I’ve had Thai yoga and Swedish massages where the masseuse walks on my back and arms and legs. What do others think of this ? I know it’s not something that US masseuses do but I’ve always what they think of the practice.

I'm going to run my first full marathon next month and wanted to to teat myself to a massage sometime thereafter. My preference is to book with an independent so I contacted one in my city. I followed their specific request to send an email as a first-time customer, requesting a booking. I haven't heard back after a few days and I don't plan to follow up again, I'll just contact another practice. That said, I'd like your perspective on my message - I don't think there's any red flags but the fact is I'm male, older, and never had one before. Thoughts?

"Good morning. My name is -----, I'm a 63-year old male and will run the Philadelphia Marathon this November. I've never done this before and want to treat myself to a recovery massage. I have also never had a massage either, and wanted to ask what might be best for me. It seems like the 60-minute sports recovery makes sense but I'm a newbie so I'd like your advice. 

As far as timing, I'm thinking of (black) Friday 11/27 following the Marathon the prior Sunday.

Thanks, I look forward to hearing from you!"

Hi all, I'm looking to buy a new bed and i dont know if i should buy an electrical one or not. Im a massage therapist. I do deep tissue treatments. I know its recommended to get an electrical bed but there's never really been a time where I thought to myself I'd love to move my bed up or down.

I've been doing this for 10 years now. The bed i buy will be the last one I buy. I do plan on studying acupuncture and other modalities in the coming years. The difference between a good non electrical breed and an electrical one is around 1000e. What do you think i should buy?

My ultimate goal is self employment, but I realize I need to build up towards that. I really don't want to work for a franchise like Massage Envy, but all of my classmates are signed up for a scholarship there so it's what I hear about the most. They got their tuition paid for, and in return will work there for 18-24 months paying off their debt, making $20 an hour plus tips. I calculated that this arrangement was not financially viable for me, so I didn't take the scholarship. Plus, I didn't want to make that commitment.

However, I wonder if there is value in working for ME for 6 months-ish for the skill building opportunity.

What do you all think? What did you do right out of school / what would you do differently?

I got a massage 6 days ago and I’m dealing with weakness/soreness on the right side in my traps and lats. It feels difficult to hold my right shoulder back with proper posture and it keeps caving forward if I’m not actively thinking about keeping it back lol. I asked for firm pressure but not deep tissue or anything. She worked out a lot of knots on those muscles which was not uncomfortable or painful during the massage. The massage felt great, and I felt fine directly after, the weakness didn’t show up until 48 hours later and is still lingering. I’ve been using heat and stretching twice a day but is this normal and will it go away?