| Drive65 | Recommended |
| Bradford, England, United Kingdom | |
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D lives relatively locally to me & is keen to gain more experience of giving massage. Having made countact, we setup a swap fairly easily, for a mid-evening slot. Generally, I like to swap earlier but the timing worked well. I hosted as I have a therapy room & table available. D was able to find me fairly easily & arrived in good time. We got on well & had some interesting, related conversation, prior to the hands-on session.
I played therapist first, with some suggestions & insights as I massaged. It is a good way to remind yourself why you are using a particular stoke! Otherwise, I prefer to just work with healing background music. The session went well. Then I was able to experienced the client role, which I enjoyed. It was challenging to balance giving feedback with going with the flow, to enjoy the experience. Maybe a few more sessions will help me do that! There are several other people, in our local area, listed on the site, who do not seem to respond to messages & offers to swap a session. It is nice to get a response, even if life is too busy to swap, especially when replies are free! Both of us are currently gold members. With the ratings, I have gone for 4*, really to encourage gaining more insights that come with experience! |
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Reviewed by
zenM
2022-09-06 06:59
[26993/P]
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| seb1987 | Highly Recommended |
| Kingston upon Hull, England, United Kingdom | |
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I have had some contact with Seb, via the site, over several years but we have not managed a swap before. We reconnected via another site, recognised our connection & set up a swap, through massage exchange. I hosted. Seb also has facilities available & has also offered to host.
He arrived in good time & kindly brought a further supply of towels & oil. We connected well, with a useful discussion on massage & things related, before the session. I started on his back, then we swapped. I flipped over for the front, then we swapped roles again. It seemed to work well & I enjoyed receiving my session. I found it relaxing & was reminded of some strokes & techniques that seem to have dropped out of my repertoire. Massaging Seb, he seemed to relax well & gave some feedback. I gave some commentary at first but it was easier just go with the massage. I tend to freestyle, working with the background music as appropriate. I was recently reminded that we all have magic hands... life energy flows... sometimes we become aware of this... awareness grows... it may increase as you become aware. Consider... using soft contact... with slow sinking weight. I applied this during the session. It was a good exchange. I would recommend swapping with Seb if you are able to set up a session. I was also impressed with how quickly he posted a review! |
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Reviewed by
zenM
2019-11-14 06:10
[22405/P]
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| RelaxMindBody | Recommended |
| Leeds, England, United Kingdom | |
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I have been in touch with Relax, on massage exchange, for a few years, without actually exchanging a swap. He is local to me, when he is in town! We had set several up but life got in the way. At the end of June 2018 he was in touch. I was not up to a swap - a major road traffic accident had occurred outside the front of my house in the early hours of the Saturday morning he phoned me. It involved 2 cars, 7 people, 3 injured & 4 killed. I did not witness nor hear it, just the aftermath. I was asleep close by. Relax offered to just give me a relaxing massage, which he did. I hosted & received. It seriously helped to settle my energy & I was grateful.
A year later & we set up a swap, at a couple of days notice, which I again hosted. Several had been set up in the intervening year but cancelled, for various reasons. I massaged R first & gave some guidance on what I was doing/how I was working. I talked more than I normally like to. R seemed to welcome the guidance. He is keen to learn more & develop his skills. I again enjoyed receiving. I think I suggested slow, less pressure, more oil/gliding but I did get into a good space, enjoying the process - & relaxing! We will probably swap again, when he is back in the area - his work involves some travelling. I would recommend swapping a session with Relax, if you get the opportunity. I have gone for a 4* rating, giving him some space to continue to develop his massage skills. We had swapped phone numbers to arrange a session, without connection through the site for awhile. The site would not let me submit a review before we had communicated through the site again. A good way to help verify that a review is genuine! |
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Reviewed by
zenM
2019-07-26 13:57
[21599/P]
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| will11 | Satisfactory |
| Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | |
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W enjoys & appreciates massage. He seems to have experienced quite a few but had limited connections via this site. He prefers to receive, with limited experience of giving but is willing to learn. He contacted me via a site greetings card. Being a gold member I was able to reply by email & start a conversation. I offered to host a session, provided it was a swap & I agreed to give some commentary as I worked, then feedback as he worked on me.
