to Australia for a bit and
then decided to return to marry her. At first, we

(21:55):
thought it sounded like a romantic story until he made
some comments that made it very clear these massage parlors
were not the family friendly kind. Out of curiosity, we
asked him where this massage place was. Without hesitation, he
wrote down the address for us, insisting we had to
check it out. Then he explained that it was apparently
one of the biggest and most well known places of

(22:17):
that kind in all of Vietnam. When we looked at
the address, we were shocked it was the same as
our hotel. At first, we thought he was wrong, but
then he told us fourth floor just asked for a
special massage. That's when we realized he was right. Our
hotel elevators skipped directly from three to five. The fourth
floor was locked off, only accessible by a guarded back staircase,

(22:39):
So basically, for the first two weeks of our school trip,
we were living above one of the biggest hidden massage businesses.
In Vietnam. TLDR. On a school trip to Vietnam, we
discovered our hotel was actually sitting right on top of
one of the country's largest secret massage parlor. Story eighteen.
This might get buried, but here goes. My girlfriend's mom

(23:00):
is professional massage therapist. She's been doing for years and
is very good at it. One day, a man came
in complaining of constant headaches. She asked him to sit
down so she could work on him, and then requested
that he remove his head covering. At first, he was hesitant,
but eventually he agreed, saying that since he was in America,
he would try doing things our way. She carefully removed it,

(23:22):
and that's when she screamed because hidden underneath, crawling through
his hair, were spiders, dozens of them that had actually
built a nest on his head. To this day, she
still can't understand how he didn't notice or feel them
crawling around. The man jumped up, immediately bolted out of
the room, and never came back. TLDR. My girlfriend's mom

(23:43):
once uncovered a spider nests in the client's hair while
trying to help with his headaches. Story nineteen. I'm a
male massage therapist, and this happened back when I was
still in school doing clinic hours. The environment was usually
pretty relaxed. A lot of us had regulars, and I
got into a routine of sea being the same people
each week. One of my regulars was an older man

(24:03):
who had been coming to the school for years. For
some reason, he always requested me the school couldn't guarantee
you get the therapist you wanted, but somehow, every week,
like clockwork, he'd ended up being my last client of
the night. At first, he was friendly and social, but
over time his behavior got more uncomfortable. His questions became
very personal, and no matter how much I tried to redirect,

(24:26):
he kept pushing. It also became clear that whenever I
had him turn over midway through the session, he was
deliberately trying to make things awkward. That was usually when
he'd start with the more personal question. One night, he
crossed the line completely. He asked me straight out if
I would give him a special ending for extra money.
I stayed calm, told him no, and just finished the

(24:48):
session as professionally as I could. The next day, I
went straight to one of my instructors and explained the situation.
She didn't seem surprised, just nodded and quietly offered to
switch my schedule so I wouldn't have a deal with
him again. She reassigned him to a different male therapists instead, TLDR.
While massage school, one of my regular clients became inappropriate

(25:08):
and kept pushing boundaries. When he finally asked out right
for something unprofessional, I declined and got reassigned so I
wouldn't have to deal with him again. Story twenty. My
brother does massage therapy as a side job, and he's
collected a ton of horror stories over the years. One
of the strangest ones happened at the studio he worked
in which he shared with other therapists. A man came

(25:30):
in one day and specifically asked for a male therapist.
No big deal, that happened sometimes the client was shown
into the room and given the usual instructions, undressed to
your comfort level and get under the sheet. But when
my brother walked back in a few minutes later, the
man was just sitting cross legged on the couch, completely uncovered.
It immediately made my brother uncomfortable. He apologized asked a

(25:53):
man again to please get under the sheet and stepped
out for a few minutes. When he came back and
started the massage, things got even weird. The man had
a very graphic tattoo on his back, and throughout the
session he kept making suggestive comments. He even started tugging
the sheet down a little and saying things like, it's
just the two of us here. What happens here stays here.
I wouldn't tell anyone. The whole situation left my brother

(26:16):
seriously unnerved, but he kept a professionalism, finished the session
and was more than relieved when the time was up. Afterward,
the studio quietly added the client to their internal watch
list so staff would know to be cautious if he
ever returned TLDR. A male client ignored all boundaries, made
suggestive comments, and creeped out my brother during a massage.

