Ways For Dealing With A Massage Client Who Loses Bladder Control

If you work as a massage therapist for long enough, you're bound to encounter a wide range of situations that you might not have learned about in massage school. It's up to you to be able to react quickly and professional to such scenarios, even if they come as a bit of a shock. One issue that you might encounter is a client who loses bladder control during the treatment. Elderly clients who have incontinent issues and women who are pregnant are commonly prime candidates for such occurrences. Here are three ways to deal with this situation.

If The Client Hasn't Alerted You

Sometimes, a massage client will lose bladder control to a slight degree but not say anything. Perhaps he or she is asleep, or maybe just embarrassed to indicate what has happened. If you notice some dampness on the sheets, you want to change them for the client's comfort. Gently tell the client what has happened in a non-critical tone and say that you'll change the sheets. Step out of the room while the client gets up and dons a robe, and then return to remove the old sheets and put new ones down. This entire process doesn't have to be a big deal and you can get it done quickly.

Tips For Talking About It

A client who loses bladder control during a massage is apt to be highly embarrassed. Your job, as a massage therapist, is to create a positive and comfortable environment for the client's treatments, and that includes making sure that he or she doesn't feel badly. For starters, you must accept that such an occurrence is innocent; adopting this mindset will help you to avoid casting a bit of frustrating toward the client. The client may apologize numerous times. Simply indicate that it's no big deal and that the client shouldn't worry. The client may even attempt to give you a tip for your inconvenience; turning the tip down truly shows that you're not upset.

Preparing For Future Appointments

If the client rebooks with you, you may wish to prepare for the possibility of this issue happening again. There are a couple ways to go about planning. One is to simply ensure that you have fresh sheets standing by in case you need to change the linens. Another is to get an absorbent incontinence pad and place it below the client's bottom sheet. The pad will quickly soak up any spilled urine and make the cleanup process quicker and easier.