Unlicensed Massage Therapy
It wasn’t much of an apartment, but he had cleaned it up, repainted it, and cleared and planted the little garden outside. The main interior space was painted white, and had antique molding on the high ceiling.
The apartment, like the seven others in the divided house, was irregularly designed. Old, handmade trim and crooked doorways defined the aesthetic, while sunlight shone through century-old windows to bathe the place in golden afternoon light.
The interior room was set up with a treatment table, a small couch, and a rack of oils and other massage tools.
From that room, a small hallway connected the bathroom and kitchen.
Off the kitchen, in the back, was a porch, surrounded by windows, with tile floors and no insulation.
On the sun porch was a bed with warm blankets at one end, and an old spinet piano at the other. The door to the garden, a few feet to the left of the piano, provided access to a much needed green oasis.
Delicate strains of music drifted out the windows and into the garden. Silk sat in the afternoon light, running his sensitive hands over the black and white keys of the old piano. He was a strong looking man of indeterminate years, and his fingers flew in wild and evocative crescendos and cascades, as the sound of his playing filled the room.
An alarm clock rang in the kitchen, reminding him of his soon to be arriving guest.
Liz had been referred, as usual, by an established customer. She preferred a more holistic treatment, and though she had booked two hours with him that day, he always scheduled at least an extra half hour to meet her needs.
Five minutes later, there was a quiet knock at the door. He opened it, and invited Liz to enter. “Hi Liz, come on in.”
She smiled and walked inside. “Hi!” She said, “How are you?”
“I’m doing well, thank you,” he replied, “I just finished at the piano and now I’m ready to focus on you.”
“That sounds wonderful,” she said, putting her things down on the couch and taking off her light jacket.
He laughed and replied, “How are you doing?”
Liz sat down on the couch and started taking her shoes off, “I’ve been so anxious recently, and my neck and shoulders are messed up. My legs are so tight sometimes, I can’t even relax when I’m lying down. They feel twitchy, crampy, and they hurt.”
Silk took a look at her and based on the information she supplied, opened up to his intuition, and his own energy-led experience of the flowing interconnectedness of her aura and body.
“Thanks for sharing that, Liz. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been so anxious and in pain. We’ll address it together on the table, and I’ll make sure to treat the symptoms you mentioned.”
Silk turned and pointed behind the table where a lovely wrap hung on a decorative hook. “Here’s your robe. Please undress and I’ll check on you in a few minutes.” Silk closed the door and went back to his garden to wait for Liz to get ready for her massage.
The garden was lush and moist. Dwarf fruit trees, vegetables, and rows of flowers filled the beds and the handmade wooden planters. The privacy fence was built with old cedar planks, and the gate was large. Silk sat on the stoop, looking out at the vibrant oasis he had cultivated in the heart of the city. As always, it filled him with tranquility and a feeling of connection with all things. Taking one last deep breath, Silk checked his watch, and stood up to head back inside to Liz, and the healing work ahead.
Silk knocked gently on the door to his massage studio and waited until he heard a soft “I’m ready!” from inside the door. Liz sat on the massage table wrapped in the green silk robe he had provided for her. Silk walked up to the table, took her hands in his and smiled. Breathing deeply, his eyes holding her gaze, Silk spoke.
“Welcome back. Our first session was an introduction to the healing work we are doing together.” Silk continued to speak while gently releasing her hands and moving behind her to place his palms on her shoulders. “Today’s session will focus on awareness and communication.” He moved his hands to her lower back, resting them there with light pressure, letting his warmth flow into her body. “Let yourself become aware of your breathing, and feel your body relax as you inhale and exhale deeply.”
After a minute of silence, Silk removed his hands and faced Liz. “I prepared a bath for you. Please let me know if you would like any water-based massage, otherwise I’ll see you afterwards.”
Liz blushed as she said, “Thank you, Silk. I’m excited about the bath, and I’m curious about the water treatment. How does it work?”
Silk helped her off the table and guided her towards the bathroom and the soaking tub within. He explained, “The warmth of the water coupled with steam-based aromatherapy, allows for a uniquely receptive massage experience, as the muscles relax and the body feels supported. I’ll light a single candle and work mostly through touch, not sight. I would typically start by washing you with an exfoliating scrubber to enliven the skin and wake the body.”
Liz took a moment to absorb and consider Silk’s words, then said, “I’d like that. Can I just soak for a while first?”
Silk opened the door to the bathroom and a cloud of lavender steam pushed outwards. “Of course. Take all the time you need. Ring the bell on the table next to the bath when you are ready for me to join you.”
Liz stepped into the comforting warmth of the bathroom, as Silk closed the door behind her. Fresh flowers in a small glass vase, a bell and a small beeswax candle sat on an antique table next to the tub. She untied her robe and hung it on the hook behind the door, then used the toilet and washed her hands.
Liz turned to the deep soaking tub beside her and dipped her foot in the water. The temperature was perfect, hot enough to steam, but comfortable enough that she could get used to it. She put her other foot in the water, and after a minute, slid all the way down into the liquid heat of the tub.
Sometime later, Silk heard the bell ringing from inside. He brushed the soil off of his hands and stood up from where he was weeding the rows of juvenile vegetables he had planted earlier that spring. He walked inside, washed his hands in the kitchen sink, and dried them on a clean towel. Then, he grabbed a box of matches from the counter and walked to the bathroom.
Liz was soaking in a blissed-out state when she heard a quiet knock on the door. “Come in,” she said, opening her eyes. She heard the door open, and the lights went out, leaving her waiting in the heated darkness of the tub.
Silk stepped into the bathroom, and closed the door softly behind him. He struck a match and let his eyes adjust as he lit the candle on the small table next to the tub. The wick caught the flame and he gently blew out the match, placing it on the ceramic tray under the candle. He took a small pillow, placed it under his knees and knelt by the tub.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, while opening a new exfoliating scrubber, and laying it over the edge of the tub.
Liz exhaled a little laugh, and replied, “I feel great actually, so at ease, but also nervous and excited. I’ve never had someone wash me this way before.”
Silk smiled and said, “That all sounds perfectly natural to me. I just want to reiterate that this whole experience is designed to support your relaxation, and your awareness of your desires. Please let me know how you’re feeling, what’s comfortable or not, and if there is any specific area of focus or type of touching you want.”
Silk restarted the hot water, swirling the steaming liquid in the tub to recirculate the heat. He picked up a bottle of lavender-infused coconut oil and added some to the tub.
“I’ll begin now,” he said, “please remember to breathe slowly and deeply, to stay in touch with how you’re feeling, and to let me know what you need.”
Liz nodded and sighed a deep exhale as Silk began to massage her left hand.
With gentle strokes, Silk moved up her arm to her shoulder and neck. He patiently explored the musculature and energetic flows of Liz’s other shoulder, arm, and hand, relieving tension and supporting healthy movement and release. He rinsed his hands in the tub next to Liz’s body, dried them on a small towel, and began a gentle pressure-point sinus and jaw massage.
Silk then moved to the back of her head, starting with two hands behind her neck, fingertips massaging the muscles at the base of her skull, moving tensioned fingers over her scalp and through her hair in slow, healing, circles.
Silk turned to the low shelf of oils and bath essentials and picked up a bottle of peppermint body wash and the new exfoliating wash cloth he had picked out for Liz.
He wet the scrubber and covered it with peppermint gel. Rubbing the cloth against itself, he built up a good lather, dipped it briefly in the water, and began washing Liz’s body.