We set up a swap & he arrived in good time. I worked on W first, it went well. He responds to coaching & guidance. I recommend swapping if you are willing to host & offer some guidance - or just need a body to practice on! We gelled well. I suggested to him that swapping reviews on the site is a great way to develop & make further massage connections. I am giving a 3* rating, to leave scope for him to develop his expertise as he gains more experience. |
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Reviewed by
zenM
2019-02-27 08:32
[20464/P]
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| Wryton | Satisfactory |
| Thornton, England, United Kingdom | |
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Wry has recently developed an interest in giving & receiving massage, so joined this site, after his wife sent him to a sports masseur for a session. As a free member he sent me a greetings. As he is fairly local & I am a gold member, I replied & he was free to respond. After several emails I was able to host a swap.
We opted for me working on his back with some guidance/ pointers/ discussion as this was his first swap & he is fairly new to massage. Then he worked on my back, before swapping to work on the front. Wry seemed to enjoy receiving the massage. He also picked up quite a few of my suggestions; receiving I felt slower, lighter, let your tension go. I did enjoy receiving & I did not realise it was the first session he had given. He is keen to do more massage & we are looking to set up a 4-handed massage as a practical way to demonstrate & show the strokes & techniques. I am giving him 3*** to leave him space to grow as he learns more from future swaps. I recommend swapping a session if the opportunity arises. |
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Reviewed by
zenM
2019-01-03 05:19
[20044/P]
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| Strigil | Satisfactory |
| Accrington, England, United Kingdom | |
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S has recently developed an interest in massage & joined the site as a gold member. He found my profile, then my reviews & emailed for some advice, insights, guidance on using the site... & possibly a swap!
We were able to arrange a swap at relatively short notice & I hosted. He arrived in good time, had some interesting stories & probing questions. I was able to provide him with some CDs of relaxing music suitable for massage work, left over from my days of doing health fayres. We opted for me working on his back, with some guidance, pointers & discussion, as he is fairly new to massage. Then S worked on my back, before swapping to work on the front. He did seem to have picked up quite a few of my suggestions & added these to his repertoire. I do remember suggesting lighter & slower with some of the strokes & he responded well. He seems to be really keen, interested & good, for being relatively new to massage. I am giving him 3*** - to leave him space to grow as he learns more from future swaps, as well as the courses he is planning to attend. Well worth swapping a session with S. He has some great music to set the atmosphere! |
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Reviewed by
zenM
2019-01-02 08:06
[20039/P]
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| chilloutmassage | Recommended |
| Wigan, United Kingdom | |
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We have been in brief contact for several years via the site but not been able to set up a swap, time & travel distance being factors. This swap fell into place with just a few days notice. I hosted in Leeds, with MrC travelling 45 miles to visit. He arrived in good time, with slight traffic delays. He kept me updated by text.
We got on well, starting with a coffee & chat to compare notes. He volunteered to receive first. I agreed to give some commentary as I worked. He seemed to find this useful, with feedback & questions. I probably talked more than I like too! It was useful for me as well. However, I do encourage the receiver to focus in & take themselves deeper into the process. He did seem to relax nicely & enjoy the experience. I enjoyed receiving my massage. I was able to give a few constructive suggestions before fully relaxing into it & going with the flow. I think a bit lighter & a bit slower might have taken me further. I encourage oil to hand, warm & spread, always maintaining contact with the receiver, rather thank shaking the oil directly onto the body. It was good to be able to verify that in this session.However, there are times when dripping the oil can be quite a powerful experience. The session was followed with showers & a chat before Mr C joined the late afternoon traffic. I do recommend swapping a session if you get the opportunity. I'm going for a 4* rating, good & keen at getting better! |
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Reviewed by
zenM
2018-09-28 02:18
[19328/P]
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| pj9581 | Recommended |
| Bury, England, United Kingdom | |
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P & J were shown as new members, on my recent email matches list from the site. I sent them a welcoming email, with a few pointers on using the site & view to setting up a future swap. They responded positively & I was able to host a swap a few days later, at my home in Leeds.
