For Pure Pleasure

Although therapists work on people to earn a living, that does not mean that we don't also enjoy the pleasure of giving a massage to someone for the pure pleasure; it is just like chefs who cook for a living but who enjoy cooking a meal for their family.

What is the difference? The main difference is the intention of the massage. For clients it is all about meeting their desires, expectations, and requests, but for pleasure it is all about pleasure for us as much as it is for the receiver. We do the style and the things WE like when we work for pleasure only, again just like the chef who cooks what he or she likes for their family instead of what is on the menu.

We can experiment with techniques that we have just learned or never get to use on the general population perhaps because they are too exotic or too sensual for a paying public. We use products that are too expensive or too rare to share with clients. We do not look at a clock when we massage for pleasure; time is irrelevant.

How do you win the lottery and get a pure pleasure massage from a professional therapist? Be a friend, a family member, or a lover; but even all those relationships may not get you a pleasure massage. One of the last things a working therapist wants is someone waiting at home for a freebie after several hours of work. I have given my friends and lovers a pleasure massage for their birthday or in an emergency situation like when they are in pain and can not get to a doctor or another therapist.

It really is like the Seinfeld episode where Jerry expects the massage therapist he dates to work on him and she does not. Expected "gifts" are NEVER given and a sure way to ensure they will never even be considered. I dated one man who refused to have me work on him because he understood my work should not continue once I got home; I appreciated his understanding (and gave him a gift of massage for his birthday).

I trade pleasure with people I date, so if I happen to be dating a professional therapist, that trade includes massages, but if not, it does not. Just like in any other industry, you must be qualified to practice to even qualify for a trade; I have turned down trades from more people than I can count simply because their expertise and experience were not on par with mine. Aside from the times I have dated another therapist, I have never traded pleasure massages.

Pleasure massages are gifts, and the giver may give one for a special occasion, to fulfill a need, or simply as a generous gesture; the major difference between a pleasure massage and a paid massage is that there is no expectation, reciprocation, or money given in exchange for the gift, which is what defines it as a gift.

I do believe that it helps all couples to learn how to massage each other, so even if you are not a professional, learn how to touch your partner with pleasure; they will want to learn how to return the pleasure. One of my friends had my therapist work on her and afterwards her husband asked if he was better; she replied, "He was more skilled" while offering her husband the consolation that she enjoyed the pleasure of his massages immensely.

Skills can be acquired, but pleasure can only be experienced as a gift.