massage draping photo's

Below are some photographs of a client being draped during a massage. I hope this well help you to better understand draping techniques used in massage therapy.

This is the client fully draped. This is how you will be, before the therapist enters the room for your massage.

The drape is pulled down, exposing your back for massage. When your therapist is finished, your back will be re-draped.

This is the modified draping of the leg, for those who do not wish to have the gluteal muscles worked.

In this photo, the drape is folded back to expose your gluteal muscles (buttocks) and leg. Notice the drape is securely tucked under the thigh to maintain the clients modesty. This step is modified if you do not wish to have your "glutes" massaged.

This is the half body drape. It is used when the therapist wants to do a full body length technique. Not all therapists use this technique. I personally use this technique in many of my massages. Using my fore-arm to provide a gliding stroke up the full length of the client. This is one of the reasons why massage is best received fully un-clothed.

This photo represents the client in a face up position. Sometimes a session will start this way, most times this is the second half of the massage. The therapist will securely hold the drape while the client turns over underneath the drape.

To expose the abdomen of a female client, the breasts are first covered with smaller drape such as a pillow case or towel.

The main drape is then carefully pulled from underneath the secondary drape; exposing the clients abdomen. This is a very simple technique that will maintain the clients modesty while allowing the massage therapist to access the abdominal area. When the therapist is finished, the client is re-draped in the reverse order.

Draping works the same for most area’s of the body, regardless of body position. The clients modesty is the first priority. If at any time you feel uncomfortable with draping techniques, tell your therapist. At Full Throttle Massage, we want your massage experience to be the best it can, and will do everything to help insure your comfort.

Some notable exceptions, are when the legs of a client are to be stretched using various techniques. Then the therapist uses what is referred to as a diaper drape. The drape is pulled under the thigh and wrapped around the leg. This photo shows the first leg being prepared for some stretches.

This photo depicts the client receiving a stretch for the Adductors or inner thigh muscles. Notice the “diaper” draping technique maintains a safe and comfortable level of modesty for the client.