I think I’m pretty damn good. I don’t have any particular technique, but I haven’t had any complaints. I think I can just read a persons back and know instinctively what needs kneading.
I like to think I’m pretty good, too. But then (I swear I’m not making this up) I’m an oversexed trained masseuse who likes Star Trek.
Being the wet dream for comic book store owners everywhere is an awesome responsibility.
I have neither given nor received.
This can be applied to many things in my life, come to think of it. Most of them closely related to each other.
Any volunteers? I’ll be conducting interviews this afternoon at 2pm.
I’ve been paid for giving back massages. And I have a friend who absolutely will not let me leave his house until I’ve given him a satisfactory backrub. (Which typically lasts 30-45 minutes.)
I’ve been complimented on my all-around rubbing skills. Sometimes even by other people.
I have magic fingers. Really! They’re magic! Infrared heating, vibration mode they’ve got everything.
IMHO I don’t think being a good masseuse/masseuer is really something you can learn from scratch. You’ve either got the touch or you don’t. You can learn new techniques but you’ve got to be able to intuitively feel and “listen” to the persons body you are massaging. When to apply pressure and when to go light.
Do you want the heated coconut oil now my dear? Lets get those tight muscles separated out…ahhhh…
I’m generally acknowledged to be pretty damn good. Also good with the hand and foot massages too. Fortunately, I like doing it.
I think that I am pretty good at them. IT isn’t uncommon for people to ask for them from me, even when I am not the only one around 
but unfortunately, I am selfish. I would much rather recieve then give. Oh well. I do my part. 
I’ve been told by more than one person that I should quit my job and become an LMT. So apparently I give pretty good massages. That 30-50% (I’m guessing) pay cut doesn’t really appeal to me though. I’ll just stick with it as a hobby!
(BTW, JBirdman, good one.)
Thank you. I only wish I were joking ;).
I think I’m pretty good. OTOH my hubby though sincere mostly just rubs me the wrong way.
I keep trying to explain the need to move around, vary the strokes, feel for the muscle tension, etc, but he just tends to pick one spot rub it with the same rythmn, rate and stroke until I just tell him to forget it.
The worst thing is that ever since I sustained a bad whiplash injury several years ago, I * need * a good neck rub.
I’ve had the same thing said to me. What does a LMT make?
Okay, Strain, we’ve been friends for a while, but you are now officially on my list of Men To Contact In Case Hubby Kicks the Bucket.
My uncle is a masseuse (sp) and my aunt has fingers that can crush rocks and so I try to weasle in on any kind of physical contact I can when I’m around them! “Gee, I think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder…” Cheesy, but it works!
A good hour-long massage at my local massage therapy place is like heaven to me.
I haven’t had any opportunities for a long time, but some of my techniques are:
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Start at the neck - both the nape and the back - and work your way down.
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Find the knots, but when you do, don’t overrub them. They hurt! Rub gently around the knot for a while, then move on.
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Always keep moving. Spend a few (~30) seconds in a spot, then move. Don’t let the person fall asleep on you!
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Find the tension spots - not the same as knots, IMO. For example, on many people I’ve massaged the muscles right next to the spine are very tight. Work your way down the spine (~1 mm or so from either side).
Depending on your actual intentions, you might want to add “Get her a drink or two” first.
I too wouldn’t mind doing it for a living, except for two things:
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Pay is less than I’m getting now; or, if it’s more, then it’s not steady enough!
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I’d get some toothless old wino with money, and that would scare the beejeezus outta me.
“LMT” = Licensed Massage Therapist (I’m assuming).
I used to give first class backrubs. Past tense 
my hands cramp up badly these days, I even have a tough time gripping the steering wheel on long (over an hour ? :eek: ) drives.
Also off my list:
playing the guitar (can’t apply pressure with my fingers anymore)
twisting off jar lids
Still on my list:
typing (as long as I don’t do it for extended periods of time)
Stirring (ditto - but can only do this for less than a minute before my hand cramps up now).
and well, other things requiring certain hand/grip techniques.
I’m well known (from those who have experience it) to give some great ones. In a past thread, I said I can do Shiatsu, Swedish, and Foreplay massages, and I stand by that statement. I do great feet and faces by themselves, but the full body is (was) my specialty. I’ve been partner-less for 16 months, and my hands are probably getting weak, JBirdman’s comment notwithstanding. Since my own personal method does not use a towel over the privates, I have always beem in an intimate relationship for one of these, but is not a sexual massage. I can put someone to sleep, or invigorate them, depending on the mood. It started as an Exam Study Break sponsored by the Duke Student Association when I was a freshman, then my sister became certified in Shiatsu and I picked up techniques from her, then later my good friend was a Physical Therapy student, and used to ask me over to her apartment, do a muscle study on me, give me a killer massage, then feed me dinner and THANK ME! She was a knockout, too, and noone could believe that was all that was going on. Very sadly, that WAS all.
Actually, you can make pretty decent money as an outcall masseuse - and yes, I am licensed. I have been keeping it as a part time after hours sort of thing, because it takes time to build clientele, but the going rate in my neck of the woods is $60 for a one hour massage, $90 for 1.5 hours. Aromatherapy, warm stone treatments and exfoliating scrubs add about $10-$15 to the basic price - and most clients tip you, as well.
That being said, my massage table with all the accessories was $700, and the classes for certification were about $3000. The hourly pay rate may look high, but you have to travel to your clients (which takes time) and giving four back-to-back massages is a lot harder than doing one.
A lot of prospective massage therapists find out they don’t have the stamina to do more than 3 clients a day - others can do 6-8. Based on how many clients you can handle, the income generally ranges between $30,000 and $70,000 per year. I did know one girl who made $200,000 in a single year, but she was lucky enough to get a high-end clientele, and by the end of that year she was pretty much too tired to do anything other than drool.
Great part time job, though. As long as you like naked people.
What’s the problem? If it’s arthritis they have a few new therapies out now that might help.
Thanks astro. I’ve had a blood test for Arthritis (but that was admittedly about a decade ago), was negative then. It does run in my family (daddy, the jeweler has it pretty badly in his hands as well).
Currently, I do stretching exercises, refrain from tasks that I know make it worse (the guitar, carrying heavy items in plastic grocery sacks - that’s what I have the teenager for, wish I could say washing dishes, too), and if it gets really bad, use OTC’s for pain /inflamation. I’ve toyed w/the idea of getting a hot wax thingie (a friend of mine has one), maybe will ask SO for my birthday. Any other ideas are welcome.
Therapies (including drugs) for muscle and joint pain have come a long way in the past 10 years or so. If you haven’t already it might be worthwhile to see a specialist (not a GP) instead of just living with it.
The frustrating part of this is finding the right doctor. I have a friend that had chronic muscle and joint pain and had to go round robin with a dozen local and regional doctors taking stabs at the problem until she finally got hooked up with a good specialist (she had to go to the big city). Tuned out to be an auto-immune disorder in the friends case and she is receiving therapy fo it now.