Without a Net

Someone asked me the other day what I do in a 2 hour session. A 2 hour massage seems unfathomable to people. In a country where the average massage is a standard hour people wonder what secrets you must pull out for a longer session. I politely told the client that I do the same but I take more time, slowly work my way through each limb and do more detailed work.

Over time I’ve grown to appreciate a 2 hour session and the feel it gives me the most time to adequately deal with client concerns and complaints while at the same time providing space so that I don’t feel like I have to rush. Going to a movie that was almost 3 hours the other night made me wonder why so many therapists and clients seem guffawed at receiving bodywork for that length of time.

I saw an interview with Mickey Hart where he described the Grateful Dead and their music and how they were never a studio band. As I’ve been writing and codifying Thai massage in videos and workbooks lately I completely understood his meaning. A 2 hour session with me is akin to the Grateful Dead’s 2 sets or more of music. If you cut them in half and only give them a first set when do they improvise? That first hour of massage is just warm up. Much like the music I love my bodywork is also performed in the moment with no formal container. Life much like bodywork is best done when you realize you’re performing without a net.