Massage menu guide
Contents
About
The "Massage Menu Guide" is a playful communication tool designed to help people get the massage they actually want.
One of the great mysteries of massage is that everyone likes something different. One person wants deep tissue elbow-powered knot destruction, another wants gentle relaxation, and another just wants someone to play whale noises while lightly touching their shoulders.
This guide helps remove the guesswork by letting the receiver choose their preferred style, music, pressure, focus areas, conversation level, oil preferences, and any special requests. Think of it as ordering from a restaurant menu, except instead of fries you're selecting foot wizardry or blanket burrito mode.
The "Massage Menu" Guide
What Inspired This Guide
I've always loved giving massages.
Over the years I've given massages at house parties, beaches, festivals, campgrounds, conscious dance events, and even brought a massage table to Burning Man a couple of time. In Hawaii I occasionally carried a portable massage table down to the beach. More recently I've offered massages at Australian festivals including Pranafest, where this guide was first created.
After enough massages, I noticed the same thing happening over and over:
- Some people wanted silence.
- Some wanted conversation.
- Some wanted gentle touch.
- Some wanted me to find every knot that had existed since childhood.
- Some loved oil.
- Some hated oil.
- Some wanted relaxing music.
- Some wanted ecstatic dance downtempo.
- One person requested whale noises.... actually, no, that never happened, but I added it anyway.
The problem isn't the massage.
The problem is guessing. People being too polite to say: "I want silence" or that they want to be guided. This guide was created so people could simply point to what they wanted and save everyone the awkward "harder... no softer... actually slower... maybe less oil" conversation.
How To Use This Guide
Before the massage:
- Print this out - laminate for extra points.
- Tick the boxes that appeal to you.
- Circle areas you'd like focused on.
- ... It's not rocket science.
The massage giver can then spend less time guessing and more time helping you relax.... plus it's supposed to be a chuckle.
Final Thoughts
A great massage isn't about technique alone.
It's about communication, comfort, trust, and creating an experience that feels good for the person receiving it.
Everyone's body is different. Everyone's preferences are different. And it can vary moment to moment.
And sometimes the difference between an okay massage and an amazing massage is simply asking what somebody wants.
Sincerely,
Andrew Noske
