On Happy Endings in Massage Therapy

I recently received an email asking whether I provide happy endings. My answer is emphatically YES.

My version of a happy ending is where my client tips well, reschedules for the next week, tells their friends about me, and walks away with increased range of motion and zero-to-minimal pain, feeling as though they are walking on a cloud.

Perhaps this answer is a little glib. Although I am a fairly sensitive person, I have been in this field for a handful of years. As such, I've developed something of a thick skin around the idea of people who are calling for sex work.

I do believe that we need sex work. It has a place in our society--in every society, apparently, since it is widely acknowledged as one of our oldest professions. (I will, however, freely admit that the loss of the 'Therapeutic Services' category of Craigslist, which is now utilized almost entirely by sex workers, still stings.) Regardless of the penalties, we continue to create a market for this group of services. While we may have a societal need for sex work--that is not the work that I have to offer.

The reality is that we are living in a society that is starving for healthy touch. Because we have experienced such a paucity of touch, and because we struggle with intimacy as a culture, US'ians (a tip of the nib to Barb Kistler, an outstanding woman at Colorado State University) sexualize both touch and touching, as well as the concept of intimacy. This removes the power of that which is a powerful concept.

The truth is this: Any time we enter the energy field of another being with the intention of helping them heal, we are creating a powerful experience. Let us create a place of honor for that understanding.

My table is a safe space for my clients. I want every individual who visits me to feel happy, safe, and cherished during those hours. Through my practice, I am offering many types of change and healing. I work in concert with my clients to help their bodies return to a condition of optimal balance. This is a gift that we share.

This is what I offer at my table: a gift of healing and of balance. Time to find, and create, peace. A return to the center. A journey to the Light.

I'd call that a happy ending. Wouldn't you?