(26:37):
He finished a session professionally, but was glad to never
see that man again. Story twenty one. I've been a
licensed massage therapist for about ten years now. Female here,
and let me tell you I've seen more of the
human body than I ever expected or wanted to. Funny enough,
it always seemed like women were the ones more likely
to flash me without hesitation. I've seen enough, let's just say,

(26:59):
unnecessary reveals to joke that I sometimes felt like keeping
a machete in the office just to cut through the jungle.
I've worked on every type of person you can imagine,
men and women, young and old, big and small. That's
part of the job, especially when you're still in school
and need to complete a set number of hours to
get licensed. I've massage beautiful people, average people, and everyone

(27:21):
in between. Some clients just wanted to relax, some came
in mostly to talk, and some snore through the entire session.
Others wanted deep tissue work so intense it felt like
I was in a wrestling match instead of a spa. Personally,
I've always preferred working on clients with little more meat
on their bones rather than someone extremely thin. It's just
easier for me, though that's just personal preference. To anyone

(27:43):
who feels self conscious about their body, please don't go
get a massage. I know the idea of lying under
a sheet can feel intimidating, but we're trained to make
sure you're comfortable and secure the entire time. By the
time I was working in a medical office, I had
already massaged hundreds of people of all shapes and sizes.
At the end of the day, we go into this
field knowing we'll work with all kinds of people and

(28:06):
we treat everyone with respect. With all that being said,
I'm really glad I chose this career. It's not easy.
It takes long hours, a good personality, and the ability
to market yourself. But I love what I do and
I enjoy it every day TLDR. I've seen it all
as a massage therapist, but at the end of the day,
it's a rewarding career where people of all shapes and

(28:27):
sizes are welcome. Story twenty two. I used to work
as a receptionist at a massage clinic. All of our
therapists were licensed and it was a completely legitimate business,
but because most of our staff were Asian, unfortunately some
people made assumptions that we offered extras, which we absolutely
did not. One day, a big guy came in and
requested one of our longest sessions a to our Swedish massage.

(28:51):
Nothing seemed off at first. He was polite, paid in
advance and followed me to the room. I told him
the usual instructions, disrobed to his comfort level and get
under the sheet while the therapist prepared. Everything seemed normal,
but a few minutes later the therapist who had gone
and came rushing back out, shouting and slamming the door
behind her. Turns out, instead of getting under the sheet

(29:12):
like he was told, the guy was sitting completely uncovered
on the edge of the bed, and according to her,
when she walked in and froze, he smiled in this
really unsettling way and even stood up as if he
was going to approach her. We immediately told him to
leave or we'd call the police. Luckily, he didn't argue.
He just walked out the kicker. He had already paid

(29:33):
in full, so no refund for him. On his way out,
he actually handed me as a used towel and asked
me to fold it. TLDR. Creepy guy tried to turn
a legit massage into something it wasn't instead of extras.
He left with his towel folded in no refund story
twenty three massage therapists here. There are all kinds of
clients we deal with. Some who don't smell great, some

(29:56):
are really large, some were super skinny. Honestly, massaging bone
is harder than massaging muscle. Some are awkward and somewhere
so hairy it feels like you're massaging a rug. But
for me, the absolute worst type of client has to
be the ones, usually older, who have a lot of
dead skin build up. Once you start massaging them with
oil or cream, it mixes together into this gritty, sticky

(30:19):
past It gets all over your hands, smears across their skin,
and you're stuck trying and keep a straight face while
also kind of flinging it off just to get through
the session. That, hands down, is the most off putting
part of the job for me. TOLDR, the hardest clients
aren't the smelly or hairy ones. It's the ones whose
dead skin mixes with oil and turns massage into a sticky,

(30:39):
gritty mess. Story twenty four. I work as a massage
therapist at a golf resort, and one of the most
common questions I get is do clients usually talk during
their massages? Over the years, I've seen some interesting things.
The worst feed I've ever come across belonged to someone
whose arches had completely fallen. The hairiest client I've ever
a massage looked like baka. Seriously, and if you don't

(31:02):
know who that is, imagine someone harrier than Robin Williams.
I'm also licensed in aesthetics, and once I wax a
man's back that was just as Harry. Some men also
request scout massages, which honestly aren't my favorite. And yes,
I've been asked if clients ever propositioned me. My usual
answer is not a smart move when I got an
elbow in your back. Outside of work, I had one

