Does Full-Body Massage Include Private Parts?

A full-body massage is an excellent non-pharmaceutical alternative for all kinds of somatic and psychological problems. Examples of full body massage include Swedish massage, Shiatsu massage, Thai massage, stone massage, and deep tissue massage.

Does a full-body massage include private parts? The answer is no; a full-body massage doesn’t include private parts like the groin or female breast.

In this article, you will know:

The parts of the body are excluded during a full-body massage.
Why the private parts are excluded in a full body massage.

What is Excluded During a Full Body Massage?

The private parts and breasts are excluded from a full body massage.

Apart from these, there are other areas excluded from a full-body massage. These areas are called cautionary sites or endangerment sites.

They include:

The throat

This site contains important blood vessels like the carotid artery, jugular vein, and vagus nerve. These vessels are wrapped inside the carotid sheath. If the throat is massaged, there is a risk of bradycardia, hypotension, and shock.

Massaging this area increases the risk of dislodging atherosclerotic plaques from the carotid artery into the circulation. The dislodged plaques can cause pulmonary embolism and stroke.

Abdomen

The abdomen is generally avoided to reduce the risk of dislodging atherosclerotic plaques in the abdominal aorta. It is also prevented to avoid rupturing an abdominal aneurysm.

Why are Private Parts Excluded During a Full Body Massage?

Here are reasons why the private parts are excluded during a full body massage:

Professional reasons

Massaging the private parts is against the scope of practice of a massage therapist. Although the scope of practice differs from state to state, massaging the private parts is not accepted in all states in the US.

Apart from the scope of practice, massaging private parts is against the standards of care set by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) and The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB). Therapists who massage clients’ private parts violate the code of ethics and standards of practice.

Professional boundaries

Massaging private parts violates the professional boundaries of the therapist-client relationship. The boundaries that are infringed are emotional and physical. Massaging private parts does not create any therapeutic response. They, however, stimulate sexual responses that can tilt the client-therapist relationship off balance.

Unbalanced professional relationships manifest as conflicts of interest, sexual misconduct, dual relationships, and projection. All these manifestations are against the values expected of a professional client-therapist relationship.

Uncontrolled body response

Touch is the primary tool for massage therapists. Therapists, therefore, are at risk of eliciting and even witnessing clients’ sexual responses. In most cases, these sexual responses are unintentional.

A technique as harmless as an effleurage on the thigh muscles can elicit sexual responses from clients. Since eliciting sexual responses is beyond our scope of practice, we prevent both accidental and intentional stimulation. For these reasons, sexual parts are never massaged.

What Happens When a Client Has a Unwanted Response to Massage?

As professionals, we always aim to preserve both our dignity and the dignity of our clients.

These steps help us to do just that:

When a user has a response to massage, the therapist first determines if the response is unintentional. The therapist makes this judgment based on the circumstances.
If the response is unintentional, the therapist attempts to distract the client by asking questions, or massaging a different part of the body.
If the therapist judges the response as intentional, the safest action is the termination of the session. Usually, therapists inform clients of the possibility of terminating a session if the client intentionally sexualizes it. This discussion is done during consultation before the massage begins.
Therapists will never try to worsen the situation by heightening the client’s sexual response. We value our clients’ dignity and safety.

In conclusion, although a full body massage includes most body parts, the private parts, breasts, and exemplary sites are avoided.

As professionals, our therapeutic relationship with our clients depends on empathy, congruency, and trust. We always strive to maintain this. We do this to keep our client’s safety and dignity.

Now its time to hear from you:

What do you think about a full-body massage?

Do you plan on having one anytime soon?

Let us know in the comments section.