BODYLICIOUS's Massage Interview
Do you remember your first client ? Tell us something about that first day when you decided to be a Masseur!
Yes I do remember my first client.
I started by giving massages in a gay sauna in Toulouse (France).
"JP" was his name, he was around 60 years old, was very shy and seriously complexed by his physical appearance since he was in overweight, was very hairy and had a gigantic scar all along his spine caused by an accident when he was young.
I will always remember the disdainful the face of some other clients of the sauna when JP was coming into my massage room. You all know those kind of brainless and pretentious "princesses" who would never miss the Gay Pride to complain about intolerance, but come out themselves being extremely sarcastic and bitchy towards non standard guys in the gay scene.
JP became my best client and it was a pleasure providing him massages weeks after weeks, because I discovered a real beautiful soul and heart. JP confessed to me I was the first masseur who accepted him without judgement, who respected him, who did not try to swindle him by provoking him ***ually to then request extra money. He said I allowed him to enjoy his body and he needed my massages to face his tough life. I am not living and practicing in Toulouse anymore and I really miss him.
Some people say that being a Masseur is addictive. Would you miss your Masseur days ?
I am part of the practitioners who really get addicted to their work. Of course some days are better than others and I know if one day I stop... Well I will never stop actually, if humans don't want to come anymore, I will still cuddle dogs and cats.
Do you consider yourself a successful Masseur?
Ask my Relaxing Touch Clients ;-)
I have two ways to assess their satisfaction...
1 - Listen carefully to their breath during and at the end of the session.
2 - See if they come back.
In my life, I am happy if my beloved are happy.
Same for my job, I am only happy if my Clients are happy. This is like a circle of happiness.
Tell us a little about yourself, if you were to pick something what would you like your clients to absolutely know about you?
My first massage experience was with my Mum when I was 20. She was fighting against cancer.
You guys may have experienced feeling helpless and useless in front of someone you love and who's fighting for life in his last hospital bed. What can you say?
I decided to give her a very soft massage, hours long, without saying anything. Touch is a fantastic non verbal language and can be much stronger than words. My mother had never expressed any feeling because of her education. Before she went into coma, she took my hand and within a few minutes, she expressed through the touch all the love she has had for me and that she never had been able to express verbally.
Later on, I discovered the magic of hands and touch when I was working as a Purser on a cruise ship in the Guest Services & Concierge department. The job was fun, however very tiring, stressful and we were facing very challenging guest situations. We were working 180 days in a row, we all were regularly home sick and close to depression. We could survive by giving each other soothing massages. I ended up providing massages to colleagues during lunch breaks and figured out this was something I had to definitely specialize in.
How would you like someone that contacts you for a massage to feel when they leave?
I want the tired, stressed, anxious, frustrated Client to stay on the massage table and a new regenerated, relaxed, happy and free (Wo)man to leave my place.
Like in Vegas, I want my Clients to feel reassured that everything that is said or happens here... stays here!
What are your hobbies, what do you like to do in your spare time?
Are you from the Police?... LOL
Why did you become a Masseur?
Because for me, it was meant to be.
I wanted to exercise my passion.
To me, this was and still is one of the most mentally rewarding jobs in the world.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a Masseur?
If you don't like the people, forget!
If you think you are going to be Rotschild, forget!
If you want a social life, forget!
If you have a sense of universal love, if you can listen, if you don't mind having a limited social life (working any day, anytime, anywhere), if you can be honestly friendly and not just smiling for money, if you really like to touch, then go ahead and try!
What distinguishes you from all the other Masseurs?
A massage is like a parfum, each touch is unique, there is no masseur like the other.
I have another job providing me the money, massage is a passion and should remain a PASSION.
I think my Clients say they feel it, because I am in it when I give it.
How long have you been a Masseur and how long do think you'd like to continue?
I have been giving massages for 15 years and I still think I can improve.
Ask my Clients how long they will need me and that will be my answer about how long...
How often do you travel? Do you prefer to travel or are you more of a homebody?
I love both. I often need to be home just by myself because to care about others, you first need to care about yourself.
Whenever I have the opportunity, I like to travel and more specifically to cruise.
In the prolongation of this, a massage is to me a sensory cruise...
Is extensive training necessary for a Masseur in order to be successful?
I think you need to learn first in a school or to be closely trained by a professional to avoid doing mistakes and understand basic ethics.
A masseur needs to work on his posture to protect his back and body.
Grooming and impeccable hygiene should not be an option.
A massage school or training, even if non medical, will help you avoid handling errors that can cause medical damages to your Client. You need to be able to assess if someone is fit for a massage or not.
Basic Life Support training can be an asset, should your Client be facing a medical emergency.
The success is the result of all of the above + PASSION!
If you are not passionnate and provide a massage like someone who would be doing a couscous, if you are not 100% mentally with your Client when providing the massage, he or she will feel it right away, may say it was nice to please you but may not come back.
How do you like clients to feel about the experience when they leave?
First of all, I strongly encourage massage applicants to tell me all what they expect from my massage without any taboo.
Having the information, I not only want to fulfill their expectations, but exceed them by being generously creative.
I hope to welcome, pamper and spoil you very soon ;-)