(31:24):
gross experience with a friend. We were hanging out and
they took their shoes off. Their feet had a strong
odor and looked really red. At first, I didn't think
much of it until they started scratching NonStop. I finally
asked if their feet were itchy, and they said they're
always itchy. At that point I couldn't hold back. I
told them as politely as I could that it was

(31:46):
my professional opinion they needed to get their feet checked.
I apologized with sounding blunt, but constant itching, odor and
discoloration are not normal. They didn't like hearing that and
ended our friendship. Honestly, I don't regret it. I don't
want nasty feet near me. Overall, though I love this job,
I'll never work in massage envy, though, too. Many of

(32:07):
my classmates and clients have told me horror stories about
those places TLDR. From Chewbacca level hair to funky feet.
I've seen it all as a massage therapist, but I
still love the work. Story twenty five female massage therapist here,
and surprisingly, nothing too creepy or over the top has
happened to me so far. Back when I was still

(32:27):
in school, I had this one client who really wanted
extra focus on his toes of all things, so I
spent a good chunk of time working on his toes.
Not my favorite but okay. Then he asked for glipwork
and actually pulled his short shorts down to expose more
than I was prepared for. I was brand new to
the field and still pretty innocent, so I just pulled
his shorts back up and kept a professional. Since then,

(32:49):
I've had a few clients make flirty comments or try
to give me hugs after sessions, but nothing too extreme.
One thing I do see all the time, though in
voluntary reaction. Let's just say it happens constantly, and I've
learned to ignore it. Despite the awkward moments, I truly
love my job. It's rewarding and while it's physically demanding,

(33:10):
it's also very fulfilling. Honestly, I think your experiences depend
a lot on where you work, what part town environment,
and who you're employed by. Personally, I'm glad I chose
this career. TOLDR. Weird requests and awkward moment happened, but overall,
massage therapy is rewarding and I love what I do.
Story twenty six. This thread reminded me of the last

(33:32):
time I got a deep back massage in the UK.
Whenever I've had a massage, I've never been completely nude.
You usually just undressed to your comfort level. But on
holiday in Croatia, I booked a massage at the hotel Spa.
The therapist left the room while I got onto the table.
I took my top off but kept my bikini bottoms on. Honestly,
I don't really mind being undressed in front of strangers

(33:54):
in that setting, so if she'd ask me to take
them off, I probably would have. What I wasn't prepared
for was lying there on my stomach, eyes closed, listening
to the relaxing spa music, and suddenly having my bikini
bottoms pulled down without warning. Before I even processed it.
She had started massaging my glutes. It was definitely surprising
and felt a bit awkward in the moment, but I

(34:14):
can't lie. It also ended up being the best massage
I've ever had. TLDR went for massage in Croatia, got
an unexpected surprise when therapists pulled down my bikini bottoms. Awkward,
but still the best massage. In my life story twenty seven,
A client once came and hunched over with really bad
low back pain. I explained that I probably need to

(34:35):
do some work around the hip area, so she might
want to remove her underwear. That's when she told me, Oh,
I had an accident earlier today and had to throw
mine away, so I think I'll just keep my pants on.
I hesitated, and even my co workers later told me
I should have refused, but in the moment I felt
bad for her. I thought, if she's already had that

(34:56):
kind of day, the last thing she needs is someone
refusing to help. So I went ahead with a massage
with her pants still on. I worked on her back,
did compressions on her glutes and hamstrings, but the whole
time there was this unmistakable smell hanging in the air.
At the end of the session, I noticed faint brown
stains along the cuff of her pants. She actually tipped

(35:17):
me really well, which was nice, but afterward I had
to bleach and sanitize the entire room. And honestly, you
can disinfect the equipment, but you can't disinfect your brain.
That memory stays forever. TLDR gave a massage to a
client who'd had an accident earlier in the day. Tried
to be kind, but ended up with a story and
a smell I'll never forget Story twenty eight. I've shared

(35:40):
this story before, but it's one of the wildest ones
my sister has experienced as a massage therapist. She was
working at a very nice upscale spa. During a session
with one male client, she noticed that he just wouldn't
stay still. He kept wriggling around on the table, shifting
back and forth. She kept checking in asking if he
was okay and comefittable. Each time he said he was fine,

(36:02):
so she just continued. The session finally ended and she
left the room to let him get dressed. A few
minutes later, she knocked on the door to check if
he was ready and if he wanted some water. He
said he was done, so she walked back and only
find him doing something highly inappropriate right there on the
massage table. That explained all the moving around during the session.

