The therapist I saw the other day was a traveling therapist. Apparently he set up shop in a different city in Texas each week. My friend Angela had seen him the last time he was in town and recommended I see him. We've been friends for years and she knew I had a regular massage therapist I saw once a month for the last several years. But Angela was pretty confident I'd like this new guy. His name was Jacob and he had a website which looked clean, straight forward and professional. I noted the various credentials he listed on the site. His appointments were scheduled online and as I scrolled through the various normal options I came across the one Angela pointed out to me. Chantilly Lace. I couldn't believe the price. It was more than double the average price of the other sessions. Angela didn't mention that fact. Oh well, I suppose you have to try new things. I hope it's worth it.
I was really nervous for some reason. Angela would never lead me in the wrong direction but something about the way she said she felt after her session with Jacob left me wondering. Surely Jacob was a legitimate therapist because his website showed all of his credentials. Why was I so nervous? I arrived twenty minutes early as I always do. I'd gotten an automated email about paperwork before my massage today and I wanted to be sure to get there in plenty of time. The office wasn't terribly difficult to find but I did have to pay attention. He had his name on the door with a makeshift sign and that was it. After following the instructions on my phone's maps and his email, I found the right door and went inside.
My first reaction was the smell. It was sweet and reminded me of cinnamon rolls. I guess it had the proper effect as I was instantly comforted by both the smell and the warmth. After walking into his door I saw Jacob for the first time. He wasn't terribly handsome and maybe a bit overweight but his presence was extremely soothing. Who was this guy that just by his mere presence I'm noticeably more comfortable? He greeted me without standing up and offered me the paperwork to fill out. It was all very ordinary paperwork asking about my stress levels and medications and what not. The second page, however, made me pause. It was a "Consent to Treat" form that clarified several things for me to acknowledge and sign. I wasn't overly shocked by any of it; I consider myself a very open minded and liberal woman but what made me pause was the fact that I caught the words "breast" and "vaginal." I was just about to sign the form before I caught those two words and I realized I really do need to read these things more often.
**
When receiving treatment by Jacob, you must be completely comfortable during your session. The session you've chosen today will include breast massage and a separate form will have to be filled out for that as well. If you wish to continue, please sign the form in the corresponding location at the bottom of the page.
**
I filled out the paperwork and we spent the next few minutes discussing my overall needs for massage and what to expect from the session. I asked him why this session was called Chantilly Lace. He explained that this session mimics the ideals behind the old popular fabric. He said this session was a mixture of delicate strokes and more deep therapeutic strokes, just as Chantilly has the rougher spots within the delicacy of the lace. Damn. He put thought into this.
I knew this was going to be a two hour session so I decided to go to the restroom beforehand. As I was finishing up in the restroom, a thought struck me that I needed to check my state of tidiness if I am going to have that much of my body worked on. I realized I was starting to get anxious in a really good way. I was actually excited about this now. I've had a full body massage before, or at least I'd thought I had.
I crossed back through the office and Jacob lead me into his therapy room. The cinnamon smell was coming from in here but it wasn't overpowering like you would imagine. The room was lit only with candle light and it gave an extremely warm feeling on top of the actual warmth of the room. I noticed there wasn't a blanket on the table and I found myself amused at the fact that my first thought was about getting cold rather than being covered. What is it about this guy that I'm so comfortable with him?
Jacob left the room and shut the door to allow me privacy as I got ready for my massage. I remember the paperwork saying I was allowed to leave my panties on which is what I normally do. For some reason that I still can't fully understand I decided to shuck them as well and go fully into this. So, here I am getting completely naked for a massage for the first time and I choose to do it when I won't be having a cover over me. Let's do this. I climbed onto the table and it was amazingly warm. I've never had a therapist warm up the table before. Between the heat of the room and the warmth of the table, I realize I certainly won't be getting chilly.
There was a knock on the door as I told him I was ready. Of course, in my mind I still wondered if I was. I heard the door open and shut. Wow, he's quiet for a bigger guy. I heard him shuffling things around on a nearby shelf and then he asked if I would like a towel to cover me. I said no and there was more shuffling sounds. The music that had been playing was turned up slightly, I think, and I heard him applying lotion to his hands. I am used to therapists always having cold hands or lotion to start with and was expecting no different with his initial touch.
It wasn't lotion. It wasn't cold. Warm, soothing oil with a hint of lavender fragrance was dripped onto my back between my shoulder blades. It almost felt like raindrops and I couldn't believe how much I felt I was melting already. His hands came down one at a time to smooth the oil over my skin. I've never had oil before but I definitely feel a difference. I like the oil much better.
His hands continued to glide slowly over my back slowly moving from just below my neck to just above my butt. It felt wonderful and I was beginning to melt. Jesus. How much am I going to melt today? The warm oil felt amazing and it provided a wonderful tickle as droplets escaped down my sides as he stroked up and down. The pressure increased as he went, his speed never changing. Eventually he was using quite a lot of pressure down my back but it felt marvelous. Where has this guy been my whole life?
I joked with him that I wanted to take his hands home with me. Can you hear a smile? He didn't say anything but I swear I heard the man smile. I was already more relaxed that most of the sessions I'd ever gotten before and we just got started!
I heard him sit down and just as I was starting to wonder why he began attacking my shoulder right next to my neck. Oh, my neck. Oh yes, please. Oh, that's amazing. I gasped. I felt the pressure, not from his hand or what he was doing but I felt the pressure above my ear with every pull on the muscle he was working on. I didn't have a headache but I could actually feel those headache muscles easing up. This guy is good. He moved around to the other side of my head and repeated the process. I took a nice deep breath.