Jewelry

Nearly everyone knows to remove their jewelry before a massage; necklaces encumber any work on the neck, ankle bracelets get in the way of full leg strokes, and rings and bracelets will curtail any work on the hands and fingers. Most people would prefer to have their therapist massage their skin instead of their jewelry, but like everything else, there are exceptions to the rule.

Some people can not take off certain pieces, like rings that are now stuck due to weight gain or bloating, or maybe it's a Cartier slave bracelet which requires a tool to open and remove. Sometimes the reason is sentimental, not physical, like a promise made to never remove a wedding band or an inherited piece from the family's lineage.

However there are also just plain eccentric (or insane) people who refuse for no apparent reason. I had one Asian woman who refused to remove any of her 10 pounds of ornate gold jewelry during her massage, including a huge tiger bracelet that was literally two inches thick and wrapped around her wrist twice. Needless to say (but I will anyway), I did not massage very much of her body since she was almost literally covered from head to toe in heavy metal.

One client who did remove her jewelry called me in a panic after her session asking me to search for her uncle's wedding ring which she had worn since his passing. I searched high and low but no ring. She found it several hours later in her purse, but the moral of the story is to simply make sure that when you remove your jewelry, you also place it where you are sure to find it afterwards so that you can put it back on when you leave.

Jewelry is precious for many reasons, but when preparing for a healing, relaxing, and restorative massage, please leave it at home so you can show it off with your glow after your session.