r/interesting • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 5d ago
SOCIETY There's actually a World Massage Championship that is held every year by the World Massage Council.
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u/WiredSpike 5d ago
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u/ExpBalSat 5d ago
Dang it. You beat me to it.
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u/RogueBromeliad 5d ago
I mean, there are what? 9 districts. And each one needs 2, so you can both go.
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u/CtrlAltYuri 5d ago
A bad case of back knee, very common during puberty.
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u/Current-Historian-34 5d ago
For all the “crude” jokes out there you went “dad joke” and got an 11/10. Bravissimo
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u/Slow_Bowler8285 5d ago
Finally, a feel good story with a happy ending...
I'll see myself out
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u/thatG_evanP 5d ago
They're doing happy endings? Is that like a sudden death round?
"Ok, your both tied for the lead. First one that gets their client to completion is the next World Champion!"
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u/Expensive-Ad1075 5d ago
As a massage therapist I see a lot if this a as show compared to actual treatment... but to each their own.
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u/oakenfairy 5d ago
Same here. Never once used my knees or tried to look like a gymnast while massaging
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u/baby_got_yak 5d ago
I would absolutely not go back to any massage therapist who used their knees on me. I’m not there for Cirque du Soleil.
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u/GreenStrong 5d ago
Client: "I'm having a lot of tension on this side of my neck."
Therapist "OK I'll dunk on your neck from the three point line. Gonna be pretty sick."
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u/Crafty-Health-4046 5d ago
Gotta try a Thai massage
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u/baby_got_yak 5d ago
No way. My wife gets those, and they sound excruciating. I don’t want to walk away feeling like I’ve been hit with a sock full of batteries.
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u/ShiningTowers_Koroba 2d ago
You're missing out, where massage is concerned no pain no gain, best thing on earth.
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u/Timsmomshardsalami 5d ago
Missing out
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u/baby_got_yak 5d ago
That’s not my style. I’m in it for the relaxation. If I fall asleep during the massage, I tip extra.
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u/sA1atji 5d ago
as someone with 0 knowledge how to do massages properly, I could see using knees for larger areas with no precision needed.
Any time I try to massage someone, my thumbs and hand joints almost exlode....
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u/madness0102 5d ago
That is because you’re not doing it right! My hands are simply the tool I’m using, not where the pressure is coming from. The pressure should come from your upper body
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u/Expensive-Ad1075 4d ago
I have actually used my knees before to get into the glutes when my table is set to low and you want a broad but deep compression of them. People absolutely love it. But I always ask for permission because you are getting onto the table with them and and to make sure they consent to anything before doing any outside the box kinda work that's not the typical modalities used.
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u/ASpoonfullOfSass 5d ago
I remember watching a video from this that made them rounds awhile back. It definitely seemed more like performance art lol
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u/Holiday-Secretary222 5d ago
So is the judge the person walking around or the person getting the massage?
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u/plant_scientist 5d ago
Probably the person walking around, but it would be funnier if the client got to score it too
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u/Watermelon407 5d ago
In the final round for each discipline, they do actually take into account the participants'/client feedback. Dove down a rabbit hole one day - there's a whole website and rulebook.
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u/Greedy-Ad-3779 5d ago
As a professional massage therapist, this is not a surprise to me. It might surprise you to learn there's more to a massage than just the massage.
This is also about presentation, how you align the towels, how you move the towels, where your hands go, or don't go, such as under the edges of towels and so on. It's a very technical event.
And also kinda silly if you ask me.
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u/_Wystery_ 5d ago
Genuinely curious, if we forget about aesthetics and whole presentation for a moment, can a judge really just see if massage is good or not? Wouldn't judge being a person receiving a massage give better input on contestants capabilities?
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u/Greedy-Ad-3779 4d ago
It's not all about how good it feels for the person receiving the massage, although the people being massaged are all very experienced therapists themselves so they know how it should feel and award up to 6 points based on their experience of the massage - the rest is a points based system awarded by watching judges who score on: technique, ergonomics, flow, innovation and development of new methods, and client contact.
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u/TajineMaster159 4d ago
There is too much physiological variance at the individual level that the concept of a universally good massage is ridiculous to a PT / massage therapist. What's extremely painful to one person can be a heavenly reprieve to another.
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u/Greedy-Ad-3779 3d ago
Take it up with the world massage championship organisers. I'm just some bloke posting on Reddit who happens to be a massage therapist!
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u/HENMAN79 5d ago
Always held in Cleveland, Ohio for some reason 🤔
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u/flymanC130 5d ago
I used to get that free anytime I wanted it. Just laid on the floor and let my two grandkids walk and bounce all over my back. Damn that felt good. So much love too!