(36:23):
Needless to say, management made him pay for the session,
but told him he was never welcomed back again. The
experience shook her so badly that she took a break
from massage therapy for a while. She's back at the
same spa now, but she still gets clients who asks
for extras, and honestly, she's not nearly as excited about
the profession anymore. TOLDR a client at a luxury spa

(36:45):
was caught behaving inappropriately on the massage table. He got banned,
but the experience made my sister reathing her career for
a while. Story twenty nine. I haven't really had many
awkward clients, but I've definitely had a few with questionable
hygiene habits. I trained at a natural medicine school where
there were lots of yoga teachers, energy healers, and hippie types,

(37:05):
along with the usual anatomy and science classes. One day
I got pair of a guy who clearly didn't believe
in deodorant, and of course that was the day we
were practicing chests and armusage. No matter how many times
I washed my hands and arms with soap afterward, I
couldn't get a smell off me. I even drove home
with the windows rolled down, but when I walked in

(37:25):
the door, my husband immediately said, Holy crap, what is
that smell? I showered three times at night try and
get it off me. Another client was a slightly overweight
teenage girl who came in wearing sheepskin u boots with
no socks on a rainy day. The moment she took
her boots off, the room filled with the smell of
a wet dog. After she left, I had a light

(37:46):
candles and air the room out completely. But honestly, aside
from those rare cases, most clients are great and while
every now and then you get someone very attractive, once
they're on the table, face down and covered with towels,
they all just become bodies full of muscles, tendons, and
ligaments to work on. The most rewarding part is when
you feel the muscles finally relax under your hands and

(38:07):
a client leaves saying how much better they feel, especially
when they book another session on the spot. That makes
it all worth it. TLDR had some funky smelling clients,
but overall, massage therapy is rewarding and absolutely worth doing.
Story thirty massage therapists here. When you do this job
long enough, you realize that farts, weird body reactions, and

(38:28):
unusual smells just become normal. The human body does what
it wants when it's fully relaxed, and you learn to
shrug it off. The really awkward moments usually come from
the things people say. I once had a woman who
was very overweight tell me she knew she was going
to die the same way her parents did. I tried
to reassure her and say she could change her lifestyle,

(38:48):
but it quickly became clear she just wanted to vent
about her life in struggles. Another thing that happens a
lot is clients expecting us to be doctors. They'll point
out strange gross numbness in their limbs or pains that
are clear not muscle related and ask me if it's fine.
Whenever I say you should see a doctor about that,
the silence that follows is always uncomfortable. The energy in

(39:09):
the room shifts, and I feel like I'm ruining their massage.
But at the end of the day. I'm not a doctor,
and I won't pretend to be one as a straight guy.
I'll admit that when I first started working on beautiful
women with challenging in the beginning, there's that instant reaction
of wow, but honestly, by the time the session is underway,
they just become another client like anyone else. On the

(39:31):
flip side, most of my gay male clients are fantastic.
I've had some really fun conversations with them, but occasionally
there's one who makes things awkward with flirty looks or
suggests the behavior, and in those moments, I finally understand
what women mean when they say men can be a lot.
Even with all that, it's still a great career. I
get plenty of free time, meet fascinating people, hear amazing stories,

(39:55):
and make a decent living with good tips. Plus. Massage
therapists come from all kinds of backgrounds. A lot of
us got into this work because we want to change
in life. So if you're thinking about becoming one, I'd
say go for it. Just know that the schooling is
tougher than people expect depending on where you live. TLDR
weird body stuff becomes normal. Awkward comments are hard to handle,

(40:17):
but overall, massage therapy is rewarding and full of great people.
Story thirty one. I'll start off by saying I'm female,
because I think it makes a big difference in how
you're treated in this field. I've owned my own business
and also worked at spas, clinics, chiropractice offices, and even
for massage chain inside a truck stop. Over the years,
I've dealt with inappropriate behavior, men trying to touch me,