Travelling to me took them a bit longer than anticipated but they kept me informed by text & arrived safely. We got on well. As they are fairly new to massage I suggested that I worked on J, giving P some guidance on techniques, pointers & ideas for him to use. He joined in & we both worked on his partner. Time passed rapidly. J was very responsive & seemed to enjoy the experience of a 4-handed massage. They both worked on me for a while, before they needed to leave. We are planning to set up further swaps. Although they are fairly new to massage, they both seem to enjoy it. They are keen to learn more & extend their range of experience. I would recommend swapping with them if the opportunity arises. |
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Reviewed by
zenM
2018-09-06 08:02
[19182/P]
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| BGrosslancs | Highly Recommended |
| Rawtenstall, England, United Kingdom | |
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I recently hosted B&G on a sunny Sunday afternoon, for a massage swap. We had connected through the site & exchanged several emails, with good communication both ways. They are a very warm couple, who have shared massage with each other but are keen to learn more & expand their range of techniques. It seems that they have carefully checked my previous reviews!
I have been massaging for sometime, so agreed to demonstrate & give some guidance during the session. We used the 4-handed approach, which is a great way to watch/observe/copy & adapt. The undressing ritual I mentioned in a previous review, fits nicely with this. B received the first session, which I think he enjoyed, as he gave some good feedback. I gave some guidance/ suggestions & insights as G & I worked together. Just spreading the oil in a nurturing, caring way, with long strokes, short strokes can feel amazing, just go into the feeling - with 4 hands even more so. After an hour or so, G had her turn at receiving from B & myself, as I gave him some guidance. She was able to relax & enjoy the process. Next, I was able to receive the benefits of them both working on me. There was a good flow & I was able to relax nicely, occasionally noticing something I might have suggested earlier, being used. The afternoon flowed well & we were surprised at how long we had spent with the session. Time & diaries permitting, we plan to repeat the experience. I would recommend swapping a massage or two with B&G if you get the opportunity. I am giving them 5*s, they good with what they know & keen to be, even better! |
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Reviewed by
zenM
2018-03-27 01:57
[18195/P]
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| groovytwo | Highly Recommended |
| Burnley, England, United Kingdom | |
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I have just hosted a massage swap session with this lovely couple G2, in my Leeds home. They braved the snow in a drive over from Burnley.
We all got on well & were soon comparing notes about the site & challenges in setting up suitable trades, as well as life in general. They regular exchange massages between themselves, however they are keen to gain more insights of different strokes & approaches. I have been massaging longer & suggested that we start with an undressing ritual. In this all are standing, the receiver is blind folded. The givers are invited to explore the person with gentle, nurturing touch, the receiver to be aware of how this feels & explore their own response. During the process the receiver is gradually undressed, as far as comfortable & agreed, ready for the next stage of the massage. Each person is invited to receive in turn. We all enjoyed both aspects & could have spent a lot longer! We next moved to the table & used a 4-handed approach. I offered some guidance & suggestions, with J & myself working on her partner. Then she moved onto the table to receive... & I went third! They are both good at giving nurturing massage & touch, enjoying the process of giving & receiving, relaxing into it well. We all seemed to experience some energy shifts, it was a powerful session. I think we agreed to swap again in the near future. I do recommend anybody invited to share a massage with G2 to do so! I am rating G2 as 5* - they are good already but keen to learn & experience more! |
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Reviewed by
zenM
2018-03-10 08:12
[18116/P]
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Reviews are opinions of individual members. Opinions by their nature are subjective and can vary dramatically from member to member. MassageExchange.com neither agrees with nor verifies the accuracy of member reviews and is not responsible for such content.