What would massage therapy look like if women were organizing it?

The interaction might be structured around relationship, rather than time or money. There might be an acknowledgment of the emotional quality of touch, and a securing of the relationship between the persons touching as the first order of business. In fact, that establishment of trust and connection might be so important that there might be no touching at all until the person coming for touch felt fully received, understood and appreciated. Any touch that did happen after that might be slow and reassuring, demonstrating a meticulous listening and responsiveness to the signals of the one being touched. Massage might not be something done to a client, but done with them, carefully meeting the comfort and sensitivity of the one being served in every moment.

The acknowledgment of the emotional nature of touch might extend to appreciation of previous patterns of touch in which this body has been involved, which might be reviewed and discussed, so that more positive, empowering patterns could be initiated. Feelings of safety, participantship and empowerment might be prioritized; safeguards might be put in place such as consistent handholding so that if the client entered nonverbal states she could still signal her comfort or feelings to the one touching her.

The current convention of seeing massage as something done with «just bodies» might be updated to acknowledge that how we are touched, and the spirit and feeling in which it is done, is extremely potent in shaping how we feel about ourselves. Instead of pretending that feelings do not happen or do not matter, the feelings of the one being served might be prioritized as both the law of the experience—determining if the session is on track—and the goal—happiness, self-acceptance, empowerment and well-being. Massage might be conceived as a way of restoring and reinforcing the sense of safety, sacredness and rightful authority of the one being served.

The session might be freed from man's time, mechanical time, and business time and restored to woman's time, earth time, body time, organic time; there might be an acknowledgment that connection, trust and relaxation happen naturally in a sensitive dialog of words and touch, and that they happen on their own time. Pressure to relax within a certain narrow time frame and force used to compel relaxation might be abandoned entirely. The body and its language of feelings and responses might be honored as a direct expression of the spirit, the divine essence within us, and honored through slow and consistent cultivation of its happiness.

Those practicing massage might be selected not for their robustness and ability to force others' bodies into alignment, but their sensitivity, open-heartedness and willingness to handle clients' bodies and feelings with unshakeable patience, kindness and presence. There might be a basic recognition that touch has the power to harm as well as heal, and that those involved in this service must own a state of impeccable vigilance in order to support those who have been harmed, and assure that they are not harmed again. The process of practicing massage might be understood to involve the investigation of one's own emotional and consciousness landscape in order to facilitate others astutely, carefully and without projection. Those capable and consistent in holding and caring for others as a sacred task might be entrusted with it.

For the past 15 years the vast majority of my clients have been women. This is what they have taught me. And this is how I practice.

You can meet me in person or watch me work at two local venues each week: the Tuesday Berkeley Farmers' Market at MLK and Derby (2 - 6 PM) and Dance Journey, Friday nights at 2525 8th Street (8 PM - Midnight); admission is charged for the dance only, you can access the massage area for free.

Thank you for your interest. Do call or email with any questions. I look forward to participating in your empowering transformation.

Mo Lohaus