Sometimes I become really emotional and feel like crying during my massage session. Is this OK?

Yes, this is absolutely OK (and normal)! There are many reasons people may become emotional—or more aware of their emotions—while receiving massage. Emotions and the physical body are intertwined; when you work on one, you affect the other. Sometimes just being in a quiet space away from the outside world to focus on your physical and emotional wellness allows buried feelings to bubble to the surface. The physical work on your muscle tissue can also trigger an emotional release, as can receiving compassionate human touch (anytime, but especially during a stressful pandemic). 
Whatever the reason, it’s absolutely OK for you to have an emotional reaction on the table. It’s OK for you to feel joyful. It’s OK for you to feel sad. It’s OK for you to cry. You wouldn’t be the first client to cry during a session, or the last. And we won’t be surprised or uncomfortable. Your massage therapist is there to help you in whatever way you’d like: keep working, pause to give you a moment or hand you a tissue, or leave the session room to give you privacy. Just let us know how we can best support you. Emotional responses are a natural part of the process of receiving bodywork and your session is your time to process whatever presents itself to you in that moment. Please honor that. We’re honored as massage therapists to share that space with you.

Kristin Coverly, LMT, is a massage therapist and the director of professional education for Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals.

Since transitioning to my new work-from-home environment, I’m not wearing makeup as often, which I love! But, as a result, my skin has started looking a little dull. Shouldn’t it be looking healthier?

Giving your skin a break from makeup is great! Wearing makeup every day can cause a whole slew of undesirable problems: clogged pores, acne, sensitivity, allergic reactions, etc. But just because you’re no longer sticking with your daily makeup routine, doesn’t mean you should slack off on your skin care routine. You may be thinking since there’s no foundation or mascara to rinse off, there’s really no need to cleanse your face, when in fact, the process of rinsing off your makeup was likely helping to cleanse your skin and even exfoliate away dead skin cells. By not cleansing your face every day, you’re letting that dead layer of skin build up, causing your skin to look dull. Even without makeup, you should cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize your skin on a daily basis. And don’t just stop at your facial routine! With the amount of handwashing, cleaning, and sanitizing we are all doing these days, our hands can suffer too, so make sure to heal those hands with a bit of moisturizer a few times a day as well.

Emily Morgan is a licensed esthetician in the states of Massachusetts and Colorado and  membership program manager for Associated Skin Care Professionals.