A Healing Touch

The summer sun filtered through the dense Seattle clouds, casting a warm glow over the streets, but it's warmth failed to reach me. As I walked along the sidewalk, each step seemed to serve as a reminder of the life I once had as I passed restuarants and shops frequented by me and my ex-wife, Sarah.

Reaching my destination, I glanced at the massage studio's sign, which read "Healing Touch." The name promised something I wasn't sure I would be able to find any time soon. I hadn't for over nine months now since the divorce became final.

Taking a deep brearh, I pushed through the glass door, the bell above jingling softly. The interior was a blend of soft blues and greens, the walls adorned with serene landscapes. A gentle hum of soothing, ambient music played in the background, mingling with the faint scent of eucalyptus.

A tall woman with long, silvery blonde hair and ice-blue eyes greeted me from behind a small counter where she stood. "Hello there," she said a friendly voice, "may I help you?"

"I have a three o'clock appointment for a massage." I looked down at the confirmation email on my phone. "With Seraphina," I added. "It's my first time here...and getting a massage." I couldn't quite put my finger on why I felt a flutter of nerves. I had never been one to feel nervous talking to a beautiful woman, I thought to myself as she extended her hand.

"I'm Astrid," she said, with an inviting smile. Her hand was soft and warm to the touch.

"Don't worry; you're in good hands." She grinned, her confidence somehow easing my concerns. "Seraphina will take good care of you. I see you have a bag with you. You may have read in the confirmation email that we have shower facilities for after your appointment."

I nodded and followed her down a narrow hallway to a small sitting room with two chairs and two loungers. At the back of the room was a station with cucumber water and tea. To the left was a women's room and to the right a men's room. Astrid knocked, then opened the men's room door.

"It's just me and Seraphina so we have a very modest space here."

Astrid showed me how to change the code on one of the four lockers to secure my bag. There was also a toilet and two shower stalls. Once she finished giving me the "tour" of the facilities, I followed her back out into the sitting area.

"May I get you some tea or water? Hydration is important, especially after your massage, but I find a little bit of hot tea can be relaxing."

"That would be nice. Thank you," I replied.

"You're a little early so Sera should be with you in few minutes," she said. "You can either change out of your clothes in the locker room and use one of the robes or you can just change in the room after you meet with Sera."

Since it was my first time and I was a little apprehensive about it, I decided to wait. Not too long after I settled into chair drinking my tea, the door to the hallway opened and a woman stepped through. She was younger than I expected, maybe in her late twenties, with a curvy figure, long chocolate brown hair that she wore in a loose braid, and fair skin.

"Ethan?"

I stood and nodded, "Yes."

She offered her hand as she introduced herself. "I'm Seraphina. Everyone calls me Sera. Ready for some pampering?" she asked, her voice smooth like honey.

"I guess," I said, "thanks."

"You can follow me." She turned, her hips swaying slightly as she led me down the hallway.

As we walked, I was suddently aware of how long it had been since I had last been with a woman. While there had been opportunities since the divorce, especially more recently, I hadn't been in the right head space to date. It was with that thought bouncing around my mind that I admired the young woman perhaps a decade younger than my 38 years. She wore yoga pants that hugged her round butt and flared out at the bottom of her legs, which served to accentuate her figure. Her white, form-fitting short-sleeved top also did little to hide her ample curves.

"Here we are," she announced, gesturing to a cozy room filled with soft light and the sound of ambient music.

She motioned for me to take a seat and she did the same, pulling up a chair facing me. "I understand it's your first time getting a massage?"

"Yes," I replied, running my hand through my hair, something I did when I was feeling self-conscious.

"Well, we have an 80 minute, full body massage scheduled for you. What brings you in today? Any spots you want me to work on or stay away from?"

I thought for a moment. "No, not really. Well, actually," I said, "my lower back has been tight...and my shoulders, now that I think of it. I...a friend of mine from work suggested getting a massage here. She's into new age stuff and self care and thought it might help me. I recently got a divorce; well, nine months ago. She thought it might help to...I don't know..." I heard my voice trail off.

Seraphina smiled warmly. "It's okay if you don't know. While you're here, you don't have to think about anything; worry about anything."

