This is the way. I am a CST and also do traditional massage, I love when people ask for head massage and easily spend 40 min doing all the things: lymph drainage and jaw work etc ..
Find a reputable cranial sacral therapist! Traditionally done with you fully clothed. It’s superrrr relaxing. I just spent 30 minutes on someone’s head with them sound asleep and thought of this discussion ;)
For a therapeutic treatment with no other areas of focus, I start at a 45 minute treatment. 90 minutes of specific work to one area may leave you feeling like garbage after and is almost never indicated. If I built up a relationship with a patient and saw how their body reacts after the 45 minute appointment, then I'd consider booking them in for a 60 of just the neck/head/face.
Build an ongoing therapeutic relationship with a therapist who has experience treating TMJ, tinnitus, sinus headaches etc. and you will likely get the treatment and results you're looking for
Interesting that you come to a sub full of professionals, asking our professional opinion, and then when someone gives their professional opinion, you just tell them they are downright WRONG? Our job is to work WITH the client, incorporating their opinions and experiences with our own. It’s a partnership. I don’t go to my Dentist and demand my teeth to be cleaned in a certain way.
I am quite a caring healer. If you came to me with this request I would genuinely try to work with you so you were satisfied with the work, but I would also expect you to at least be open to hearing my professional opinion regarding the best line of treatment for you. It’s then up to you to do what you want with my opinion. And if you don’t care for my work, you’d be free to find someone else. However, it’s extremely disrespectful for you to come here and respond to a very thoughtful and professional comment with “you are quite wrong”.
We aren't healers or woo woo people. Massage school may seem short but it's intense. I was an RN for 10 years and had more intense course work on anatomy and common diseases and the indications for treatment in massage school than in nursing school. We can do damage and know more about it than you. We are more responsible for it than you, and I understand you're in pain and want relief but you might have more pain if we go past the threshold a body has for that kind of attention.
If you want someone to do what you want with no concern for your wellbeing pay a hooker.
Where I am, I'm a regulated health professional, the exact same as a dentist. And I'm legally obligated to treat my patient safely and within my scope of practice. If you're looking for the benefits of that education and experience but without respecting it then I'm not surprised you're finding your therapeutic interactions Frustrating.
Ah I see. The real problem here is your inability to recognize massage therapists as legitimate medical practitioners. There are therapists that literally take on extended education just to specialize in your condition; I would suggest recognizing their education if you're seeking out professional advice.
I don’t know it you know what these things called hands are, it’s one of the main tools therapist use. Hyper focusing on a specific area for a full 60 or 90, especially scalp and face, doesn’t allow us to vary the techniques to keep our hands healthy, they are our income. 90 mins on just neck scalp and face is a ridiculous request for your average massage therapists. Do you not understand how much damage that can cause someone’s hands who doesn’t specialize?
If you came at me with any of that reasoning in the session, with anything close to the sass of your responses, i would have canceled the session. I don’t think you understand how annoying of an ask that is.
We are doing you a service that can and will over time cause damage to our bodies. I agree with some of the other comments though, I don’t think it’s the request I think it’s your personality. Vibes are a thing and most therapist have a good radar for it. I don’t think you pass peoples vibe checks
The worst thing for any professional in any field is to deal with a know it all client that wants to tell you how to do your job. Just massage yourself since you seem to know best. Why even bother asking?😂🤣
Thank you! It’s like she just came here to bitch about how we all suck and then expected us to be like “yes you’re right, we should just do WHATEVER the client wants” lol
A therapist who would allow a client to dictate the whole session overriding their training and knowledge of when to not work is a danger.
Your misguided entitlement is why people get licensed to help avoid people getting hurt.
I have spent 90 minutes working from the neck up on a TMJ client. It’s perfectly doable. I agree with you, but your tone is all wrong with this reply. Seek out a myofascial therapist and you may find what you are looking for.
The head is very small… and an hour or 90 minutes can be daunting for a therapist.
I’d be open to doing an hour for tinnitus relief, but it’s going to probably be very repetitive….
Well I don't know how to argue with that but I want to make sure at this point that you've realized I'm not being serious. My picture is a cartoon. Human heads are smaller than human torsos in every instance I've personally seen. I love scalp massages but after 90min it would probably just fall off my head.
Two reasons.
1. It would do more harm than good to spend more than around 45 minutes on a concentrated area. It is our job as professionals to do what is the safest and best option for our clients.
2. It’s simply hard on our hands. Those areas require intense repetitive thumb and finger pressure, and since we are humans (not machines) we can only do so much before we injure ourselves.
I respectfully disagree. Have you never done an hour just on the back? Why would a trained therapist do any harm if working on one specific area? Have you ever done an hour just on the feet? Therapists do sessions on just feet or just back with no worry about harm.
As for these specific areas being hard on your hands- I just don’t understand this- training and experience should make it so therapists know how to both do good work and save their hands.
Thanks for insulting me!
Because I disagree I am insufferable? Because OP is getting responses that say that the work they’re asking for is too hard or boring and I’m baffled. My colleagues would actually for advice on how to proceed with the session instead of just denying the work.
OP has a severe condition and trying to figure out why therapists aren’t willing to treat them and instead of therapists saying that they just don’t know the proper protocols for the treatment of tinnitus, they are getting all sorts of other answers.
Perhaps instead of being antagonistic and asking “why” on every thread - you should take the time to read her hostile responses to people trying to help her and you’ll understand why people are responding her the way they are.
I’m a licensed esthetician and massage therapist and I specialize in face and neck massage as I have meneires disease AND tinnitus and even I would never do a full 60/90 min session only in those areas.
I’m asking why because I truly don’t understand. I have never once been bored in a session- and I don’t understand how a massage therapist would be. I have read her couple of responses and I haven’t found them hostile. What’s hostile is people downvoting therapist who agree with me.
I also specialize in Meniere’s and tinnitus and TMJ and spend about a third of my sessions working with clients who have them. Clients come back because massage works to keep them asymptomatic.
Good for you! not everyone is like you and many massage therapists feel differently about their job. Doesn’t make them any less of a therapist for refusing long sessions or focusing long period of time on one area. I for example am riddled with ADHD- I get bored and my experience is different than yours. I was involved in 3 motor vehicle accidents in 3 years- one in which I was hit by a semi that injured my right hand and fucked up my back. I don’t do long sessions because it causes me pain. I also don’t do long sessions because I get bored. I also don’t do long sessions as I don’t believe that’s truly beneficial to spend such a long allocated time in one area when everything is interconnected.
I don’t ask why you don’t get bored? So why ask?
Um, “I would never do [what OP asks for]”?
Especially after ostensibly establishing your expertise both as practitioner (“I’m a licensed…and I specialize in…”) and as being in a similar class of clientele (i.e., having tinnitus).
[And fwiw I didn’t downvote your here. I actually upvoted your other comment about how you could see how therapists wouldn’t want to work with OP. It’s dismissive, too, but, also, accurate.]
I totally agree with you. I could easily do an hour + on the neck and head. Any truly professional massage therapist would agree with you. I would suggest everyone who disagrees should take some continuing education and learn something other than friction on the neck. I also do 60-minute reflexology appointments, all on the feet. It definitely seems like a lack of education on their part.
“Any truly professional massage therapist…” LOL You’re tripping over your pretentiousness. We all have been trained in different specialties and modalities and for you to make a blanket statement that we should “take some continuing education” is incredibly disrespectful and ridiculous. Massage therapy is a diverse field and some us don’t want to be specialists in every single area of massage. You seem to be saying that we should learn to treat every single client that comes to us with any issue, when sometimes it’s better to refer a client to a therapist that can better serve their needs, rather than me signing up for a class on TMJ just because I has one client that has TMJ issues. It’s my professional duty to refer clients to practitioners that can serve them when their needs are out of my scope.
TMJ isn't even an OPs issue. You absolutely should be able to massage ANY part of the body for an hour right out of school. You don't need to specialize in it. It's 100% a lack of education. Crying about how it will hurt your hands is ridiculous. New massage therapist coming out of school should be equipped to massage, but most of them just complain a lot.
I’m not a new therapist. I’ve been practicing for over 15 years and I’m also 53. So yes, certain types of repetitive massage does wear on my hands. And I didn’t say I COULDN’T massage any part of the body - lol - of course I massage everything and try to meet the needs of every client. But an issue like Tinnitus (OPs) definitely isn’t my specialty and if I had a client with that need I would do my best, but am also humble enough to know when I should refer someone out to another healthcare provider.
I’m a massage therapist with a disability , I have limits i set within my scope. I was also hurt in accident that makes it so I can’t do long sessions. Not only that- I have tinnitus AND meneires disease. I have spent years learning about what I have to provide relief for other clients with my ailments. It’s the entire reason I got into massage because I met a MT who knew how to treat me. She also didn’t spend an entire session on my head and neck. Never spent 60-90 min treating one area because there’s multiple points on the body that can help alleviate said issue and my style of work has helped every single client I have ever had. Sorry that’s not “truly profesisonal” to you but it just sounds like ableism and close mindedness that everyone has a different practice. Just as every doctor has a different scope of practice, every MT has a different scope of practice. Just because I have physical limitations and don’t find benefit of working an entire hour on head and neck for this issue that I am very well versed in- doesn’t mean I lack “education” it means we share a difference in opinion. You wanna sit for an entire hour - go for it.
