31 Jul 2011

This post is going to offend

There you are, you've been warned.
What the heck is it with the massage industry as a whole that it attracts such unusual folk? I really am the oddball when it comes to massage. I'm way to conservative, I think inside the box and I bathe. Yes, you read that correctly, I bathe.
Way back many centuries ago when I went to massage college I realised that I was the odd one out. Whilst not entirely alone I was definitely the minority. Not just because I bathed, daily, but because I was so square and really I ain't that square. My brother might think I am but I'm not so don't listen to him. I generally conform to society, I dress "normally". In other words when I show up for work I do not have to worry about the doorman announcing that "Eliza Dolittle" has arrived and then trying to shoo me away with a broom before calling security cos I look and smell like a homeless bum.
This past weekend I attended a seminar. Every 2 years I have to renew my license and in order to do so I have to have a required number of continuing education hours. This seminar counted towards my hours. I do as many as possible online but obviously due to the nature of my work some of them have to be hands on learning. I choose my seminars carefully. Nearly always medically minded, and always steering clear of anything involving colours, scents, and aura's.
As I entered the classroom this past weekend the odor of dirty laundry hit me like a tonne of bricks. Now we all know I am a clean freak but really, can't you bring clean linens to a seminar? As the seminar unfolded we had to chose a partner to work with/on. I turned to the lady to my left and we partnered up (she looked clean). Hah, looks can be deceiving. We went to our table and she pulled out of her bag the nastiest, scraggiest, most wrinkled linens i have ever seen in my life. I wouldn't put them in a dogs bed. The arrangement is, you place your linens on the table for the other person as they are your client. I took one look at them and said, "your linens, your body, my linens, my body". Thankfully I didn't offend her and she went for it.
When I got home I scrubbed my body in scalding water. Yuck!
Quite often people ask me all the time how I managed to do so well in this profession here as it is saturated with therapists. Well, I''m clean, that's one reason I suppose.
I think now I'll probably be known as the massage snob but I'm Ok with that.
Each of us has our own niche and there is room for all of us on this planet and I truly believe that we should live and let live but I also think we should live, wash and let live.
Goodnight.

5 comments:

Andie said...

Next time maybe you should take the aromatherapy option, at leaast it wouldn't smell so bad!

Life frome where we are said...

Oh my!! I think Andie has a good point!

Vivian M said...

Oh my goodness, I don't think your post will offend, it's the other way around....I find the lack of hygiene offensive - especially if they are medical professionals. Yuck!

Tammie said...

I'm with you.

Catherine said...

Ewww...yuck! No wonder you don't want to go to these any more often then you have to.

Hope you get a better partner the next time you have to go to one of these seminars.

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