(40:40):
making advances, or assuming massages come with extras. Some even
made a mess of the sheets. It takes a lot
of professionalism to not just throw them off the table
and yell at them to get out. You'd honestly be
surprised how many people think massages are supposed and that way.
And then there are the hygiene issues. You'd think people
would at least shower before massage, but not always. I

(41:01):
once had a farmer coming straight from the field. He
was gritty, sweaty, and musty, but the worst part was
his breath, which smelled exactly like pig manure. Massage therapy
is not for the squeamish. You need a strong stomach
and an even stronger sense of empathy. Clients are at
their most vulnerable. They're often in pain, sometimes nervous, and
they're putting their bodies completely in your hands. But here's

(41:24):
the other side of it, the reasons so many of
us love what we do. You get to help people.
You get to see their faces light up when they
stand up pain free. You give them relief and sometimes
even mobility they thought they'd lost forever. That feeling never
gets old. I once had a client in her thirties
who had never had a massage before. As I was
working on her neck and back, I noticed something unusual

(41:47):
near her spine. I told her she should mention it
to her doctor at her next appointment. She didn't even
know it was there. A year later, she came back
to thank me. It turned out to be a tumor
pressing near her spinal column. Her doctor told her that
if she had waited any longer, she could have been
paralyzed or worse. That moment changed everything for me. It

(42:07):
reminded me exactly why I do this work. So yes,
there are creepy moments, there are gross moments, but when
you can make even one person's life better, it's all
worth it. TLDR Massage therapy can be tough and uncomfortable
at times, but helping people heal, find relief, and sometimes
even save their health makes it all worthwhile. Story thirty two.

(42:28):
My sister used to work as a massage therapist at
the Palms in Las Vegas. She was the one who
handled all the big singers and bands in the green
room before their shows. She told me that almost every
single musician she worked on ended up reacting in a
way that was less than professional. Many of them clearly
expected extras, but she never once gave in. She always

(42:49):
kept a professional. The worst experience for her, though, was
with Kid Rock. She said he was the most unpleasant
famous person she'd ever met. Not only does she find
him unattractive, but she also so said his whole energy
just felt awful, even though he didn't say or asked
for anything inappropriate. She told me that his president alone
made her feel so gross that she wanted to shower

(43:09):
before she even finished the session. TLDR my system massage
celebrities in Vegas. Many acted unprofessional, but Kid Rock stood
out as the worst because of how awfuless energy felt.
Story thirty three. I've always been pretty comfortable handling whatever
comes up during massages, but there was one day that
I'll never forget. An older woman came in for a

(43:30):
deep tissue session. Like most massages, we started with her
lying face down while I worked on her back, and
everything seemed normal. Then she asked if I could include
abdominal work. That's not an unusual request. Abdominal massage can
help with cramps and other issues, so I said yes
and added it into the routine. The moment I placed
my hands on her abdomen, I knew something was very wrong.

(43:52):
After years of practice, massage therapists developed a kind of
hypersensitivity to what we feel under our hands. It helps
us find knots and problem areas. But this felt completely different.
Instead of normal muscle tension, it felt like a mass
of tangled cords, and worse, it actually squirmed under my hand.
I yelped and jumped back. I told her she needed

(44:14):
to go to the hospital immediately. She went, and sure enough,
the doctors discovered she had intestinal parasites. She needed surgery,
but it saved her life. As gross as it was
in the moment, I'll never forget that I helped her
catch something incredibly dangerous before it was too late. TLDR.
I once discovered a client had intestinal parasites during an
abdominal massage. It was horrifying, but the discovery sent her

(44:37):
to the hospital and ultimately save her life. Story thirty four.
My mom mostly works with older women as her massage clients.
One day, while she was working on the bottom of
client's feet, she noticed something strange. There were a little, hard, crunchy,
crystall likee bumps under the skin. It wasn't something she
usually came across. For some reason, my mom suspected had

(44:58):
to do with the client's daily use of artificial sweeteners.
She suggested that the woman cut back on them for
a while. Sure Enough, within a week, those hard little
bumps had disappeared. TLDR. My mom once found crystal like
bumps under client's feet, told her to layoff artificial sweeteners,
and they were gone in a week. Story thirty five.
Nothing too bad, but this one still makes me laugh.