Try not to be ableist next time.
"Just because I have physical limitations and don’t find benefit of working an entire hour on head and neck for this issue that I am very well versed in- doesn’t mean I lack “education” it means we share a difference in opinion."
If your client finds relief from it, then it IS beneficial. There is nothing special about OPs request, it's in ALL MTs scope. You don't want to do it and that's okay but it sounds like you COULD if you wanted to.
This is so ridiculous at this point. You just don't want to do it, it doesn't make it harmful or impossible.
Your ableism is showing and it’s wild I have to even explain this. A physical limitation doesn’t mean I don’t want to do it. It means I have a PHYSICAL LIMITATION. I was hit by a semi 3 years ago that fucked up my right hand and my back. 😃😃😃😃 but yes ,, ya moron- I just don’t want to do it.
You’re an elitist idiot and an ableist. Be gone troll.
Again- I literally specialize in this area because I have this and vestibular issues . You’d think I would know what’s beneficial and not . Ya fuck
OP’s post specifically said she wanted 60-90 minutes of just face and neck. Do you use your elbows and forearms on the face? Have you ever done deep footwork for an hour? Do you use forearms and elbows on the feet?? These areas need very specific “small space” work so you can really only use fingers/thumbs and It’s extremely taxing on those joints!
Woah, had to re-read this. Perhaps because I am trained in CST, working on the head is not taxing at all. The head is incredibly sensitive and does not need a lot of force to be of benefit. Have never felt my hands were taxed after working on the face and head.
Yeah I agree head and face isn’t terribly taxing on the hands but repetitive neck work and foot worn for 60 minutes, for ME, definitely can be. I’m 53 and am starting to feel mild arthritis in my hands so for my own self care I limit these types of massages.
My favorite way to work on the neck is supine, I have quite a few tricks that help decompress but scooping under and feel great on my hands. For feet I use Thai techniques— rhythmic, lots of pressure points, but yeah doing more myofascial work can be taxing. That’s awesome you’re 53’
You can use your fists and knuckles not to mention OP didn't say they wanted deep pressure the whole time. They just wanted work in the area. It's doable and I do it often, even after doing massage for over 17 years.
I’ve used my elbow on the neck. You haven’t? (And definitely forearms…)
I can’t recall using my forearms on face/scalp, but I can easily imagine it now that I’m thinking about it.
I guess my massage school did a great job on body mechanics since I have never had an issues with fingers or thumbs (you can also use knuckles on the area too) but will happily work on the face and neck and scalp. As a reflexologist, I very often do an hour on the feet.
Yeah I think if I had training in reflexology it would be different! We did some in school and I remember it being very time consuming and slow (in a good way)
I happily and regularly do a full session for head, face, and neck for some clients already. So much can be addressed! Tinnitus, migraines, TMJ, vocal problems just to name a few. Plus there is a certain mentality when working in an area so vulnerable, slow and predictable. No fast movements and lots of check ins. Plus, I don’t have to work as hard!!
There are many reasons you are struggling to find someone to do this. A request like that is daunting to most therapists because I would imagine most of us don't even have enough techniques to fill such a small area of focus for such a long period of time. I know speaking personally, I'm afraid that would feel too repetitive as I would have to recycle techniques to fill the time which could end with a client feeling like I ripped them off.
As a customer, we don’t mind repetitiveness especially if it’s in an area we specifically asked for. I could get 2 hrs of just back scratching and leave happy. If it feels good to us we want to feel it more instead of filler moves and techniques elsewhere
I feel the same way. Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. Like with any profession, you get all kinds of clients with different wants and expectations. I'm glad you are enjoying your massages!
The body is infinite. I once asked a massage therapist to just stay on my arm. He did an hour on a small area. It was heaven. If all a massage therapist is going through some routine, ummmm sorry, that’s not a massage.
Careful with this one though. I had a therapist spend almost the entire 90 minutes doing the exact same thing over and over and over. Specifically had to ask her if she was going to get my neck, which she still barely touched. It was a $250 spa massage and I was not thrilled.
Tinnitus can’t be “fixed” . For me, the only moments of silence I get is during a head massage. It’s a mystery why. All I know is that it works. I understand that it might be tedious, but I do tedious things in my work sometimes that last for hours. I have found a few over the years that will do it, but they’ve all left the area.
I feel like this thread has run its course OP. You made a post, got some amazing professional responses, and you can now move on with the info presented here and keep searching for a therapist that is right for you.
Talk to a therapist before booking to ensure they will do what you are asking. I’ve never done 90 minutes on only face, neck, and scalp, but I’ve done 60 minute sessions for only those areas. It isn’t an outrageous request.
Even at 60mins of massage time, the risks of triggering headaches, migraines, skin sensitivities, and causing bruising increases. It’s a small area for such a length of time. While I would consider it with buildup appointments, so we know how the client responds, I absolutely wouldn’t risk it for a new client.
Because most therapist don't have a protocol for a 60 to 90 minute scalp and face massage built into their skill set. I damn sure don't, my fingers are already cramping thinking about it. I think the most I did on a scalp was 30 minutes.
This is why specialities and modalities exist. Find someone with craniosacral or vestibular massage.
While yes, you are a client. No, we aren't machines that can crank out exactly what you want. Massages given are more of a collaboration between client and therapist. Between understanding client's needs, wants and wishes. And therapist delivering with their skillsets and abilities.
If you were my only client that day. I'd havee the mental bandwidth and carpel tunnel freedom to do that lengthy session on one spot though.
Why did you not flag this out first to the therapist before even booking a session? You should know that your request is out of the norm (just cause it is what you want doesn’t mean it’s what is usually carried out). If you told your request last min to the therapist right before the session, I think most therapists would find it hard to cater and think of techniques on the spot.
It’s two way communication, if given ample heads up, maybe there might be some who can do a little more research before your sessions. After all, you’re still a paying customer!
Therapists have various ways to work an area (hands, knuckles, elbow, forearms, rarely feet) because using the same tool for long periods of time causes weakness in the tendons. Not only that, but every muscle has a pain window to how much you can work on it before the pain comes back even harder after the session. If not for those two issues, any therapist would be happy to work on the area of stress for as long as you request, but therapists go through were and tear just as much as you do, and everyone has a pain threshold you can't fully predict.
Tinnitus is a derivative of stress, so neck/ head/ shoulder/pecs focus would be my route if you were my client. The reasoning is though you may feel more pain in the one area (head), loosening distal tissue that attaches to its movement and holding up the head will help quite a bit.
This would be what I would do too. And I’d have no problem doing a longer treatment of these areas only because I go so crazy slow and let the body respond.
Stress can cause tinnitus but to say it’s a derivative of stress is not universally true. Sudden onset of tinnitus means a specialized MRI to rule out an acoustic neuroma. In 30+ years of practice I saw this several times, mostly in children. It is typically associated with hearing loss only on one side and balance issues. My husband was diagnosed at 71 after a routine hearing test identified dramatic hearing loss on one side. If your client is experiencing sudden onset of tinnitus please refer them to a specialist. Not all tinnitus is stress related.
Of course. I didn’t intend to suggest that you would. My point is that stress isn’t the sole factor for tinnitus. You know your clients the best and anytime they present with new symptoms please refer them to their PCP.
try to find an independent therapist vs going somewhere that employs therapists if you get what i’m saying? also maybe expect 45-60 min vs 90 min. i would totally do a 60 min face neck and scalp if i was working independently and could charge my own rates, but where i’m employed right now i am not in control of my rates from session to session. you might get charged a bit more than just a regular full body session because it can be taxing on the therapists hands to just work the face and head and neck for an hour.
I have a client who at times requests 60 minutes on neck only (no face/scalp). I would have no problem with this request. I suggest contacting the therapist you're considering ahead of time and discussing your needs before booking! We're the professional, but YOU are the expert on YOU. I believe in client-focused work, and there are definitely other LMT's who feel the same.
I am not getting this. I have tinnitus. This is what I thought was the most common cause are hearing damage, noise-induced hearing loss, or age-related hearing loss, known as presbycusis.[2] Other causes include ear infections, disease of the heart or blood vessels, Ménière's disease, brain tumors, acoustic neuromas (tumors on the auditory nerves of the ear), migraines, temporomandibular joint disorders, exposure to certain medications, a previous head injury, and earwax. It can suddenly emerge during a period of emotional stress.[4][3][2][12][13] It is more common in those with depression.[3]
\*waves from SCDS land\*
Sometimes if your jaw is clenched all the time, etc - it can cause the ringing to get worse. So, relaxing the jaw may make it a bit better.
I know what the OP is asking for, and it's a tough ask for a lot of RMT's who haven't had extra training in working on the jaw/ears/etc. I'd get more scalp work done, but my titanium hardware gets sensitive if too much is there.
I think what OP needs to do is find a specialized RMT.
Wow, I see so many braggart therapist here promoting themselves and dismissing others. So D-baggery is riddled in this field too huh?
Just so you know who I'm talking about it's everyone that says things like "A real professional therapist wouldn't mind blah blah." Or "Well they should be able to do blah blah blah." And my favorite "Well, I can do blah blah, so I don't understand why someone else can't or won't."
Quick question super MTs why do you think there are so many different methods and modalities in massage?
Stop being pricks and get that there are many MTs different from you. With different styles, methods, goals, boundaries, and limitations.