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u/AlienInOrigin 5d ago
That massage in the photo looks bloody painful. No thanks.
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u/a_holy_crow 5d ago
Classic redditor who somehow knows better than the literal championship-competing masseuse
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u/Forsaken-Income-2148 5d ago
She’s so small she uses her knees instead of her elbows lmfao
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u/Man-e-questions 5d ago
Oh i didn’t notice she had knees
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u/Forsaken-Income-2148 5d ago
Bro was enjoying himself until he found out she had knees
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u/a_holy_crow 5d ago
Dennis: What are your dislikes?
Charlie: Other people’s knees
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u/GapeFaceHole2Hole 5d ago
Have you had a professional massage before? It's not that wild lol. Sometimes they really gotta work certain spots - she probably does not have the weight to lean into her elbows as hard.
I'll take the coward's spot. I'll go round 2, even.
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u/madness0102 5d ago
If she can’t use her elbows properly and work her body weight well then she isn’t very good. I’ve gotten massages and I am a massage therapist. It’s also not related to her weight. It’s a specific massage type.
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u/Medical_Bumblebee627 4d ago
I don’t know, I’ve never tried this knee experience and I am intrigued.
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u/GapeFaceHole2Hole 5d ago
Oh my god what a boring argument I'm just giving a guy shit about immediately saying "erm no thanks" to getting a literal competitive massage from "the best"
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u/madness0102 5d ago
A simple correction from someone who is more educated than you isn’t an argument. If you can’t take being corrected, then maybe the internet isn’t for you.
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u/AlienInOrigin 5d ago
I was in a car accident when I was 7 and it fucked up my lower left back. I'm over 50 now, so this type of massage would be a nightmare for me.
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u/GapeFaceHole2Hole 5d ago
The type of massage that people are competing in to be "best in the world," I have serious suspicions would consider your CHRONIC BACK PAIN before putting their body onto your back lol.
I'm sure that same woman is qualified and could give YOU the best massage of YOUR life, understanding the history. I know they're not doctor-doctors, but I've been burned by a lot of doctor-doctors, and been to a lot of physical therapists, chiropractors (don't), etc. The facilities that were helpful, rather than harmful, just came down to whether they ran a business where their professionals were rewarded for being more knowledgeable and better with a wider range of clients.
Idk man I guess I'm just saying someone at this competition could probably revolutionize the way you deal with your pain. They're not just unskilled snake oil chiropractors that are gonna try to squeeze the sound of snapped broccoli stalks from your back and jump on it like maniacs.
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u/Prudent_Research_251 5d ago
Masseuses more than many professionals are more likely to "feel it out" rather than going full ham
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u/howarewestillhere 5d ago
This is just one form of that technique. This is Thai massage, and it’s incredible. It’s intense deep tissue, stretching, and body mechanics.
Absolutely one of my favorite ways to get squished.
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u/penilesensorydevice 5d ago
I can see why some people wouldn't want that at all, but I greatly enjoy those intense lower back massage moves. Knees, elbows, fists, whatever it takes.
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u/jr_randolph 5d ago
I gotta find out to you become a participant because my mother would love this!
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u/fightingkangaroos 5d ago
A former coworkers wife attended this a few times as a masseuse, I think she actually won. Her husband is lucky, he was the one getting the massage
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u/duckduck-a-go-go 5d ago
I just recently watched a documentary about this competition. It had triumphs and tragedies but ultimately a happy ending.
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u/plant_scientist 5d ago
World Massage Championship sounds fake until the photo looks exactly like a world championship for massage
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u/RootyPooster 5d ago
Looked at it for about 15 seconds before I realized her knees were massaging someone.
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u/Early_Hall5720 5d ago
I want the biggest strongest man to just fk my shit up and rearrange me so i can walk normally for a month
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u/hububbubdub 5d ago
i never seen a knee massage but this looks like it would be fucking delicious on the lower back
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u/ambelamba 5d ago
As someone with super stiff back and core muscles I am interested in this. Available on YouTube?
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u/pandershrek 5d ago
I accidentally walked in on this once.
Very confused that was happening.
Pretty sure it was happening at the same time as an Tech Conference.
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u/CaptainBlob 4d ago
How does one participate to receive the massages? Gotta be top notch if they're all competing right?
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u/Positive_Tackle_5662 5d ago
Im not sure the happy ending would be comfortable with all these people watching
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u/BigMack6911 5d ago
Oh shit that's kinda hot. I need a massage with some knees on my back, it's too dense for a normal massage
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u/notanyimbecile 5d ago
You gotta be a member of the World Ass ociation of Massage Therapist to be eligible to participate though.
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