At Caring Palms, we believe in educating the client so that they know what to expect during their session, and that they have rights to make any changes needed. Basically, we set expectations. We want to avoid surprises, and make sure that the client is comfortable.
Compliance. Ever heard of that word used to define a situation? Well, most people haven't. It happens when a client or patient (as this does not only apply to massage therapy) feels uncomfortable with what is being done to them, but allows it to happen because they feel that the person working on them knows more than they do. This happens with clients of doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists, and any other healthcare related industry.
I'm sure most people have heard horror stories of massage therapists or doctors that over-stepped their bounds. Instead of saying something, the client, or patient, let it happen because they felt that the person working on them knew what they were doing. The client was certainly uncomfortable with what was going on, but were either afraid to say anything, or thought that they could not say anything. In some cases the client was too young to know that what was happening was wrong. In any case, the client complied with what was happening. It did not make it right.
At Caring Palms, we don't cross boundaries and stay within the scope that massage therapy allows us to do. But everyone has different levels of comfort, and we do our best to make sure we stay within that realm as well. We want our clients to tell us if the pressure is not right (too heavy or too light). We want them to know that if we are doing anything that makes them uncomfortable, they should tell us, and we will do what is necessary to make changes so they are comfortable. (Many times we go out of our way to make sure that they are.)
We never want a client thinking they have to be uncomfortable to get the care they need. At the same time, there are times when certain work is needed to make someone feel better. But it is always up to the client to make the decision to have that work done or not. Every client has rights, and we want them to feel comfortable knowing that they do. The client is always in control of the massage. That is the way it should be.
Caring Palms wants is clients get the healing they need and be comfortable doing it. That is our goal and our pledge.