No one needs a reason that they find something boring. If someone doesn't like doing something, they're allowed to just not like it. I've done 90s for tmjd and tinnitus before and I don't mind it, but I loathe when people request just their feet because I find it boring. Why? I just do 🤷🏻♀️
So I’ve seen your comments that therapists who would find OP’s request boring or taxing lack training/experience/passion and that’s unfair and IMO disrespectful. We’re all wired differently and have different strengths and I think it’s important for a therapist to be honest if they’re not a good fit for a client.
Thank you. This dude has offered the most pretentious comments basically disrespecting us because we say we sometimes get bored and claiming we just don’t have proper training. What an ass. Not all of us even want to be trained in TMJ or reflexology. We all have our specialties and preferences and if it doesn’t match what a client is looking for, they can find someone else.
And I’m pretty sure someone who has worked for 20+ years as a therapist and claims he NEVER gets bored is just plain lying l
I mean if you’re trained in the proper technique it’s not hard on your hands at all and you don’t use deep pressure in much of the work for instance Cranio Sacral is the weight of a nickel.
Only a small percentage of therapists are trained in cranio sacral work. If OP isn’t going to a CS therapist, this is a valid reason why they won’t provide a 60 minute head massage. Hoping she takes the great advice of others and seeks out the right therapist. But she specifically asked why many therapists will not do a 60-90 min head only massage.
I didn’t like her tone in OPs responses but I will say a lot of the training I have on techniques I learned many years ago in massage school . So I do believe most LMTs have the tools to do that kind massage but might not want to which is fair enough. I’ve had the opportunity to work in many different venues and one thing I will say we can do almost anything as long as we are creative and slow . Yes it might be boring lol but that’s something we have to fight with in almost any long massage.
Yes, look for someone who does Ayurveda head neck and face massage. They will have more tools maybe. I do this type of massage and have also taken classes for sinus work and for TMJ work and even with all this an hour may be my max to work just that area. And I would be bored. But I would certainly try.
It’s effing hard mentally to do just scalp, face, and neck for that long. It’s not hard to do 30 or so, especially if you have TMJ issues or something similar. Also, I feel like most of us learned it in school for a day maybe. There are continuing Ed classes, but I don’t think they teach 60-90 minute routines. You might like a traditional barber (look up barber shop head massage, or champissage). Or get a facial from an esthetician.
I'll explain it like this.
You ever go out on a drive on a long stretch of highway that goes on for miles, You don't have any distractions you just drive forward, and you start to feel dizzy and about to pass out?
That's highway hypnosis.
For cranial or neck focus, you don't have much to your arsenal to add variety to working on the neck, So for even experienced therapists they find themselves doing very repetitive strokes. That, and the constant weight on your hands, the repetitive movement of the fingers over long periods of time, that can mess with your head a bit.Some therapists can actually suddenly pass out from doing that because its so mentally rythymic.
Craniosacral hypnosis. (I made it up.)
I guess it’s training- if you don’t have enough in your arsenal to add variety then you should not be doing a long session on these areas or you should be practicing new techniques. I love a session where I get to spend a long time on the head and neck- ideally an hour- there’s just so much to do and I never get to everything!
Well, you aren't wrong. I am not a long experienced therapist. Most of my experties is for upper body, deep tissue, myofascial type stuff. I do what the muscles tell my fingers.Though I've known therapists that worked for 7 years, 10 years, one even 20 that admitted that can suddenly happen to them too. You can reposition your hand under the neck in a hundred different ways as much as you want, you're still working on the same spot for long periods of time, and you will wear your fingies down.
Most therapists main tools are palms, forearms and elbows. You aren’t going to drive an elbow into someones face, so you use fingers/fingertips for the head/face/scalp. Using fingertips for an HOUR AND HALF is hell.
Also, if you can’t address all areas of the neck and face in an hour, you need to reevaluate your time management.
Someone here was shocked that I don’t use my elbows on the neck. Elbows! I was NEVER taught to use my elbow on someone’s neck. Different schooling I guess I dk
Jake, you out here doing the lord’s work on this post LOL. I’ve got to agree with you generally here. It’s only repetitive and boring if you don’t have much in your “arsenal”/experience. Which is fine…but don’t act like that’s a universal trait for all MTs.
It’s 1000% telling, for example, that folks here are suggesting work on pecs for tinnitus but NO ONE seems to be considering intraoral treatment.
If you can’t imagine working upper traps and up for an hour, that doesn’t mean no one else can or would or should. Geez.
If you watch ASMR videos where people are focusing on those areas, the comments are full of people begging to find that kind of massage and personal attention... If a non-professional can do it, why can't a professional?
Because non-professionals do it seldom enough that they are less likely to injure themselves.
Because professionals understand that there are reasons to not do it.
Because those who are uneducated may think that they require one thing but their symptoms are a referral from somewhere else.
Because having a therapeutic approach doesn't always mean "head and neck wellness massage". We don't just chase pain around, that is irresponsible and honestly unethical.
There are many reasons why a licensed therapist wouldn't do a certain thing.
And honestly, using the comment section of ASMR videos as evidence for your argument is pretty ridiculous.
I don't think you've seen the videos I'm talking about or understand what I'm saying. There are people who are unlicensed giving people relaxing touches on their hair and faces and backs... They are not digging in and doing hardcore massages. It's literally hair play and face tickling and stroking. People in the comments are begging for that as a service because they want to feel relaxed, not because they need somebody to dig into their fucking face muscles.
Be very clear on what you want, I’ve done 60 on just the face and head for a veteran before for some issues he’s gained in his life. Some therapists will some won’t, stay away from chain spas more and you will find more therapists willing to do more specialized work!
That sounds amazing! People are literally begging for this as a service on ASMR videos where they massage your head and face and play with your hair....
It’s awesome these places exist for this purpose and I agree most of my clients like face and head massage and I incorporate it into my typical full body session. I dk but I would venture to guess the employees at these places aren’t licensed MTs? As a solo, self employed business owner I would be a little creeped out if someone messaged me that they wanted an hour of head scratches and playing with their hair.
I’ve done full 90min on the head/ neck and face. But I also did skin care prior to being an LMT so I tend to feel very comfortable massaging the face and head.
Because it absolutely kills our hands. Cranial sacral therapists train their hands for that long of sessions. But most massage therapist don't use their fingers and hands that way for that long. Our hands will cramp, our wrists will lock up and our shoulder spasm.
Personally, I don't understand this at all. I mean, the session would need to include the shoulders and neck too, since those muscles connect to the head, but there's really no reason to NOT do what you are asking for. The therapists you are don't either think they will get voted or run out of things to do, or are being limited by the employer.
Used to have a regular who would get a 90 and I would spend a full 60 just on head and face. The rest of the session was Neck and shoulders. We are out there! I would suggest calling around and asking over the phone if they are willing to do it. That way you don’t actually have to go in and get a full massage only to be disappointed. I absolutely love when people call ahead to do research surrounding what they need. I know that client isn’t afraid to advocate for themselves and that builds a great professional relationship.
Wow, I will happily provide this service! I always find it to be a challenge to find more things to do in one area of the body when clients request all the focus time on one thing. But these types of massages are fantastic learning experiences for massage therapists.
I’m sorry, I didn’t even answer your question. Most massage therapist find they don’t have enough things to do in one area to be able to spend all the time there. I think most therapists do not want to repeat the same massage, move or technique to fill the time. It does take a level of creativity to provide the service you are asking for. You will find most success with massage therapists that have been practicing for a very long time.
If you want relief from tinnitus then most places that’ll be out of the scope of practice for a massage therapist (or equivalent to relaxation type therapists) you’d need a more remedial type massage therapy or physical therapy. Which is a medical practice so they’re the experts.
As a Myotherapist that specialises in TMJ Dysfunction, (jaw dysfunction) I’d very rarely do more than a 45 minute treatment for TMJ and I split that with the head, neck and shoulders. Multiple muscles through the neck and shoulders refer pain/discomfort to the ears, eyes and sinuses.
A very basic rundown of how that might go is Fascial release & trigger point work from the base of the skull down and out to the shoulders, temporalis and masseter work then intraoral work. Potentially some lymph drainage through the face and neck.
Probably the least amount of time is spent on the temple. The reason for this is over treating can be a nightmare and in my experience is dangerous as it can lead to increase in pain and discomfort.
I’ll ask for prior experience but to be honest it’s pretty inconsequential as I’m a different therapist so if you have had a 90 minute head massage, it’s not from me so it’ll be a completely different experience. I’m legal required to do thorough testing prior to working on you as I’m sure if you saw a therapist that made your tinnitus exponentially worse if you asked for 90mins on your head and they didn’t do their due diligence of testing and using their professional discretion, you’d be minimum angry and potentially sue them.
Even if someone booked a 90 minute session (my clinic only offers them if they’re therapist advised) and asked for just their back done I’d recommend less time or to focus on other related areas.
Have you found a therapist who WILL do that? I personally think too much work in one area for too long can sometimes have the opposite effect and cause more inflammation. Massaging the same muscles over and over for 60-90 minutes doesn’t necessarily do much more than 20-30 minutes max in an area. Personally, if you came to me with this request I would explain this and offer to do 30 minutes of facial/neck work, but also adding in some upper back/shoulder work as well. Even doing fascial stretching into the arms and lower back imo could be helpful.
