Size That Fits

Yes, size matters; anyone who says differently is either lying or inexperienced.

One therapist I know asks all new clients how tall they are and what they weigh before she takes an appointment. She feels uncomfortable (and unskilled) working on anyone she considers "big", and she refers those people to me. People who call her and are referred to me are sometimes so upset that they never book an appointment with me.

It may seem unfair and cruel for her to screen her clients like this, but clients routinely screen therapists based on their sex, age, weight, and attractiveness. In a perfect world, clients should care more about a therapist's skill and a therapist should care more about a client's well being, but sadly that is only true sometimes.

One therapist I know refused to work on women (he is a gay man), and another refused to work on anyone except women (she is a straight woman). Every therapist must decide where their personal boundaries lie, just as every client must decide which therapist they want to work on them.

I have worked on very big athletes and when I have a choice, I always choose not to accept them as clients simply because they are very big and muscular and I am usually half their size; it is like I am the little green giant working on the big green giant. That is the only boundary in regards to size I have with clients, but of course, rude and inappropriate behavior immediately puts them into the unacceptable category.

I work on heavy people (over 300 lbs), tall people (over 6'4"), old people (over 75 years old), disabled people (ALS/paraplegic), fit people (massage therapists), skinny people (models), couch potatoes, week-end warriors, people in pain, and people who need pampering. My boundaries are very broad. I include many people in my acceptable clients that others do not, but other therapists usually have no problem working on athletes.

Everyone must decide what size fits. A massage should be a pleasant experience; both therapists and clients should be comfortable, and only you can decide what makes you comfortable.