She looked at me with those beautiful, hazel eyes, her long lashes accentuating their feline-like shape, and I realized I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. Her face was so open, her smile comforting. "Just be in the moment and enjoy your massage, okay?"

"Okay," I replied, smiling back.

She stood and said, "You can remove your clothes and place them here." She motioned to the chair she had just vacated. "Then lie face down on the table under the sheet. The table is heated so let me know if it's too hot. I'll step out to give you some privacy."

"Okay..." I said. "Should I..."

She smiled. "Undress to the level you're comfortable with," she said. "You can stay in your underwear if you want. People do both so do whatever feels right for you today. Okay?"

"Okay," I replied, "I appreciate that."

After she closed the door behind her, I stripped down to my boxer briefs, deciding to err on the modest side for my first time. The table's warmth almost immediately helped me relax as I felt myself sink into the cushion. A couple of minutes later, I heard a soft knock and then the door open.

"Comfortable?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied, "thanks."

"Let's get started then," she said, her tone playful yet professional. She took the sheet and pulled it down, exposing my back; then she tucked it into the waistband of my underwear. "That way I don't accidentally get oil on your underwear," she explained.

When her oiled hands touched my back for the first time, I couldn't help but let out a low, involuntary moan as she slowly smoothed her hands up and down the length of my back.

"Wow," I breathed after a few minutes of silence save for the sound of Seraphina's hands against my skin, the tension in my muscles unwinding with each stroke. "This feels...amazing."

She chuckled softly, her touch becoming more firm as she zeroed in on trouble spots. "Just relax into it and breathe. I can help you with whatever you're dealing with out there. Just leave it...out there. Relax your hands. Relax your jaw. Relax your eyes. Focus on your breath; on the feel of my hands on your muscles...on your skin...and let go."

Her voice was melodious, soft, and comforting. I did as she instructed and I felt the tension melt away - bit by bit.

"That's it," she said in a low, soothing voice. "You're doing great, Ethan."

The sound of my name on this young woman's lips sent a shiver down my spine and a flicker of arousal passed through by body.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied, amazed that she sensed the momentary change. "All good."

Seraphina worked between my shoulder blades, slowly breaking up the knots that had been there for months. I heard myself moan in pleasure and immediately felt self-conscious. "Sorry," I sighed.

"Don't apologize for feeling good," she said. "Expressing how you feel is a good thing." She massaged the left side of my torso, stroking toward the center of my back with her strong fingers, then repeated the process on the right. "Moan away," she said, a smile in her voice, as her fingers worked their magic.

I could feel myself drifting, my mind relaxing, as Sera massaged my left foot, calf, hamstring, and upper thigh. God, I was so tight and her hands felt so good on my muscles. As she shifted her attention higher and higher, I suddenly felt relieved that I had left my boxer briefs on. No need for that awkwardness, I thought. While she had rolled up the bottom of the briefs to get after my upper thighs, her hands stopped well short of my groin area. Nontheless, I moaned again as she leaned into my upper thigh.

"You are tight, aren't you?" she mused.

"Yeah," I sighed.

When she had finished with the other leg, she lifted the sheet high enough to shield her eyes.

"You can roll onto your back now."

I did as instructed. This time, she covered most of my upper body, the sheet stopping just above my nipples. She then placed a cylindrical pillow under my knees and arranged the sheet so that my left leg was exposed up to my underwear. Sera massaged my leg, working the large muscles of my quad and inner thigh. I closed my eyes and moaned involuntarily as her fingers grazed just under the bottom of my boxer briefs, still several inches from the "danger zone." But, as her soft hands and firm touch worked up and down my legs, I could feel my manhood stir. I tried to will my cock to subside. Going against Seraphina's advice, I thought about work, tonight's baseball game, anything but being in the moment. I am...above average in that department so even being constrained by my boxer briefs wouldn't be enough to hide my arousal for long.

Sera must have noticed a change in me because she paused and said, "Is this too much pressure? You tensed up for moment there."

"No," I replied, "I'm okay."

She moved to the head of the table, her hand never breaking contact with me. She then placed her hands at the top of my chest. "Take in a deep breath."

I did.