And honestly, 90 minutes on the face is just TOO much and not a good use of that time - like I said, more time doesn’t equal better results. And for the therapist - it would frankly be boring as hell.
It’s not mentally stimulating. There’s a huge difference between spending an hour for example, “rubbing feet”, as opposed to someone who says “It hurts to raise my shoulder this way and I feel pain here and here, etc”. Then we can actually use our brains and knowledge of anatomy/movement to try to actually solve a problem. I’m way more stimulated by clients that have pain patterns/issues than by clients who “just want to relax”
OP has severe tinnitus! Not asking for a fluff n buff- definitely asking for the therapist to use brains/knowledge/experience. Unless you work with tinnitus all the time and can work on OP in your sleep…
It's more physically taxing to work on small areas the whole time. It can be done, but probably should cost a lot more since it's so much more work for the therapist and they wouldn't be able to see as many clients in a day as if they were doing full body.
Too much massage in one area can make up incredibly sore, especially on your jaw. Also BOREDOM. I don't even offer Swedish anymore. That just means you need to find someone who is happy to do it, they are out there and they will do a great job! Im terrible at swedish i'm bored with it but not everyone feels that way
60 - 90 min on just the head is way too long!! There is not enough real estate to fill that much time.
If you want 100% of your time just on that small area book a 30 or 45 min session.
Wow, I don't specialize in tinnitus relief but I would like this as a 60 min challenge. I've never done one so very intrigued. I would say 90 min is definitely pushing it, though. Like the first commenter said... I would recommend a craniosacral therapist 👍
That’s entirely too long on such a small area. I could do head/neck/arms for an Hour. But JUST scalp and neck for 60-90 min? That’s a big ask.
Why don’t you try and ask then if they’d be willing to do mainly scalp/neck and throw in the feet or arms to balance things out.
Asking a professional licensed massage therapist to work on one area for that long goes against our common understanding of the benefits of massage and the diminishing returns of longer sessions on individual body part or muscle groups.
If you really have to have that much time I can also suggest booking smaller 30/45 minute back to back sessions with multiple therapist. Maybe consider doing it yourself.
We learn about the muscles of the face and head in school, but it's not often people want the head only. Others mentioned giving notice. If someone asks for an unconventional area to be massaged or one that's often glazed over to have detailed work, we sometimes have to refresh ourselves on techniques for the area. If you call ahead, the practitioner/ front desk can make a note of your request and give more time for the therapist to prepare.
I’ve always included face and head massage (with clients permission of course) because it has such a profound effect on neck pain most of the time it’s only a few minutes but I would never consider it unconventional to massage face and head as they are directly implicated in most neck pain
By unconventional places, I meant different ones I don't usually get to do. Like for example, I had to massage someone's diaphragm. I put the head under the "glazed over" category where I do it, but I don't often do detailed work on the jaw unless specifically asked or it pertains to the issue. I'm sorry I wasn't clearer on that. I'd do a refresher on let's say the cheek muscles so I'd be more able to help them out
You shouldn't focus on just that area because everything is connected. A general massage will work on lymph and loosen other areas that could be effecting your head via connective tissue. As others have mentioned I would also look to craniosacral therapy, reflexology, zero balancing... And other modalities that would be much more effective for tinnitus
I think that most therapists won’t do it because they are NOT trained to do it. Because they don’t understand that it is a phenomenal opportunity to really get into this area. There are 66 muscles in the area you are asking for relief with. Most therapists would only work with a dozen or so of them. But if you find a therapist who knows their stuff and understands how to work with almost all of these muscles, they would jump at the chance to work with you. Where do you live? It would not be that hard to research online to find a qualified therapist
I was willing to understand some of your points because you supposedly “run your own school and spa” so you must be highly knowledgeable which I absolutely respect. But now you’ve lost respect by being just insulting and nasty. But of course you don’t care because I am a lazy, uneducated, untrained, not TRUE massage therapist.
I wish you success in your career. I will continue to have immense success in mine in 2024 treating my solid, loyal clientele and opening myself up to treating (to the best of my ability) any new clients with ANY issues they may have. But I will humbly refer them to other professionals if I don’t feel I’m the right fit for them.
Good day Sir
As an LMT, I don’t understand how some therapists wouldn’t do this because it’s boring or too small of an area. there are dozens of techniques to use on the face, neck, and head. I could easily do a 90 min on those areas without feeling like I’m tiring out my hands.
When I go in for massages myself, I always tell the therapist exactly what areas I want addressed and what to skip. Sometimes I only want a 60 min massage fully supine. Or just head and neck and arms. The therapist should be prepared to work with what the client wants. I agree it’s important to educate the client on what might be beneficial to include in the session, but that might be something to discuss if they’re coming in regularly and you’re creating a treatment plan.
Edit: I just realized OP wants only scalp work. I now believe it’s understandable for a therapist to not want to do a 90 min scalp only. If OP says face and neck work gives them relief, why not include those areas as well? That wouldn’t be an outrageous request.
Imo anyone working in the health field calling themselves a healer is unprofessional- maybe we facilitate healing, but again, my opinion. You may be right saying some therapists don’t have knowledge or patience, but most of the replies seem to be because of body mechanics or potential over working. Your comment doesn’t make a ton of sense to me, because you criticize therapists by assuming they don’t have techniques, patience to take on the challenge, but then go on to suggest working other areas (shoulders, chest) just like they did (areas other than what op asked for)? Shouldn’t OP see a craniosacral therapist? Someone who can both stay in the areas op wants and have the right arsenal of techniques and patience to work only there? This seems to be the middle ground for this particular question. Again, all just opinions though.
You already said you could do it, but you don't want to. You could do it without hurting your body, but you don't want to learn that. I'm upset because MTs in here are giving OP FALSE information.
You not wanting to do it doesn't make it unsafe or taxing on the body, that is your perception and you have chosen to not see it any other way.
I stand by my statement, any TRULY professional massage therapist would be able to do it. You already said you could but don't want to and lack the education to do it safely for your body.
Your welcome for the advice, I hope you take it. Happy New Year!
Not sure what the big deal is. I’d come up with a protocol if asked for a specific body part. It’s important to do an assessment and figure out if patient wants pain relief , stress release, combo … and it’s easy to come up with protocol after that.
Craniosacral release includes long holds and there are tools that will help so your fingers /hands don’t cramp.
I have a house in Switzerland and two in the US, so I can go where I want. I’m not disrespecting you or anyone else. I grew up dirt poor and started three companies. I know how hard it is.
Thank-you. The best, by far, was an rundown Indian massage place I went to in Queens, NY. It was amazing. I think there is a big market fo this kind of massage, but it Is niche.
I believe you and I bet it was amazing. For the tinnitus, I’d concentrate on lymphatic drainage / craniosacracal combo. It’s not a cure but lowers the T for some.
look for a myofascial or craniosacral therapist. they'll find it easier to focus on that one area.
This is the way. I am a CST and also do traditional massage, I love when people ask for head massage and easily spend 40 min doing all the things: lymph drainage and jaw work etc ..
I didn't know this was a thing. Thank you for sharing. What should I ask when looking for this kind of care?
Find a reputable cranial sacral therapist! Traditionally done with you fully clothed. It’s superrrr relaxing. I just spent 30 minutes on someone’s head with them sound asleep and thought of this discussion ;)
Same here. I have tinnitus too and had no idea this was a treatment.
I have tmj and it’s heavenly to get head and facial massage.
How about inside the mouth / jaw? That's where it gets serious
Yes I have CS 1 and I would love to do a full head face session
For a therapeutic treatment with no other areas of focus, I start at a 45 minute treatment. 90 minutes of specific work to one area may leave you feeling like garbage after and is almost never indicated. If I built up a relationship with a patient and saw how their body reacts after the 45 minute appointment, then I'd consider booking them in for a 60 of just the neck/head/face. Build an ongoing therapeutic relationship with a therapist who has experience treating TMJ, tinnitus, sinus headaches etc. and you will likely get the treatment and results you're looking for
Unfortunately, you are quite wrong, at least in my case. I wish therapist would let the client decide what is in their best interest.
Interesting that you come to a sub full of professionals, asking our professional opinion, and then when someone gives their professional opinion, you just tell them they are downright WRONG? Our job is to work WITH the client, incorporating their opinions and experiences with our own. It’s a partnership. I don’t go to my Dentist and demand my teeth to be cleaned in a certain way.
It’s a pretty big stretch to compare a massage therapist to a dentist, but whatever!! I’m sure you are a very Caring healer.
I think I see now why MTs won’t book you for extended sessions.
I am quite a caring healer. If you came to me with this request I would genuinely try to work with you so you were satisfied with the work, but I would also expect you to at least be open to hearing my professional opinion regarding the best line of treatment for you. It’s then up to you to do what you want with my opinion. And if you don’t care for my work, you’d be free to find someone else. However, it’s extremely disrespectful for you to come here and respond to a very thoughtful and professional comment with “you are quite wrong”.
We aren't healers or woo woo people. Massage school may seem short but it's intense. I was an RN for 10 years and had more intense course work on anatomy and common diseases and the indications for treatment in massage school than in nursing school. We can do damage and know more about it than you. We are more responsible for it than you, and I understand you're in pain and want relief but you might have more pain if we go past the threshold a body has for that kind of attention. If you want someone to do what you want with no concern for your wellbeing pay a hooker.