(45:20):
Back when I worked at a college, I signed up
for a course of free massages. They were part of
someone's research project. So once a week, on my lunch break,
I'd go strip down, get a nice massage, and then
spend the rest of the day completely unproductive because I
was so relaxed. But twice, just my luck, someone set
off the fire alarm during my session, which meant I
had to walk outside right into the middle of town,

(45:43):
wrapped in nothing but a couple of strategically draped towels.
So there I was standing on the street in broad daylight,
looking like I had just escaped from a spa photo
shoe gone wrong. TLDR went for relaxing lunchtime massages at college.
Twice the fire alarm went off and I ended up
standing outside in the middle of town, wrapped only in towels.
Story thirty six. I've had two really weird experiences as

(46:06):
a massage therapist. The first one happened during a session
with a male client about halfway through. When he turned over,
he had an obvious physical reaction. In school, we were
taught to just ignore it, covered with an extra blanket,
and carry on professionally, so that's exactly what I did.
He never asked for anything inappropriate, which was fine, But

(46:26):
when I went back to clean the room afterward, I
discovered he had taken matters into his own hands on
top of the sheets and left a twenty dollar bill
on top of it. Not exactly the kind of tip
I wanted. The second one was at a massage and
floatation center. Some clients would do an EPSOM salt float
before their massage. After one man session, I went to
clean out the float tank, only to realize he had

(46:48):
done something very inappropriate there too. Because of the salt water,
everything floated right on the surface and I had to
scoop it out with a pool strainer. From then on,
we jokingly call that float tank wank tank TLDR. One
client left behind a wrong kind of tip on a
massage table, and another turn the float tank into something
no one wanted to deal with. Story thirty seven. Ooh,

(47:10):
where do I even start. There was a creepy older
guy who came from massage without underwear, so I ended
up seeing way more than I ever wanted to. Then
there was a man who spent five minutes trying to
convince me to give him extras. I work out a
treatment room in my own home, and since he wasn't
fully dressed, I felt too awkward to throw him out,
though honestly I should have. Then there are the clients

(47:31):
who don't shower before coming in, and of course the
really hairy backed men not the worst, but the sensation
of oily hair slipping between your fingers as they shed
mid massages let's just say interesting. Oh and one woman
once told me she was Goandhi's best friend in a
past life, even though the math of reincarnation didn't quite
add up. There are also the guys who own a

(47:52):
little too enthusiastically. When you hit a good spot in
the massage, always awkward. And then there's me personally, try
not to make things awkward. The massage room is supposed
to be calm and serene, but sometimes holding a bodily
function for an hour feels like the hardest part of
job Story thirty eight. I haven't had too many bad
experiences yet, I've only been practicing for just under a year,

(48:16):
But there are a couple that stand out. Some clients
who are overweight and very unhealthy can have a distinct
odor that's tough to ignore. One young woman in her
early twenties smelled so strong that I actually skipped certain
areas during the massage. That said, most of my clients
who are overweight don't bother me at all. What I
really struggle with are the people who don't eat properly.

(48:37):
I once had a client who was extremely underweight and
wanted deep pressure but massage, and her felt like I
was pressing directly on bone instead of muscle, and that
was really uncomfortable. Then there was a hair situation. I
had just been joking with a cold worker about how
hard it can be to massage really hairy man. My
next client was a guy in his early twenties who

(48:58):
would shave his entire bite, even his armpits, but had
very long headhair. The strangest part he had one random
patch of chest hair left near his nipple, like he
got interrupted midshave and just never went back to finish.
Definitely one of the weirder things I've seen. Story thirty nine.
One of my friend's clients was actually a very famous
married celebrity. Every time he saw her, he would make

(49:21):
suggestive comments and try to get her to do things
with him. She refused every single time because, honestly, she said,
he gave her the creeps. He even offered her a
job working at his property and she tried it for
a few weeks, but the whole experience just made her
feel uncomfortable. Now, whenever she complains about all the study
we have to do for our degree. I joke with
her and say you should just taken an easy way out,

(49:44):
had his kid and lived off the hush money. Of course,
I'm kidding, because honestly, I don't think I could have
done it either. Story forty. I'm not a massage therapist anymore,
but back when I was, I had this Irish guy
coming with terrible back pain. He told me he'd hurt
him himself at a concert, and then, like a genius,
waited three whole days before getting help. By the time