"Hold it...now let it out, nice and slow...good. Again."

She massaged my pectoral muscles, neck, and scalp. I felt my shoulders relax into the table with each stroke and cleansing breath.

"That's good, Ethan. Stay here with me."

I let my mind relax, focusing on the sound of Seraphina's voice and breathed deeply as she massaged my scalp.

"That's good, Ethan. You're good," she said.

I felt an emotion welling up inside me as my body reacted to the sound of her voice and the heat of her body so close to mine.

"That's it," she whispered. "You're safe here to be yourself. Your body will tell you want it needs. Just be open and listen to it."

She caressed my scalp for another couple of minutes then rested her hands on the side of my head. "Thank you," she said. "I'll leave you now. Take your time, shower if you like, and I'll meet you out in the sitting area."

My muscles were completely relaxed, my mind quieted for the first time in months, and I rolled off the table feeling both heavy and light at the same time. Looking in the full length mirror, I saw the bulge in my boxer briefs. No hiding that, I thought. I was more aroused than I had been in a long, long time. Putting on the robe I had grabbed from the locker room, I went and took a quick shower, which felt absolutely wonderful after the massage.

"Here you are," Seraphina said, handing me a glass of water. "How do you feel?"

"Good," I replied. "Really good, thank you."

She smiled, "I'm so glad. Take your time and whenever you're ready, you can meet me at the reception desk."

In situations like this, I preferred paying tips in cash rather than putting it on the credit card. Shaking her hand, I gave her the tip.

"Thanks again," I said, "it was amazing."

Once I met her at the reception desk and paid, I said, "I'd love to come back. How often would you suggest?"

Tomorrow, maybe, I thought to myself.

"Well, it really depends on what we're trying to accomplish and what your comfort level is," she said. "We have many clients that come about once a month and we have others that come every couple of weeks. It really does depend you and your goals."

As a marketing manager at a mid-sized tech company, I made good money. While not necessarily rich, I could certainly afford a $140 massage twice a month, especially with how it made me feel.

Decision made, I said, "I'd love to come back in a couple of weeks. Do you have any openings Saturday?"

Seraphina smiled, seemingly pleased that I was happy enough with the massage to not only book another treatment, but book one in two weeks.

"Let me see...for two Saturdays from today," she said, swiping on an iPad. "Unfortunately, that's a little soon to have an opening on a Saturday, but I do have one at 6:30 the Friday before that. Would that be possible? And," she continued, "we could book the session after that for a Saturday...that is, if you wanted to book a couple in advance."

"Absolutely," I replied. With that, I scheduled my next two sessions with Sera, finished my water, and walked to my car feeling better than I had in a long time.

- - - -

It had been almost two weeks since I had my first massage with Seraphina. In that time, I had seen my daughter, Lily a few times. At nine years-old, she was the most important thing in my life. Even after the divorce, Sarah and I often looked at each other with amazement. "We made that perfect little girl," Sarah had said when I dropped our daughter off after getting ice cream.

"Yeah, we did," I replied. "Good job."

Sarah had laughed aloud even though that very exchange had happend many times.

The next day after work, I walked into the massage studio and eagerly checked in with Seraphina, who was at the desk waiting for me.

"Ethan," she said, a warm smile on her face. "Welcome back. Would you like to go the men's room first?" she asked, motioning to my backpack.

"Yes, thanks," I replied.

She led me to the 'locker room' and offered tea for when I met her in the sitting area.

Feeling more comfortable this time, I stripped out of my clothes, to include my boxer briefs and slipped on the robe hanging over the locker. I had discovered, based on my extensive research on Reddit, that many people preferred being naked during a massage. It gave the therapist a little more freedom of movement, especially working the lower back, glutes, or groin muscles. Many people said that once they got over the initial shyness, they found it made for a more enjoyable experience.

Once I secured my things, I met Seraphina in the sitting area.

"There you are. How have you been?" she asked, sitting in the chair across from me.

"I'm...okay," I replied, not really sure how honest I should be. "How about you?"

"I'm well, thanks for asking. You're my last client of the day."

"I'm all that's between you and a cocktail with friends," I said.

Sera laughed then asked, "You have a good week?"