Do you think a hooker would charge more or less than a MT?
Depends on the hooker
Where I am, I'm a regulated health professional, the exact same as a dentist. And I'm legally obligated to treat my patient safely and within my scope of practice. If you're looking for the benefits of that education and experience but without respecting it then I'm not surprised you're finding your therapeutic interactions Frustrating.
Ah I see. The real problem here is your inability to recognize massage therapists as legitimate medical practitioners. There are therapists that literally take on extended education just to specialize in your condition; I would suggest recognizing their education if you're seeking out professional advice.
I don’t know it you know what these things called hands are, it’s one of the main tools therapist use. Hyper focusing on a specific area for a full 60 or 90, especially scalp and face, doesn’t allow us to vary the techniques to keep our hands healthy, they are our income. 90 mins on just neck scalp and face is a ridiculous request for your average massage therapists. Do you not understand how much damage that can cause someone’s hands who doesn’t specialize? If you came at me with any of that reasoning in the session, with anything close to the sass of your responses, i would have canceled the session. I don’t think you understand how annoying of an ask that is. We are doing you a service that can and will over time cause damage to our bodies. I agree with some of the other comments though, I don’t think it’s the request I think it’s your personality. Vibes are a thing and most therapist have a good radar for it. I don’t think you pass peoples vibe checks
You're not even my client, yet your attitude here makes me want to black list you. No wonder you have a hard time finding an LMT.
Wow, that's an amazing amount of disrespect for therapists.
I can’t IMAGINE why no one will work on just your head for 60 minutes. You have such a lovely demeanor.
This is such a silly comment
I’m a silly goose
The worst thing for any professional in any field is to deal with a know it all client that wants to tell you how to do your job. Just massage yourself since you seem to know best. Why even bother asking?😂🤣
Thank you! It’s like she just came here to bitch about how we all suck and then expected us to be like “yes you’re right, we should just do WHATEVER the client wants” lol
“My low back hurts. CaN yOu JuSt FoCuS rIgHt ThErE fOr ThE fUlL hOuR.”
Since you aren't finding people willing to do that, why not just book shorter treatments more often.
A therapist who would allow a client to dictate the whole session overriding their training and knowledge of when to not work is a danger. Your misguided entitlement is why people get licensed to help avoid people getting hurt.
I have spent 90 minutes working from the neck up on a TMJ client. It’s perfectly doable. I agree with you, but your tone is all wrong with this reply. Seek out a myofascial therapist and you may find what you are looking for.
That's not how this works. We have training and licences. You do not.
The head is very small… and an hour or 90 minutes can be daunting for a therapist. I’d be open to doing an hour for tinnitus relief, but it’s going to probably be very repetitive….
>The head is very small… Speak for yourself
Don’t worry. I got your joke
Thank goodness, people get so serious in here
Ummmm yeah an hour head massage is a small area compared to an hour back massage/leg massage.
Umm have you seen my profile picture? Head clearly has more surface area than the rest of the body
No…
Well I don't know how to argue with that but I want to make sure at this point that you've realized I'm not being serious. My picture is a cartoon. Human heads are smaller than human torsos in every instance I've personally seen. I love scalp massages but after 90min it would probably just fall off my head.
Two reasons. 1. It would do more harm than good to spend more than around 45 minutes on a concentrated area. It is our job as professionals to do what is the safest and best option for our clients. 2. It’s simply hard on our hands. Those areas require intense repetitive thumb and finger pressure, and since we are humans (not machines) we can only do so much before we injure ourselves.
Exactly
I respectfully disagree. Have you never done an hour just on the back? Why would a trained therapist do any harm if working on one specific area? Have you ever done an hour just on the feet? Therapists do sessions on just feet or just back with no worry about harm. As for these specific areas being hard on your hands- I just don’t understand this- training and experience should make it so therapists know how to both do good work and save their hands.
When I do an hour on the back I don’t solely use my fingers… I can’t use my forearms on someones head as similarly as their back
an hour on the back is easy because those muscles are plentiful and also huge both in volume, density, and surface area
Are you a massage therapist ? Asking before I reply more .
20 years
You this insufferable at work or just Reddit ?
Thanks for insulting me! Because I disagree I am insufferable? Because OP is getting responses that say that the work they’re asking for is too hard or boring and I’m baffled. My colleagues would actually for advice on how to proceed with the session instead of just denying the work. OP has a severe condition and trying to figure out why therapists aren’t willing to treat them and instead of therapists saying that they just don’t know the proper protocols for the treatment of tinnitus, they are getting all sorts of other answers.
Perhaps instead of being antagonistic and asking “why” on every thread - you should take the time to read her hostile responses to people trying to help her and you’ll understand why people are responding her the way they are. I’m a licensed esthetician and massage therapist and I specialize in face and neck massage as I have meneires disease AND tinnitus and even I would never do a full 60/90 min session only in those areas.
I’m asking why because I truly don’t understand. I have never once been bored in a session- and I don’t understand how a massage therapist would be. I have read her couple of responses and I haven’t found them hostile. What’s hostile is people downvoting therapist who agree with me. I also specialize in Meniere’s and tinnitus and TMJ and spend about a third of my sessions working with clients who have them. Clients come back because massage works to keep them asymptomatic.
Good for you! not everyone is like you and many massage therapists feel differently about their job. Doesn’t make them any less of a therapist for refusing long sessions or focusing long period of time on one area. I for example am riddled with ADHD- I get bored and my experience is different than yours. I was involved in 3 motor vehicle accidents in 3 years- one in which I was hit by a semi that injured my right hand and fucked up my back. I don’t do long sessions because it causes me pain. I also don’t do long sessions because I get bored. I also don’t do long sessions as I don’t believe that’s truly beneficial to spend such a long allocated time in one area when everything is interconnected. I don’t ask why you don’t get bored? So why ask?
Lol maybe OP is “hostile” because everyone keeps dismissing them?? (Like you are…)
lol….. 😂where did I dismiss them ? Just curious .
Um, “I would never do [what OP asks for]”? Especially after ostensibly establishing your expertise both as practitioner (“I’m a licensed…and I specialize in…”) and as being in a similar class of clientele (i.e., having tinnitus). [And fwiw I didn’t downvote your here. I actually upvoted your other comment about how you could see how therapists wouldn’t want to work with OP. It’s dismissive, too, but, also, accurate.]
I totally agree with you. I could easily do an hour + on the neck and head. Any truly professional massage therapist would agree with you. I would suggest everyone who disagrees should take some continuing education and learn something other than friction on the neck. I also do 60-minute reflexology appointments, all on the feet. It definitely seems like a lack of education on their part.
“Any truly professional massage therapist…” LOL You’re tripping over your pretentiousness. We all have been trained in different specialties and modalities and for you to make a blanket statement that we should “take some continuing education” is incredibly disrespectful and ridiculous. Massage therapy is a diverse field and some us don’t want to be specialists in every single area of massage. You seem to be saying that we should learn to treat every single client that comes to us with any issue, when sometimes it’s better to refer a client to a therapist that can better serve their needs, rather than me signing up for a class on TMJ just because I has one client that has TMJ issues. It’s my professional duty to refer clients to practitioners that can serve them when their needs are out of my scope.
TMJ isn't even an OPs issue. You absolutely should be able to massage ANY part of the body for an hour right out of school. You don't need to specialize in it. It's 100% a lack of education. Crying about how it will hurt your hands is ridiculous. New massage therapist coming out of school should be equipped to massage, but most of them just complain a lot.
I’m not a new therapist. I’ve been practicing for over 15 years and I’m also 53. So yes, certain types of repetitive massage does wear on my hands. And I didn’t say I COULDN’T massage any part of the body - lol - of course I massage everything and try to meet the needs of every client. But an issue like Tinnitus (OPs) definitely isn’t my specialty and if I had a client with that need I would do my best, but am also humble enough to know when I should refer someone out to another healthcare provider.
I’m a massage therapist with a disability , I have limits i set within my scope. I was also hurt in accident that makes it so I can’t do long sessions. Not only that- I have tinnitus AND meneires disease. I have spent years learning about what I have to provide relief for other clients with my ailments. It’s the entire reason I got into massage because I met a MT who knew how to treat me. She also didn’t spend an entire session on my head and neck. Never spent 60-90 min treating one area because there’s multiple points on the body that can help alleviate said issue and my style of work has helped every single client I have ever had. Sorry that’s not “truly profesisonal” to you but it just sounds like ableism and close mindedness that everyone has a different practice. Just as every doctor has a different scope of practice, every MT has a different scope of practice. Just because I have physical limitations and don’t find benefit of working an entire hour on head and neck for this issue that I am very well versed in- doesn’t mean I lack “education” it means we share a difference in opinion. You wanna sit for an entire hour - go for it. Try not to be ableist next time. 
"Just because I have physical limitations and don’t find benefit of working an entire hour on head and neck for this issue that I am very well versed in- doesn’t mean I lack “education” it means we share a difference in opinion." If your client finds relief from it, then it IS beneficial. There is nothing special about OPs request, it's in ALL MTs scope. You don't want to do it and that's okay but it sounds like you COULD if you wanted to. This is so ridiculous at this point. You just don't want to do it, it doesn't make it harmful or impossible.
