Is the tantra massage therapist (also) naked?

This text was written by Christophe. Read more about him and the possible forms of therapy on his profile.

This is a question that is regularly asked by people who want to experience a tantra massage.

First of all I want to emphasize that it is not an obligation or necessity that the recipient is naked during the tantra massage. The genital massage (called yoni massage for women and lingam massage for men) is an optional part of the massage. During the exploratory conversation before the massage, the giver and/or receiver can already definitively decide that it will not be a part of the current session. The other option is that it is agreed that it CAN be a part, which does not mean that this will certainly be the case. The therapist can evaluate this in the first place at that moment during the massage. If he/she feels that the recipient is sufficiently in a state of surrender/flow, the recipient can then be asked if he/she feels comfortable enough to continue. If he/she also agrees to this, only then can the genital massage proceed.

Usually the question of whether the therapist will be naked comes from a man. This almost always indicates that the intention is wrong for experiencing a tantra massage. Chances are he's used to this from western tantra massages (aimed at reaching an orgasm) he's already experienced. He then also sees the authentic tantra massages in which healing and energetic body work are the focus, in an erotic context. This is of course not the intention and the therapist will not schedule a session with this customer.

When a woman asks if the therapist will be naked, this often indicates a concern. If tantra is completely new to her and if she has never seen or heard of the therapist before, then this seems to me a perfectly logical question. You want to feel as safe as possible as a woman and a male therapist (or even a female) who is naked himself may be just one threshold too much…

Let it be clear that there is nothing inherently wrong with a client and therapist who are both naked. Different schools teach tantra massage in this way and the vision behind this is the principle of equality between giver and receiver.
My opinion on this is that tantra should be seen as a process in which the trust and connection between giver and receiver can grow after each session. When the recipient feels completely safe and sees this vision as an added value for the session, the question can be asked. If, in turn, this feels right to the therapist, it is certainly an option to continue the sessions in this way from then on.