Jagabond's Personal Masseur Interview

Last Updated: Nov 19, 2021

- I travel most of the year. During normal times I spend more time on the road than I do at home. If you are seeing my profile that probably means I’m either in your town or will be arriving soon. I don’t stay put very long. When I travel I usually stay either at Motel 6 because they’re dog friendly and I travel with my pit bull River, or in my RV.

- Go for it. Keep your fingernails short and provide a comfortable atmosphere.

- I think so. There is only so much you can do using intuition. The human body is actually an incredibly complex organism and it is important to know how all of the systems work and what is good to do and not good to do. For example, unless you have studied anatomy you may not know that veins are one-way blood vessels. There are valves that prevent the blood from flowing backwards. So if you apply a lot of pressure in the wrong direction and push the blood in the opposite direction that it’s intended, it can cause damage to the veins. Clients may not know this but they can definite feel the difference between someone who knows a lot about the function and anatomy of a human body and someone who doesn’t. And I think they will return more often to the one that seems to know his way around.

- I like it when clients tell me that my work felt even better than they expected. I want them to feel much better when they leave than when they arrived and I would love it if they wanted to have another experience with me.

- I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I think it’s something I can continue doing until I die. I love being able to help people feel better.

- I trained with a physical therapist from the Russian Olympic gymnastics team. I use movement of the body as a means to allow the body to heal itself. I can relive most pain in about fifteen minutes. I don’t use oil and I can work right through clothes.

- I was in constant pain and discomfort as an athlete and a dancer. I looked up so much to the people who used to work on my body. They could make me feel better and make it possible for me to continue doing what I love. I wanted to be able to give that to people. So I studied massage not only to give good service to people but so that I would know more about what goes on in the body when it is touched and manipulated. Our bodies are amazing. I’m always fascinated by injuries and healing and I feel so honored to be given permission to touch people intimately and make them feel good

- I love exploring outdoors and visiting parks with my dog. I am an actor and love to perform. I also like making videos. I get into cooking and love to eat healthy food. I’m in touch with my inner child and love to play. I’m creative and imaginative and respect the power of a good laugh.

- Relaxed and satisfied. I want them to feel taken care of and pleased. I’d like them to feel they’ve made a new friend. If they come in with pain, I’d expect the pain to be reduced or gone by the time they leave. If they arrive feeling tense, I will definitely release that. After a good session with me a client should feel complete and yet look forward to the next time I work on them.

- Two main things: One— I love all kinds of bodies. I do not discriminate against older, “out of shape” or any ethnicity. And Two— When you come to see me, please ignore my dog. River is a pit bull rescued from a bad life. He still has lots of emotional scars from his past even though he has a totally cushy life with me. He will bark when any stranger comes into the room because he’s fearful. I keep him locked in his cage whenever anyone is coming over. The best thing to do is to ignore him and he will calm down and stop barking within a minute. But if you look at him or talk to him it will make him more fearful and he will continue to bark until you ignore him. It is not disrespectful to ignore him; it is exactly what he wants. He only barks to protect us.

- Absolutely. I consider it a success when every time I go to work, I am smiling and looking forward to it.

- I have tried to quit massaging more than once and yes, I do miss it. It is such a gift to be able to give someone a competent massage and I love to make people feel good. No other profession that I know of offers such intimacy and such an opportunity to share pleasure with another person. It may sound dramatic but I feel like the world is a better place when I’m Body Tuning.

- The first body I worked on was in massage school back in 1996. I was so nervous that I would do something wrong but it went fine and the person said I have a “good intuitive touch”. I’ve only gotten better since then and now I’m very skilled and confident.