"I saw my daughter yesterday. We went for ice cream after dinner. That is truly the perfect way to end a day."

I realized I had shared perhaps a little too much. "Sorry if that's TMI, you're just...easy to talk to."

"I'm glad you feel comfortable sharing. We're not just about making the body healthy, you know. It's about making you healthy." She paused, then said, "Finish up your tea and we'll get started."

As we walked down the hall, I told Seraphina about the ache I still had in my lower back.

"I'll be sure to spend a little extra time there," she said. "Anything else?"

"I don't think so," I replied.

"Okay. You know the drill now. I'll step out and let you get comfortable on the table."

I slipped out of my robe and hung it over one of the chairs then settled onto the table. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Sera stepped in.

"Temperature okay for you?"

"Yes," I replied, my face in the little face pillow as I lay on my belly.

I heard Seraphina rub her hands together before placing them on my back, stretching and kneeding my muscles without the use of oil.

"This is myofasical release," she said. "It should help with some of your aches and pains."

It did feel different, more like stretching than what she had done previously. It was far from relaxing, but I could tell it would be beneficial. After several minutes of manipulating different parts of my body, Seraphina repositioned the sheet, pulling it down to completely expose my back. She must have realized I wasn't wearing my boxer briefs because she went a little too far at first before placing the edge of the sheet just above my butt.

I heard her squirt oil into her hands before she began massaging along my shoulders and back, working the soft tissue of my muscles with her expert touch. Sera's strong, soft hands moved in reciprocal motion as she worked the length of my back.

"That feels nice," I said.

"If you want it softer or harder, just tell me, okay?"

I nodded.

Sera's hands methodically travelled down to my lower back, her fingers working their magic as they slipped below the sheet to massage the top of my butt, probing for problem areas. She then used her palm to press where my lower back met my butt, sending a wonderful sensation down my leg.

After some time, she shifted her focus, running her fingers delicately along the length of my back before pulling the sheet up to cover my torso. Without my underwear as a barrier, Seraphina pulled the sheet up enough to expose high up my right thigh. With my manhood pressed against my abdomen, at least she wouldn't have an unsolicited view of my package peeking out, I thought.

After massaging the bottom of my right foot (which felt incredible), Sera's hands glided over my calf, her thumbs releasing the tightness in the muscle. She then moved to my hamstring and upper thigh before shifting to my other leg. The feeling of her soft hands working over the back of my thigh was heavenly. Unfortunately, it also led to unintended consequences, and I shifted slightly to accomodate the stirring beneath me.

"Are you uncomfortable?" Sera asked.

"No, I'm okay now."

"I'd like to do some more glute work," she said. "Tightness in the glutes can lead to lower back pain as well. Is that okay?"

She explained how she was working on rebalancing my chakras, and talked about each one.

"Whatever you think will help," I said.

Sera pulled the sheet down to cover my legs then used her fists to massage my butt cheeks, which caused a moan of pleasure to escape my lips.

I heard her chuckle. "You like that, huh?" she said in a playful tone. She pressed into the bottom of my glutes with her palms, using a slow, rocking motion. It felt amazing. Unfortunately, Sera was also pressing my manhood into the table. I groaned.

"Too much?"

"No," I croaked, as she leaned in to work the tightness out of my muscles.

As time passed, the tightness dissipated and I was left feeling relieved...and very hard.

"You okay?" Seraphina asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "I can't believe how tight I am."

"You're already much better than when you first walked in," she replied. "Okay," she said, lifting the sheet, "time to roll over."

I did, conscious now of my raging hard-on. As Seraphina placed the sheet over my body, it was obvious that I was aroused. I decided to try and ignore it, and thankfully, Sera was kind enough to do the same, though she gave me a knowing smile as she massaged my quads and inner thighs. Closing my eyes, I tried to relax and will my erection to subside. I was...unsuccessful.

"That's it," she said in a reassuring voice.

The motion of her hands, steady and firm, created friction between my cock, the sheet, and my inner thighs.

"Be in the moment," she said in a low voice. "Let go."

She massaged my inner thighs, pressing into my flesh, her fingers just inches from my manhood.

"Let all the negativity and tension leave your body. Allow it to be replaced by something positive."