Millions of people worldwide enjoy a massage to relax, to unwind, to take care of their muscles or to help recovery after an injury. For a lot of people however, the massage ends up hurting them, completely removing the element of relaxation or de-stressing.
A recent survey found that 40% of people on spa breaks said their worst spa experience involved pain, which is usually during a massage. (Note that that statistic doesn’t mean 40% of people who go to a spa experience pain, only that 40% of people’s worst experiences at spas involved being in some form of pain or discomfort).
It’s not that surprising though, given that a lot of people aren’t sure of the proper etiquette when going to get a massage and many simply feel uncomfortable speaking up. Many people probably don’t even know what a massage is supposed to feel like, so keep quiet and just assume it’s not something for them.
Most fully qualified massage therapists should be able to see if you’re in pain, but a lot of others will simply ask you, carrying on if you say you’re ok. So what exactly should you do?
It might seem obvious, but the first thing you should do is mention that you’re uncomfortable. This doesn’t mean you’re being rude, and you don’t even have to directly tell the therapist they’re hurting you. You could say something along the lines of ‘can you lower the pressure a little please’ to tell the therapist; this won’t offend them at all and will allow you to enjoy the massage. If you’re finding you’ve got pain in a particular area, you should tell the therapist before you even start, so they know to be gentle with that area. The one thing you shouldn’t do is just lie there and accept the pain without saying anything. The massage therapist wouldn’t want that and the bottom line is you’re going to have to pay at the end of it, so you might as well enjoy it properly!
If you still can’t bear to bring yourself to tell the therapist that he/she is hurting you, you’ll just have to find a way to relax that doesn’t involve pain or pressure. If you’re on a spa holiday, book yourself in for a treatment such as a manicure, facial or pedicure and you’ll no doubt leave happy, relaxed and content.