(50:05):
he came to see me, his back was a mess.
I worked on him for a while and eventually got
at a lower back area which would be tricky but
really important for releasing tension. By the time I was done,
he said he felt amazing and kept thanking me. Now
here's where I completely ruined it. For some reason in
my head, I thought it would be funny to sign

(50:25):
off my massage with silly little flourish, so I jokingly
leaned down and gave a quick kiss on his lower back,
thinking he'd laugh it off. He did not laugh. Instead,
he jumped up in shock, which immediately sent his back
into spasms again. His hands clenched up weirdly, and he
looked at me like I completely lost my mind. Long
story short, he didn't think it was funny, and I

(50:46):
ended up in serious trouble over it. I lost my
job and it even went to court. Definitely one of
the biggest mistakes I ever made in that career. Story
forty one, when I was first starting out and still
a little naive, I had this one client and who
came in for massage. I started working on his back
when out of nowhere he said I'm not a cop.
I just kind of laughed off and said, okay, well,

(51:09):
cops need massages too, so it doesn't matter to me.
A couple minutes later, he suddenly asked, so, where are
you gonna get to the extra part. I was completely
caught off guard. I quickly told him that's not what
we do here. He immediately got up, got dressed, and
walked out without another word. The funny thing is he
still left the money on the table. Since then, I've

(51:31):
had a few other awkward moments, like clients who got
a little too relaxed, but as long as nobody crosses
a line, I just ignore it and keep a professional.
Story forty two, I'm a twenty one year old female
massage therapist, and I've been doing this for about three years. Honestly,
I've only had two experiences that really stood out, and
even those weren't that bad. The first one was with

(51:51):
a very large woman who clearly hadn't showered in a
few days. Her hair was greasy, her breath was so
strong I could smell it while leaning over her. And
to top it off, she was rude. Every single thing
I did she criticized me for. She complained constantly and
snapped at me whenever I asked her basic questions. Then,
while I was working on her hamstrings, she let one

(52:13):
rip right on me and the cherry on top. She
left a terrible review for my boss, even though I've
never gotten bad reviews. Luckily, my boss knew my track
record and toss it out. But when I went to
change the sheets, I found brownish smears shape exactly like
her body rolls. I just stood there thinking, e W,
I will never unsee this. The second incident was less

(52:34):
gross and more awkward. A spiritual naturalist called me one
day and asked if I would do a completely undraped,
fully nude massage for him. He insisted nothing inappropriate would happen,
and even offered to bring his wife along to make
me feel more comfortable since there are no draping laws
in Florida. I told him yes, but he never actually
booked the appointment. Honestly, I was kind of relieved. The

(52:57):
thing is, I don't care about weight, gender, or most
personal details of my clients. I've worked on everyone, seventy
year old veterans, kids on the autism spectrum, people who
are sick, healthy, stressed, or just curious. The only clients
that are tough for me are undiagnosed fibromyalgia patients because
their muscles feel like concrete. There's no clear definition between them,

(53:18):
and they usually feel more pain than others. But here's
what I always tell people. Massage therapists don't care about
your body type. We see so many different shapes and
sizes that it doesn't matter. The only thing I ask
is please please take a shower first. Good hygiene makes
the whole experience better for both of us. At the
end of the day, I love my job. I even

(53:38):
do massage work at anime and nerd conventions here in
Florida since I live right between UCF and Full Sale University.
Nerds holistic folks, veterans, kids, you name it. I work
with them, and seeing someone walk out feeling better than
when they walked in totally worth it. Story forty three
massage therapists here. Honestly, I can't stand this job anymore.