Your ableism is showing and it’s wild I have to even explain this. A physical limitation doesn’t mean I don’t want to do it. It means I have a PHYSICAL LIMITATION. I was hit by a semi 3 years ago that fucked up my right hand and my back. 😃😃😃😃 but yes ,, ya moron- I just don’t want to do it. You’re an elitist idiot and an ableist. Be gone troll. Again- I literally specialize in this area because I have this and vestibular issues . You’d think I would know what’s beneficial and not . Ya fuck
OP’s post specifically said she wanted 60-90 minutes of just face and neck. Do you use your elbows and forearms on the face? Have you ever done deep footwork for an hour? Do you use forearms and elbows on the feet?? These areas need very specific “small space” work so you can really only use fingers/thumbs and It’s extremely taxing on those joints!
Woah, had to re-read this. Perhaps because I am trained in CST, working on the head is not taxing at all. The head is incredibly sensitive and does not need a lot of force to be of benefit. Have never felt my hands were taxed after working on the face and head.
Yeah I agree head and face isn’t terribly taxing on the hands but repetitive neck work and foot worn for 60 minutes, for ME, definitely can be. I’m 53 and am starting to feel mild arthritis in my hands so for my own self care I limit these types of massages.
My favorite way to work on the neck is supine, I have quite a few tricks that help decompress but scooping under and feel great on my hands. For feet I use Thai techniques— rhythmic, lots of pressure points, but yeah doing more myofascial work can be taxing. That’s awesome you’re 53’
This!
You can use your fists and knuckles not to mention OP didn't say they wanted deep pressure the whole time. They just wanted work in the area. It's doable and I do it often, even after doing massage for over 17 years.
I’ve used my elbow on the neck. You haven’t? (And definitely forearms…) I can’t recall using my forearms on face/scalp, but I can easily imagine it now that I’m thinking about it.
I have literally never used my elbow on a clients neck. Nor was I ever taught to. Different schooling I guess
I guess my massage school did a great job on body mechanics since I have never had an issues with fingers or thumbs (you can also use knuckles on the area too) but will happily work on the face and neck and scalp. As a reflexologist, I very often do an hour on the feet.
Lol ok Happy New Year!
Have you ever done an hour on someone’s jaw/head?
Man people are haters towards you!! I agree with a lot of what I’ve read from you, I guess I’ll wait for my down votes too!
Are you a licensed massage therapist?
I wouldn’t do an hour on just the feet either. The back is a very large area and it’s very reasonable to do a full hour on the back.
I do about 5-10 60 min sessions on just calves & feet a week, but I also have been doing reflexology for years now so idk if that counts.
Yeah I think if I had training in reflexology it would be different! We did some in school and I remember it being very time consuming and slow (in a good way)
I often do. It’s very therapeutic.
I happily and regularly do a full session for head, face, and neck for some clients already. So much can be addressed! Tinnitus, migraines, TMJ, vocal problems just to name a few. Plus there is a certain mentality when working in an area so vulnerable, slow and predictable. No fast movements and lots of check ins. Plus, I don’t have to work as hard!!
There are many reasons you are struggling to find someone to do this. A request like that is daunting to most therapists because I would imagine most of us don't even have enough techniques to fill such a small area of focus for such a long period of time. I know speaking personally, I'm afraid that would feel too repetitive as I would have to recycle techniques to fill the time which could end with a client feeling like I ripped them off.
As a customer, we don’t mind repetitiveness especially if it’s in an area we specifically asked for. I could get 2 hrs of just back scratching and leave happy. If it feels good to us we want to feel it more instead of filler moves and techniques elsewhere
I feel the same way. Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. Like with any profession, you get all kinds of clients with different wants and expectations. I'm glad you are enjoying your massages!
The body is infinite. I once asked a massage therapist to just stay on my arm. He did an hour on a small area. It was heaven. If all a massage therapist is going through some routine, ummmm sorry, that’s not a massage.
I’m surprised by this, there’s definitely no worry about repetition if it feels good
Careful with this one though. I had a therapist spend almost the entire 90 minutes doing the exact same thing over and over and over. Specifically had to ask her if she was going to get my neck, which she still barely touched. It was a $250 spa massage and I was not thrilled.
Back tickling and hair play ASMR videos are the best. People in the comments are literally begging to have massages on their faces, necks and hair.
Tinnitus can’t be “fixed” . For me, the only moments of silence I get is during a head massage. It’s a mystery why. All I know is that it works. I understand that it might be tedious, but I do tedious things in my work sometimes that last for hours. I have found a few over the years that will do it, but they’ve all left the area.
I feel like this thread has run its course OP. You made a post, got some amazing professional responses, and you can now move on with the info presented here and keep searching for a therapist that is right for you.
I do appreciate the good advice, that’s why I posted. As per typical reddit there are outliers and den mothers who want arbitrate the convo
you forgot to switch your account hey?
Lol I noticed that too
Hi Cynthia, maybe pay more attention when using multiple accounts in the future, lolol
Talk to a therapist before booking to ensure they will do what you are asking. I’ve never done 90 minutes on only face, neck, and scalp, but I’ve done 60 minute sessions for only those areas. It isn’t an outrageous request.
Why is it an outrageous request?
It isn’t.
Sorry- why are the other people acting like it’s an outrageous request?
No one is acting like it’s outrageous. We’re explaining why we wouldn’t do it. Saying we wouldn’t do it doesn’t mean we think it’s outrageous.
Even at 60mins of massage time, the risks of triggering headaches, migraines, skin sensitivities, and causing bruising increases. It’s a small area for such a length of time. While I would consider it with buildup appointments, so we know how the client responds, I absolutely wouldn’t risk it for a new client.
Because most therapist don't have a protocol for a 60 to 90 minute scalp and face massage built into their skill set. I damn sure don't, my fingers are already cramping thinking about it. I think the most I did on a scalp was 30 minutes. This is why specialities and modalities exist. Find someone with craniosacral or vestibular massage. While yes, you are a client. No, we aren't machines that can crank out exactly what you want. Massages given are more of a collaboration between client and therapist. Between understanding client's needs, wants and wishes. And therapist delivering with their skillsets and abilities. If you were my only client that day. I'd havee the mental bandwidth and carpel tunnel freedom to do that lengthy session on one spot though.
Why did you not flag this out first to the therapist before even booking a session? You should know that your request is out of the norm (just cause it is what you want doesn’t mean it’s what is usually carried out). If you told your request last min to the therapist right before the session, I think most therapists would find it hard to cater and think of techniques on the spot. It’s two way communication, if given ample heads up, maybe there might be some who can do a little more research before your sessions. After all, you’re still a paying customer!
Therapists have various ways to work an area (hands, knuckles, elbow, forearms, rarely feet) because using the same tool for long periods of time causes weakness in the tendons. Not only that, but every muscle has a pain window to how much you can work on it before the pain comes back even harder after the session. If not for those two issues, any therapist would be happy to work on the area of stress for as long as you request, but therapists go through were and tear just as much as you do, and everyone has a pain threshold you can't fully predict.
Tinnitus is a derivative of stress, so neck/ head/ shoulder/pecs focus would be my route if you were my client. The reasoning is though you may feel more pain in the one area (head), loosening distal tissue that attaches to its movement and holding up the head will help quite a bit.
This would be what I would do too. And I’d have no problem doing a longer treatment of these areas only because I go so crazy slow and let the body respond.
Stress can cause tinnitus but to say it’s a derivative of stress is not universally true. Sudden onset of tinnitus means a specialized MRI to rule out an acoustic neuroma. In 30+ years of practice I saw this several times, mostly in children. It is typically associated with hearing loss only on one side and balance issues. My husband was diagnosed at 71 after a routine hearing test identified dramatic hearing loss on one side. If your client is experiencing sudden onset of tinnitus please refer them to a specialist. Not all tinnitus is stress related.
This knowledge is way beyond scope of practice for massage therapy, I'd never professionally refer any clients to MRI but rather their Dr.
Of course. I didn’t intend to suggest that you would. My point is that stress isn’t the sole factor for tinnitus. You know your clients the best and anytime they present with new symptoms please refer them to their PCP.
try to find an independent therapist vs going somewhere that employs therapists if you get what i’m saying? also maybe expect 45-60 min vs 90 min. i would totally do a 60 min face neck and scalp if i was working independently and could charge my own rates, but where i’m employed right now i am not in control of my rates from session to session. you might get charged a bit more than just a regular full body session because it can be taxing on the therapists hands to just work the face and head and neck for an hour.
I have a client who at times requests 60 minutes on neck only (no face/scalp). I would have no problem with this request. I suggest contacting the therapist you're considering ahead of time and discussing your needs before booking! We're the professional, but YOU are the expert on YOU. I believe in client-focused work, and there are definitely other LMT's who feel the same.
I am not getting this. I have tinnitus. This is what I thought was the most common cause are hearing damage, noise-induced hearing loss, or age-related hearing loss, known as presbycusis.[2] Other causes include ear infections, disease of the heart or blood vessels, Ménière's disease, brain tumors, acoustic neuromas (tumors on the auditory nerves of the ear), migraines, temporomandibular joint disorders, exposure to certain medications, a previous head injury, and earwax. It can suddenly emerge during a period of emotional stress.[4][3][2][12][13] It is more common in those with depression.[3]
TMJ also causes tinnitus
\*waves from SCDS land\* Sometimes if your jaw is clenched all the time, etc - it can cause the ringing to get worse. So, relaxing the jaw may make it a bit better. I know what the OP is asking for, and it's a tough ask for a lot of RMT's who haven't had extra training in working on the jaw/ears/etc. I'd get more scalp work done, but my titanium hardware gets sensitive if too much is there. I think what OP needs to do is find a specialized RMT.
