Massaging under 16s

[Dfm83]

Today I had a client ask if she could book in her 12 year old daughter as she just loves massages. The mother said she would sign a parental consent and could even be in the room if I wanted her to be.

What is everyones thoughts on this? Do you massage under 16s with consent? I felt a little uneasy at the thought of massaging a 12 year old and wondered if insurance would even cover this.

Any advice or thoughts be greatly appreciated

 

[gr8nailz]

I am not a massage therapist; however, our salon & spa offers this service and had this very issue raised a few weeks ago. The client was 13 and the mother agreed to a consent form and to remain in the room.

The answer was a firm NO. The policy at our salon & spa is: Massage therapists will not perform a massage on anyone under 16 PERIOD. Ages 16 and 17 must have parental consent and a parent must remain in the room during service.

 

[shedunlop]

No I wouldn't.

I don't understand why parents indulge children this young. It's as if there is no growing up period any more, they can have everything an adult has just by asking for it.

I do some hairy young girls underarms for them and I have done nails when asked to for proms etc. but not massage. I did hear that one of the local primary schools had a prom this year for the year 6 pupils instead of a school disco! Either I am getting really old or the world is going mad!

 

[Marilyn Monroe]

I would definatley say NO. There are so many issues that could arise from this and it's just not worth the headache.

Just out of interest what is the difference between a prom and a disco?

 

[gr8nailz]

Just out of interest what is the difference between a prom and a disco?

John Travolta. :wink2:

 

[dandelionpoppy]

I would definatley say NO. There are so many issues that could arise from this and it's just not worth the headache.

Just out of interest what is the difference between a prom and a disco?

The cost to parents......

 

[hippy-chick]

I would like to stick up for 12 year olds.....

I have a 12 year old, he has had massages from me since he was a few months old. He loves massage.

If he wanted a massage, I would book him in. If I haven't got time to give him a massage I would book him in with a colleague. He would prefer to have me, and to be honest this situation hasn't arisen, but I wouldn't have a problem asking someone else to massage him and would be more than happy to sign a disclaimer and sit in the room.

Life is changing, children are becoming more sophisticated. I was brought up to believe only rich and famous people got massage.......but we are now massaging our children from birth, we are embracing this lifestyle, and about time too! People in India have had this lifestyle for 1000 years, us.....a few decades, we need to catch up.

 

[jcpark]

I have to agree with hippychick. Massage is not a luxury or a treat, it is (or should be) of real therapeutic benefit. I had to learn how to massage people of ALL ages while training and that included children and did a number of case studies on children. I have during my time as a massage therapist massaged children with various disabilities and special needs with very real benefits for the children.

That said, there are important considerations. It is of course, up to the individual or business whether they wish to treat children (in the same way some will not treat men), however, most importantly, the therapist must be sufficiently trained, qualified and confident to treat children and due to current requirements they must hold a crb check (it wasn't a necessity when I first started).

 

[Sam81]

I think I would feel uncomfortable doing swedish massage on someone so young and might offer an alternative treatment such as Indian head massage or reflexology where no clothes need to be removed, I would also insist on a disclaimer and a parent/guardian to be present throughout. I think you've answered your own question really, you say you feel uneasy at the thought, so don't do it.

 

[sara x]

I have to agree with hippychick. Massage is not a luxury or a treat, it is (or should be) of real therapeutic benefit. I had to learn how to massage people of ALL ages while training and that included children and did a number of case studies on children. I have during my time as a massage therapist massaged children with various disabilities and special needs with very real benefits for the children.

That said, there are important considerations. It is of course, up to the individual or business whether they wish to treat children (in the same way some will not treat men), however, most importantly, the therapist must be sufficiently trained, qualified and confident to treat children and due to current requirements they must hold a crb check (it wasn't a necessity when I first started).

I would agree with this too. I have treated various children with behavour problems and several with mental illnesses and their parents have said that it makes a huge difference to thir behaviour and happiness.
Each should decide independantly though, I think it probably requires a lot of confidence and experience to tackle these things.
The other thing I would add is that what may come across as a child being spoilt by a parent with a treatment may actually be a child who is suffering due to bullying/illness.
Short treatments are a good idea though I think, would say max 30 mins on back and maybe feet and scalp.

 

[Elaine143a]

I have never had this situation arise at my salon, so these are just my thoughts, not experience.

I agree with a lot of the previous posts, both for and against the treatment. Yes, some children these days (god I sound like my mother!) are just spoilt and demand things that are way above their age. On the other hand, society, particularly our education system, puts HUGE demands on our children and they can, and do, get very stressed - think of all the exams our kids go through from a very early age. They are not allowed to be children any more because most parents are too afraid to let them be kids - ie not playing out on their own due to abduction fears etc...... Not blaming parents for this, it is just unfortunately a fact of life.

I would treat any request like this on an individual basis after THOROUGH consultation with the parent. I would want to know why the child or parent thought they wanted the massage, and make my decision on that basis.

I may be wrong, but I believe (speaking to my Asian friends and clients) that in India massage is a normal part of their everyday lives, as human touch is considered an essential tool to well-being.

Just some food for thought - sorry for long post.

 

[AmeliaR]

if it was a back massage why not?! its not like a fake tan or eyelashes?

its totally up to the Therapist, i personally would BUT only if the parent was in the room for the FULL treatment xx

 

[jacqueline]

As an LMT, infant massage is something normal for us so it doesn't really faze me ethically to work on children for massage.

My youngest non baby client was 5 and I have had a few under 10 but it is not a regular occurrence but as long as there is a medical reason and/or parental consent it is acceptable in my book.