(54:00):
I've had a touchway too many dirty feet and it's
not fun. Older clients are the hardest to deal with,
not because of who they are, but because of the
smell and the condition of their feet. And then there
are men who sometimes get well, let's just say, unwanted
reactions on the table. I get that it can be
a natural response, but it's still super uncomfortable for me
as a therapist. And here's a special message for people

(54:22):
who use tanning beds and then come in for a massage.
Please stop. The smell of burnt skin is overwhelming, and
being stuck in a small room with it makes me
want a gag. Between the bad smells, the awkward situations,
and the visuals, I'll never forget. You'd hope that at
least the money would make it worth it, but nope,
most clients are terrible tippers. I'll work so hard to

(54:43):
help someone feel better and then they hand me five
bucks like that's fair pay. Now, on top of all
of that, I've developed painful system my wrists from a
physical strain. Sure I could get them removed, but with
how demanding this career is, they just come back. And
I've only been doing this for about three years. I
know there are massage therapists out there who truly love
what they do, and I respect them so much for

(55:05):
looking past all the negatives. But for me, I'm burnout,
in pain and desperate to find a way out. Story
forty four. My girlfriend is a massage therapist and when
I told her about this discussion, she shared one of
her strangest experiences. She had a regular client who would
come in and during a simple foot massage, he would
actually become physically aroused. The weirdest part, he would sometimes

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finish without even touching himself. It was just from the
foot massage alone. Since my girlfriend runs her own business,
she couldn't really afford to turn clients away at the time,
so unfortunately she ended up seeing this guy more than once. Thankfully,
he hasn't come back in a while, and of course,
like many massage therapists, she's had plenty of people ask
for extras, but she always refuses. She's there to give

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a professional massage, nothing more. Story forty five. One time
I had a client asked me massage her cheeks before
we started. Naturally, I thought she meant her face muscle.
By the end massage, she said, you never did what
you promised. Turns out she meant her glup muscle. Now,
working on the glutes is actually really normal in massage therapy.

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There's some of the most overworked muscles in the body,
and a lot of therapists will only touch them at
the client specifically asks. So while she was still on
the table under the sheet, I apologized for misunderstanding, asked
her to roll over, and told her that next time
she could just say glutes to avoid confusion. So I
began working on her glutes. After a few moments, she

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started making noises. At first, it sounded like she was
just relaxing, which is unusual, but then she started saying
things like yes, right there, and eventually asked me to
move my hands lower and further in. At that point,
I calmly told her that I could not massage in
that area. That's when she rolled over through the sheet
aside and told me that she was paying me to

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do what she wanted. She even said I know how
massage places really work, which made it very clear what
she was expecting. I told her this is a professional establishment,
not that kind of place, apologized and left the room.
I explained briefly to the front desk what happened before
she came out to pay the kicker. A few days later,
my boss, who wasn't the nicest person, confronted me. He

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told me the client refuse to pay and basically said
I just wouldn't get paid for that session. Talk about
adding insult to injury story forty six. I should start
by saying I'm a straight male massage therapist. When I
first began working, I got a job at one of
those big massage chains. Over time, I build up a
solid group of regular clients. About six months in, I

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decided I was going to move to Arizona, and I
let a lot of my clients know. One of them,
an older man said to me, since you're leaving, why
don't we do a private session at your normal rate.
I'll even buy you lunch. I figured, why not? Free food?
Plus I'd make four times what the chain paid me.
We met for lunch. A couple of weeks and things
seemed normal. We talked about family, work, life, all that.

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Then he asked me to follow him to where we
do the session. I assumed it would be his house,
but instead he pulled into a hotel parking lot. Immediately,
my instincts told me something fell off, but I rationalized
it maybe he was just uncomfortable having a stranger at
his house. Fine, I brought my table set up and
stepped into the bathroom so he could get ready. The

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massage started out fine for the first forty five minutes,
nothing unusual. Then when I asked him to roll over,
I noticed he was visibly aroused. I tried to ignore it,
telling myself it was just a physical reaction that would pass,
and thankfully it did. But a few minutes later, while
I was working on his legs, he said something that
crossed the line. Then he reached out and touched me

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and followed it with an offer for extra money. That
was it for me. I stopped immediately, told him the
session was over, stepped outside so he could get dressed,
and left right after collecting payment for the time I
had worked. I thought that would be the end of it,
but the worst part came the next day, I called
my workplace to let them know I didn't want them
booking with me anymore. At first, I just said it

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was personal, but my boss demanded the full story, so
I told her. The following day, I got another call.
Instead of thanking me for exposing someone who could have
made other therapists uncomfortable, they told me I was fired.
Why because I had broken a company rule about not
seeing clients outside of work. So there I was punished
for protecting myself and possibly others. Looking back, I realized

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I should have walked away the moment I saw we
were headed to a hotel. My instincts were right. I
just ignored them. Lesson learned