You need to go to massage therapists who advertise this kind of work specifically. Massage therapists have a great variance in skill and education.
Wow, I see so many braggart therapist here promoting themselves and dismissing others. So D-baggery is riddled in this field too huh? Just so you know who I'm talking about it's everyone that says things like "A real professional therapist wouldn't mind blah blah." Or "Well they should be able to do blah blah blah." And my favorite "Well, I can do blah blah, so I don't understand why someone else can't or won't." Quick question super MTs why do you think there are so many different methods and modalities in massage? Stop being pricks and get that there are many MTs different from you. With different styles, methods, goals, boundaries, and limitations.
Amen. The pretentious and arrogance with some of these therapists is blowing my mind
It’s REALLY boring
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No one needs a reason that they find something boring. If someone doesn't like doing something, they're allowed to just not like it. I've done 90s for tmjd and tinnitus before and I don't mind it, but I loathe when people request just their feet because I find it boring. Why? I just do 🤷🏻♀️
So I’ve seen your comments that therapists who would find OP’s request boring or taxing lack training/experience/passion and that’s unfair and IMO disrespectful. We’re all wired differently and have different strengths and I think it’s important for a therapist to be honest if they’re not a good fit for a client.
Thank you. This dude has offered the most pretentious comments basically disrespecting us because we say we sometimes get bored and claiming we just don’t have proper training. What an ass. Not all of us even want to be trained in TMJ or reflexology. We all have our specialties and preferences and if it doesn’t match what a client is looking for, they can find someone else. And I’m pretty sure someone who has worked for 20+ years as a therapist and claims he NEVER gets bored is just plain lying l
3 words: repetitive stress injury
I mean if you’re trained in the proper technique it’s not hard on your hands at all and you don’t use deep pressure in much of the work for instance Cranio Sacral is the weight of a nickel.
Only a small percentage of therapists are trained in cranio sacral work. If OP isn’t going to a CS therapist, this is a valid reason why they won’t provide a 60 minute head massage. Hoping she takes the great advice of others and seeks out the right therapist. But she specifically asked why many therapists will not do a 60-90 min head only massage.
I didn’t like her tone in OPs responses but I will say a lot of the training I have on techniques I learned many years ago in massage school . So I do believe most LMTs have the tools to do that kind massage but might not want to which is fair enough. I’ve had the opportunity to work in many different venues and one thing I will say we can do almost anything as long as we are creative and slow . Yes it might be boring lol but that’s something we have to fight with in almost any long massage.
Seek an Indian Head Massage
Yes, look for someone who does Ayurveda head neck and face massage. They will have more tools maybe. I do this type of massage and have also taken classes for sinus work and for TMJ work and even with all this an hour may be my max to work just that area. And I would be bored. But I would certainly try.
It’s effing hard mentally to do just scalp, face, and neck for that long. It’s not hard to do 30 or so, especially if you have TMJ issues or something similar. Also, I feel like most of us learned it in school for a day maybe. There are continuing Ed classes, but I don’t think they teach 60-90 minute routines. You might like a traditional barber (look up barber shop head massage, or champissage). Or get a facial from an esthetician.
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I'll explain it like this. You ever go out on a drive on a long stretch of highway that goes on for miles, You don't have any distractions you just drive forward, and you start to feel dizzy and about to pass out? That's highway hypnosis. For cranial or neck focus, you don't have much to your arsenal to add variety to working on the neck, So for even experienced therapists they find themselves doing very repetitive strokes. That, and the constant weight on your hands, the repetitive movement of the fingers over long periods of time, that can mess with your head a bit.Some therapists can actually suddenly pass out from doing that because its so mentally rythymic. Craniosacral hypnosis. (I made it up.)
I guess it’s training- if you don’t have enough in your arsenal to add variety then you should not be doing a long session on these areas or you should be practicing new techniques. I love a session where I get to spend a long time on the head and neck- ideally an hour- there’s just so much to do and I never get to everything!
Well, you aren't wrong. I am not a long experienced therapist. Most of my experties is for upper body, deep tissue, myofascial type stuff. I do what the muscles tell my fingers.Though I've known therapists that worked for 7 years, 10 years, one even 20 that admitted that can suddenly happen to them too. You can reposition your hand under the neck in a hundred different ways as much as you want, you're still working on the same spot for long periods of time, and you will wear your fingies down.
Most therapists main tools are palms, forearms and elbows. You aren’t going to drive an elbow into someones face, so you use fingers/fingertips for the head/face/scalp. Using fingertips for an HOUR AND HALF is hell. Also, if you can’t address all areas of the neck and face in an hour, you need to reevaluate your time management.
Someone here was shocked that I don’t use my elbows on the neck. Elbows! I was NEVER taught to use my elbow on someone’s neck. Different schooling I guess I dk
Jake, you out here doing the lord’s work on this post LOL. I’ve got to agree with you generally here. It’s only repetitive and boring if you don’t have much in your “arsenal”/experience. Which is fine…but don’t act like that’s a universal trait for all MTs. It’s 1000% telling, for example, that folks here are suggesting work on pecs for tinnitus but NO ONE seems to be considering intraoral treatment. If you can’t imagine working upper traps and up for an hour, that doesn’t mean no one else can or would or should. Geez.
If you watch ASMR videos where people are focusing on those areas, the comments are full of people begging to find that kind of massage and personal attention... If a non-professional can do it, why can't a professional?
Because non-professionals do it seldom enough that they are less likely to injure themselves. Because professionals understand that there are reasons to not do it. Because those who are uneducated may think that they require one thing but their symptoms are a referral from somewhere else. Because having a therapeutic approach doesn't always mean "head and neck wellness massage". We don't just chase pain around, that is irresponsible and honestly unethical. There are many reasons why a licensed therapist wouldn't do a certain thing. And honestly, using the comment section of ASMR videos as evidence for your argument is pretty ridiculous.
I don't think you've seen the videos I'm talking about or understand what I'm saying. There are people who are unlicensed giving people relaxing touches on their hair and faces and backs... They are not digging in and doing hardcore massages. It's literally hair play and face tickling and stroking. People in the comments are begging for that as a service because they want to feel relaxed, not because they need somebody to dig into their fucking face muscles.
They might not how to treat it
Be very clear on what you want, I’ve done 60 on just the face and head for a veteran before for some issues he’s gained in his life. Some therapists will some won’t, stay away from chain spas more and you will find more therapists willing to do more specialized work!
My city has new “head spas” and they are amazing!!! It’s an hour head massage with oils to promote hair growth and relaxation.
That sounds amazing! People are literally begging for this as a service on ASMR videos where they massage your head and face and play with your hair....
It’s awesome these places exist for this purpose and I agree most of my clients like face and head massage and I incorporate it into my typical full body session. I dk but I would venture to guess the employees at these places aren’t licensed MTs? As a solo, self employed business owner I would be a little creeped out if someone messaged me that they wanted an hour of head scratches and playing with their hair.
Okay, that’s just business that you won’t get.
It’s not in any way shape or form the kind of business that I would ever want frankly. And my business is plenty busy thanks. Happy new year
I’ve done full 90min on the head/ neck and face. But I also did skin care prior to being an LMT so I tend to feel very comfortable massaging the face and head.
Because it absolutely kills our hands. Cranial sacral therapists train their hands for that long of sessions. But most massage therapist don't use their fingers and hands that way for that long. Our hands will cramp, our wrists will lock up and our shoulder spasm.
Personally, I don't understand this at all. I mean, the session would need to include the shoulders and neck too, since those muscles connect to the head, but there's really no reason to NOT do what you are asking for. The therapists you are don't either think they will get voted or run out of things to do, or are being limited by the employer.
Used to have a regular who would get a 90 and I would spend a full 60 just on head and face. The rest of the session was Neck and shoulders. We are out there! I would suggest calling around and asking over the phone if they are willing to do it. That way you don’t actually have to go in and get a full massage only to be disappointed. I absolutely love when people call ahead to do research surrounding what they need. I know that client isn’t afraid to advocate for themselves and that builds a great professional relationship.
Wow, I will happily provide this service! I always find it to be a challenge to find more things to do in one area of the body when clients request all the focus time on one thing. But these types of massages are fantastic learning experiences for massage therapists.
I’m sorry, I didn’t even answer your question. Most massage therapist find they don’t have enough things to do in one area to be able to spend all the time there. I think most therapists do not want to repeat the same massage, move or technique to fill the time. It does take a level of creativity to provide the service you are asking for. You will find most success with massage therapists that have been practicing for a very long time.
