What about the glutes?

A worrying trend seems to be developing in our industry.... 

More and more we are seeing posts where therapists are struggling to encourage clients to enjoy the benefits of working on their glutes, despite being booked for a full body massage.

This got us thinking...what is the root cause of the issue here? Is it solely down to clients being shy or unaware of the benefits of massage to these areas? Or has there been a shift in the training massage therapists are receiving? Is this leading to a lack of confidence in treating these areas or in approaching the conversation of consent with clients? 

So why it is important to massage these areas?

There are several ailments that can be relieved by massaging the glutes as well as many benefits to including the glutes in full-body massage treatments. 

• Massaging the glutes can relieve leg pain caused by inactivity, overstretching, tight muscles, sports injuries or bursitis.

• Massaging the glutes can relieve back pain caused by a fall, sciatica, a herniated disc or tightness in the glutes themselves. 

• Improved range of movement and circulation.

• Improved athletic performance and faster recovery times.

• Massaging the glutes can be especially helpful for expectant mothers who frequently experience problems with strain on the lower back muscles.

Many of you have had clients that have been pleasantly surprised by the benefits of having their glutes worked on during a massage. 

By choosing to push through any awkwardness you may just be beating all the competition. Taking time to explain to clients how working on their glutes can cure their specific issues not just shows your clients your expert level of knowledge but will also help you stand out against more generic treatments. 

How can you relay this information to clients and make sure they are comfortable when massaging their glutes? 

9 times out of 10 your clients' aches and pains could benefit from some glutes work. But just casually mentioning this will probably have clients running for the door or stressing out about the practicalities of how this works during the massage. Having an infographic to hand which you can use to explain the areas you would like to treat can use to help reassure clients of the scientific nature of our work. 

Your expert knowledge accompanied by the image above will bamboozle most people who have never studied anatomy, proving exactly why they need you and putting their minds at ease! 

We found many massage therapists were unsure of the best way to drape their clients during work on the glutes. This handy demonstration can hopefully bring to life this somewhat tricky process! 

Another point to keep in mind is that no one wants to be lying on the table worrying about what is coming up! What is normal to us can be daunting to our clients so take time to explain to your clients how this part of the massage will work. After this you may find clients, especially in the UK, can still be shy about being touched in these areas. If someone is still uncomfortable sometimes the most simple techniques can be the most effective to put them at ease. 

Something to note

It is important to remember that you may have clients on your books that have experienced sexual abuse or a trauma which may make them uncomfortable with having certain parts of their body treated. 

Whilst some clients might be able to express their needs vocally others may find it difficult to discuss. Give clients a chance to tell you their needs on paper as well as in discussions together with a simple box on their consent form asking if there are any areas they would like to avoid.

We totally appreciate that these conversations can be difficult as some clients can be more open to advice than others. A negative experience can easily have massage therapists reaching for the easy option and leaving glutes out of their treatments! So we wanted to create a simple infographic you can download and keep to help navigate these discussions as easily as possible! 

Do you include the glutes in your fully body massage treatments? If not, what holds you back? Let us know in our Facebook thread.