Three months after I qualified as a sports physiotherapist/masseur, I started my own practice at home until I could find work with a sports club or association. I was enjoying a quiet coffee in the café and reading the daily paper when my mobile phone rang. A man's voice enquired about the possibility of getting a massage. He had been working an early shift as a storeman in a large warehouse and the forklift had broken down, so he had to do all the moving with hand pulled trolleys while the machinery was being repaired.
We introduced ourselves, he as Angus Forsyth, and I am Gannat Milner. He explained his back was causing him some aggravation. He thought a massage would help. He lived about three kilometers walk from my practice, so I suggested he walk some of the distance at a leisurely pace. I gave him my address and told him I was out and would be back in about twenty minutes.
There was a knock on my door and I checked with him to see if he was the man who had called previously. I invited him to come in and we sat in the massage room and he told me what he had been doing at work, where the pain was, how severe it was etc.
At about the height of five feet eight inches, he was six inches shorter than me. He looked to be of average weight for his height and I estimated he was about 15 years my senior. He told me the walk to the practice had relieved some of the pain and he was feeling a lot better than when he finished work for the day.
I suggested a full body massage as it would be about the same cost and any other twinges he had might reveal themselves at the same time.
He agreed and followed me to the table and I instructed him to leave his clothing on the valet, a purpose made piece of furniture to hang clothes on.
I prepared for the massage while he removed his clothes. Turning on some music and leaving it almost imperceptible, I set up a small trolley with massage oil, some soft flannels and a candle powered warmer to keep the grape seed oil at about body temperature. There were also a few other implements for use on certain body parts depending on the nature of injuries, muscle tears and so on.
When I turned to look at the client for further instructions, he was still wearing boxer shorts, a singlet or dark blue vest and he even had his socks on.
'Is this your first massage '?'
'Yes, it is. What do I do next?'
'Firstly you get a better massage without clothes so maybe you could take them off.'
'Should I take off everything Mr Milner?'
'That would be the best way. Then lie on the table with your face down at this end. After that I can start with your shoulders back and sides. Would you mind paying first?'
He reached for his wallet and said 'I hope cash is OK. It seems easier to me.'
'Sure Angus.'
He paid me the correct amount.
I noticed he had a picture in his wallet of a young woman holding a baby.
'You're an uncle or a father, right? I saw the pic in your wallet.'
I'm both actually. The picture is my wife and little girl Madelyn.
'Nice!'
He seemed quite shy and he slowly removed his socks, vest, and gave me a quizzical look the see if I also expected him to take off his boxer shorts.
'Take off everything please Angus. Full body, remember?
He turned away and slowly slid them down and I said, 'If you're too self-conscious mate, it's OK to change your mind. No charge.'
I guess he began to feel a little foolish and he slowly stepped out of his shorts and said, 'No. You're right. I guess I'm just not sure about it all.'
'It must be a bit uncomfortable for you to be naked in front of a stranger. I see plenty of naked bodies and I must say you have a good body compared with most of the ones I see in here. Try and relax and let's get started.'
I gave him a reassuring smile and he came towards the table and climbed up on it. He had a small shrivelled up penis, affected by the cool temperature, and possibly also by feeling self conscious to be seen by another man who was about to massage him, thereby feeling him all over.
When he was lying on the massage table, I noticed his developed shoulders and arms and he had strong legs with prominent buttocks.
I decided not to cover his buttocks with a small towel as he had come a long way to get naked, and it might not help much to begin covering him up again.
I poured some of the massage oil onto my hands and began smearing it over his back from his shoulders, down to the small of his back, and up along his sides. Then with more oil I added to it covering further down to his buttocks, pulling his cheeks outwards, and back up along his sides again.
I began to massage where the oil was and omitting his arms worked on his back asking him questions about the soreness. He told me he had almost forgotten about it. Mostly it was his lower back and I plied some cross over techniques on it, and some Shiatsu, which is a Japanese technique that gives most relief when the slightly heavier technique is reduced.
After finishing his shoulders, back and sides I moved to his feet and gave him a comprehensive foot massage on each foot. Although our full weight is on our feet for large parts of the day, feet seem to respond well to softer rubbing and a light touch. Angus was particularly sensitive between his toes, and behind them. I used the battery vibrator and applied it behind his toes, causing him to grip it with his toes for a few seconds. I switched it off and he released it. The same on his left foot but with more grip and he took longer to release it than he had with his right.