Massage All Over Me--What I'd Do for a Good Pair of Hands

Confession: I am a massage slut, a whore. I'll do anything to have a pair of strong firm hands rubbing all over my body. Well . . . not anything. I do pay for my massages, and they are done in reputable places. Not those quasi wink-wink massage parlors of Hollywood movies or listed on Craig’s list. 

I  love--and I do mean love--a good massage. My love affair/addiction began the year I was recovering from my first surgery for fibroids. I had surgery in December and in January I treated myself to a massage for my birthday. It was the best birthday present I ever gave myself, and when time and money present themselves, trust and believe I'm on the table continuing the gift of giving to myself.

I was timid that first time because I didn't know what to expect.  I was in a room with a strange man who was going to be putting his hands all over my body. I got over my first time jitters though, and it worked out well. I felt incredibly relaxed when he was done. And I was addicted!

 My first massage therapist was a He, but I don’t discriminate. I have been worked on by Hes and Shes. I guess that makes be bi therapist friendly. Hell, I might be tri as in try what ever because I can have a gorilla working on me as long as those hands know that they’re doing. After a good massage, I want a cigarette and I don’t even smoke!

I have a therapist that I see every month, and he’s wonderful.  Sometimes that's not enough and I confess that I occasionally turn my body over to someone else. I can't help myself. But I always return to my main guy because he knows my body well. I've been with him since he first started. He finds all the knots and the kinks, and when he's done, they're gone. I may be a little sore the next day, but massage does my body good.

I’ve had people question why and how I can spend money on massages. Most of the time It’s women, and I point out to them that they probably spend as much on their hair as I do on massage. My hair is short and natural, so a trip to the barber show a few times a month and I’m good to go. If I mention going for a massage to a man, he always offers, but I laugh and turn him down. I realize some people don't quite understand massage as therapy because they see massage as a prelude to sex.

I know people who either don't get massages or women who only want to be massaged by another woman.

I have a friend who also gets regular massages, and her boyfriend did not understand why she needed another man touching her. She tried explaining, but to no avail. Whenever we would go together and she would leave her phone, he would blow up her phone until she called him back after her massage. Talk about messing up a mood!

 To each its own. Massage may not be for everybody, but is definitely for me. I consider my monthly massages as part of my health and well being, and when I can get there more than once a month, that's a bonus.  I was in a workshop once with Lisa Nichols, and she asked when should we give to others as she poured water into the glass. Some people said at the halfway point, others said when the glass is full. She kept pouring until the water flowed over the top and spilled onto the table. She said we give our best when we give from over overflow because all of our needs have been met.

That’s a mighty tall order for Black women because we are socialized to believe that we should put everyone’s needs above our own forgetting that we can better take care of others when we are well.

Massage allows me to replenish and take care of myself so that I can meet all of my other responsibilities.

When I’m on the table, I can temporarily escape the sometimes harsh realities of life. I'm not worried about my job. I'm not a caretaker. I don't have a To-Do List that's as long as an NBA player is tall. I can take the weight off right along with my clothes and leave everything on the hook. There is no pressure. No pretense. Just the opportunity to be naked in my humanity. What a wonderful place to be!

Don't take my word for it, click on the cat
and see for yourself.