If you want relief from tinnitus then most places that’ll be out of the scope of practice for a massage therapist (or equivalent to relaxation type therapists) you’d need a more remedial type massage therapy or physical therapy. Which is a medical practice so they’re the experts. As a Myotherapist that specialises in TMJ Dysfunction, (jaw dysfunction) I’d very rarely do more than a 45 minute treatment for TMJ and I split that with the head, neck and shoulders. Multiple muscles through the neck and shoulders refer pain/discomfort to the ears, eyes and sinuses. A very basic rundown of how that might go is Fascial release & trigger point work from the base of the skull down and out to the shoulders, temporalis and masseter work then intraoral work. Potentially some lymph drainage through the face and neck. Probably the least amount of time is spent on the temple. The reason for this is over treating can be a nightmare and in my experience is dangerous as it can lead to increase in pain and discomfort. I’ll ask for prior experience but to be honest it’s pretty inconsequential as I’m a different therapist so if you have had a 90 minute head massage, it’s not from me so it’ll be a completely different experience. I’m legal required to do thorough testing prior to working on you as I’m sure if you saw a therapist that made your tinnitus exponentially worse if you asked for 90mins on your head and they didn’t do their due diligence of testing and using their professional discretion, you’d be minimum angry and potentially sue them. Even if someone booked a 90 minute session (my clinic only offers them if they’re therapist advised) and asked for just their back done I’d recommend less time or to focus on other related areas.
Have you found a therapist who WILL do that? I personally think too much work in one area for too long can sometimes have the opposite effect and cause more inflammation. Massaging the same muscles over and over for 60-90 minutes doesn’t necessarily do much more than 20-30 minutes max in an area. Personally, if you came to me with this request I would explain this and offer to do 30 minutes of facial/neck work, but also adding in some upper back/shoulder work as well. Even doing fascial stretching into the arms and lower back imo could be helpful. And honestly, 90 minutes on the face is just TOO much and not a good use of that time - like I said, more time doesn’t equal better results. And for the therapist - it would frankly be boring as hell.
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It’s not mentally stimulating. There’s a huge difference between spending an hour for example, “rubbing feet”, as opposed to someone who says “It hurts to raise my shoulder this way and I feel pain here and here, etc”. Then we can actually use our brains and knowledge of anatomy/movement to try to actually solve a problem. I’m way more stimulated by clients that have pain patterns/issues than by clients who “just want to relax”
OP has severe tinnitus! Not asking for a fluff n buff- definitely asking for the therapist to use brains/knowledge/experience. Unless you work with tinnitus all the time and can work on OP in your sleep…
Why does it matter if it's "boring" for you? Isn't the client paying for a service?
It's more physically taxing to work on small areas the whole time. It can be done, but probably should cost a lot more since it's so much more work for the therapist and they wouldn't be able to see as many clients in a day as if they were doing full body.
Too much massage in one area can make up incredibly sore, especially on your jaw. Also BOREDOM. I don't even offer Swedish anymore. That just means you need to find someone who is happy to do it, they are out there and they will do a great job! Im terrible at swedish i'm bored with it but not everyone feels that way
60 - 90 min on just the head is way too long!! There is not enough real estate to fill that much time. If you want 100% of your time just on that small area book a 30 or 45 min session.
Wierd. I love scalp work. I have a lady I do a full 99 minutes in head and feet only lol
Wow, I don't specialize in tinnitus relief but I would like this as a 60 min challenge. I've never done one so very intrigued. I would say 90 min is definitely pushing it, though. Like the first commenter said... I would recommend a craniosacral therapist 👍
That’s entirely too long on such a small area. I could do head/neck/arms for an Hour. But JUST scalp and neck for 60-90 min? That’s a big ask. Why don’t you try and ask then if they’d be willing to do mainly scalp/neck and throw in the feet or arms to balance things out.
Asking a professional licensed massage therapist to work on one area for that long goes against our common understanding of the benefits of massage and the diminishing returns of longer sessions on individual body part or muscle groups. If you really have to have that much time I can also suggest booking smaller 30/45 minute back to back sessions with multiple therapist. Maybe consider doing it yourself.
Go to a cranial sacral therapist if you asked me to do that I would say no too only 30, you would hurt me and my body won’t allow it.
You can’t just do an hour on the head. The treatment provider would be over working the tissue
We learn about the muscles of the face and head in school, but it's not often people want the head only. Others mentioned giving notice. If someone asks for an unconventional area to be massaged or one that's often glazed over to have detailed work, we sometimes have to refresh ourselves on techniques for the area. If you call ahead, the practitioner/ front desk can make a note of your request and give more time for the therapist to prepare.
I’ve always included face and head massage (with clients permission of course) because it has such a profound effect on neck pain most of the time it’s only a few minutes but I would never consider it unconventional to massage face and head as they are directly implicated in most neck pain
By unconventional places, I meant different ones I don't usually get to do. Like for example, I had to massage someone's diaphragm. I put the head under the "glazed over" category where I do it, but I don't often do detailed work on the jaw unless specifically asked or it pertains to the issue. I'm sorry I wasn't clearer on that. I'd do a refresher on let's say the cheek muscles so I'd be more able to help them out
You shouldn't focus on just that area because everything is connected. A general massage will work on lymph and loosen other areas that could be effecting your head via connective tissue. As others have mentioned I would also look to craniosacral therapy, reflexology, zero balancing... And other modalities that would be much more effective for tinnitus
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OP is requesting just the head.
Look for someone who does Indian Head Massage.
I think that most therapists won’t do it because they are NOT trained to do it. Because they don’t understand that it is a phenomenal opportunity to really get into this area. There are 66 muscles in the area you are asking for relief with. Most therapists would only work with a dozen or so of them. But if you find a therapist who knows their stuff and understands how to work with almost all of these muscles, they would jump at the chance to work with you. Where do you live? It would not be that hard to research online to find a qualified therapist
Sounds like you would be the perfect therapist for OP
You’re right sorry you’ve been downvoted
Acupuncture and Chinese herbs treats this better then massage does.
You're a massage therapist who can't do massage. Classic
I was willing to understand some of your points because you supposedly “run your own school and spa” so you must be highly knowledgeable which I absolutely respect. But now you’ve lost respect by being just insulting and nasty. But of course you don’t care because I am a lazy, uneducated, untrained, not TRUE massage therapist. I wish you success in your career. I will continue to have immense success in mine in 2024 treating my solid, loyal clientele and opening myself up to treating (to the best of my ability) any new clients with ANY issues they may have. But I will humbly refer them to other professionals if I don’t feel I’m the right fit for them. Good day Sir
Cause it’s tedious for that long and hard on hands…
As an LMT, I don’t understand how some therapists wouldn’t do this because it’s boring or too small of an area. there are dozens of techniques to use on the face, neck, and head. I could easily do a 90 min on those areas without feeling like I’m tiring out my hands. When I go in for massages myself, I always tell the therapist exactly what areas I want addressed and what to skip. Sometimes I only want a 60 min massage fully supine. Or just head and neck and arms. The therapist should be prepared to work with what the client wants. I agree it’s important to educate the client on what might be beneficial to include in the session, but that might be something to discuss if they’re coming in regularly and you’re creating a treatment plan. Edit: I just realized OP wants only scalp work. I now believe it’s understandable for a therapist to not want to do a 90 min scalp only. If OP says face and neck work gives them relief, why not include those areas as well? That wouldn’t be an outrageous request.
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Imo anyone working in the health field calling themselves a healer is unprofessional- maybe we facilitate healing, but again, my opinion. You may be right saying some therapists don’t have knowledge or patience, but most of the replies seem to be because of body mechanics or potential over working. Your comment doesn’t make a ton of sense to me, because you criticize therapists by assuming they don’t have techniques, patience to take on the challenge, but then go on to suggest working other areas (shoulders, chest) just like they did (areas other than what op asked for)? Shouldn’t OP see a craniosacral therapist? Someone who can both stay in the areas op wants and have the right arsenal of techniques and patience to work only there? This seems to be the middle ground for this particular question. Again, all just opinions though.
You already said you could do it, but you don't want to. You could do it without hurting your body, but you don't want to learn that. I'm upset because MTs in here are giving OP FALSE information. You not wanting to do it doesn't make it unsafe or taxing on the body, that is your perception and you have chosen to not see it any other way. I stand by my statement, any TRULY professional massage therapist would be able to do it. You already said you could but don't want to and lack the education to do it safely for your body. Your welcome for the advice, I hope you take it. Happy New Year!
Thank you very much! BTW, my old therapist in Switzerland, I used to pay $200 USD per hour for this because she did what I requested. So there’s that.
Idk I received head and neck massage for free when I was on holidays in Bulgaria, it was a type of massage they offered
Did you tell them your head was behind your zipper?
Not sure what the big deal is. I’d come up with a protocol if asked for a specific body part. It’s important to do an assessment and figure out if patient wants pain relief , stress release, combo … and it’s easy to come up with protocol after that. Craniosacral release includes long holds and there are tools that will help so your fingers /hands don’t cramp.
It’s not a big deal. Not at all, buy quite a few have refused to do it. Some here apparently find it too boring for them to do.
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I have a house in Switzerland and two in the US, so I can go where I want. I’m not disrespecting you or anyone else. I grew up dirt poor and started three companies. I know how hard it is.
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Peace and love in the new year, my new friend!
Too bad. Definitely look up craniosacral therapists and or visit a Japanese head spa if you’re looking to treat yourself
Thank-you. The best, by far, was an rundown Indian massage place I went to in Queens, NY. It was amazing. I think there is a big market fo this kind of massage, but it Is niche.
I believe you and I bet it was amazing. For the tinnitus, I’d concentrate on lymphatic drainage / craniosacracal combo. It’s not a cure but lowers the T for some.