Whether in terms of technique or behavior, there are mistakes to avoid when massaging someone. In general, massage schools teach the right gestures and attitudes. But these are often forgotten in practice, and errors can occur.

As an indication, there are areas of the body that are sensitive and should not be massaged. There are also certain postures or attitudes that you will have to adopt or avoid for the smooth running of your massage session. These are essential, especially if you want to make massage your livelihood, the activity that generates your income. So what are the mistakes to avoid during a massage?

Technical gestures and movements to be banned

A massage differs from one person to another. If you want to go pro in this field, know that a pregnant woman or a sick person is not massaged like a normal person. This implies that there are precautions to be taken and actions to be taken or banned during the massage.

If you are not a professional masseur, know that there are various areas that you should not massage. Before quoting them, a little advice is in order: to avoid hurting the person you are massaging, make sure you go gently. However, never touch the following areas if you have not been trained to become a professional masseur: the neck, abdomen, and certain sensitive areas such as underarms, lower back, etc.

If you start massaging a person’s neck without training, the individual could have serious consequences. The neck is a sensitive part of the body that should be left to the professional. Stretching or twisting it without knowing how to do it properly could harm your guinea pig. Similarly, you could cause her bodily harm if you press too hard on her neck. The best and wisest thing to do is not to touch it, since it is also used for blood exchanges and is even a strategic area for these exchanges.

The joints of the body are also parts not to be touched. Working on them is not your responsibility, but rather that of the osteopath. Your message may contain stretching. Be sure to set a certain limit to prevent joint damage.

The abdomen is a part of rich insensitive and fragile organs, including floating ribs. One wrong move and you could break them. You are advised to massage it very gently or, even better, to let the professionals handle the abdomen. Finally, other sensitive parts of the body should also be avoided, unless you have studied at length, at the massage school. But if you are a simple amateur, never handle the armpits, groin crease, lower back, elbow recesses, inner upper arm, and recesses behind the knee.

Massage of certain fragile people

It should be noted that a pregnant person should not be massaged like a normal person. Since her pregnancy makes her fragile, do not put your hands near her stomach and legs. If you massage a pregnant woman, hold on to her shoulders, arms or scalp to avoid an unfortunate incident.

Some individuals also have skin diseases such as eczema, for example, Be sure to check carefully before agreeing to take them, as it may happen that massage sessions are not allowed. If they can afford it, ban essential oils and their effects that can be harmful to them.

Finally, the massage of people who have recently undergone surgery or who will soon undergo surgery is delicate, even prohibited in some cases. If the person has just had surgery, move away from the part of the body that has been operated on. Vigilance is therefore the keyword of the amateur masseur, and can also be for a professional.  The best thing is still to refuse to massage a sick person because it is a field more mastered by professionals.

Aberrant behaviors to forget during a massage

There are also behaviors to forget when you massage a person. When you massage a customer, know that you are interacting with them. However, you are not there to “talk to him”. In general, he comes for a massage to relax and enjoy his massage. You should therefore adopt a professional posture and ensure your client’s peace of mind.

Always in terms of well-being and customer satisfaction, avoid breathing too noisily. You are not asked to hold your breath, far from it. The idea is to breathe normally and properly so that the client does not feel your breathing and fixates on it, to the detriment of his relaxation.