Hush.

A client told me she is usually quiet when receiving a massage and didn’t really want to chit-chat. I assured her I would talk only as it related to her session, such as checking her comfort with my pressure or the room temperature.

Other clients talk during their treatments.  I wonder if talking helps them unwind. I also wonder if talking distracts from the sensations of the massage and the body’s subtle responses.

Might chatting prevent the nervous system from relaxing as fully as it might have done if the client had kept silent? If so, the client still might have had a greater need for the expression of talking than for the benefits of silence.

Since the answer differs from person to person, I offer sessions with silence or conversation according to what each client prefers. It is not for me to decide that a client “needs” silence to gain maximum benefit from a treatment. I do notice, though, that after I work in a mostly silent session, I feel more relaxed than I do following sessions with conversation.

What do you prefer during a treatment, mostly silence or conversation? If you talk while receiving a massage, what do you enjoy about it?