IT'S A MANZ WORLD

MY "HIPPY" CLIENT - Note: Most of my Manz World stories are fictionalized accounts of how the painting shown here came to be. However, some stories are rooted in truth.

I’m a muscle therapist which means I work directly on the musculature of the human body for the purpose of addressing issues affecting muscles, joints and connective tissues. These issues can stem from aging, strain, overuse or injuries to areas of the body. The purpose of my therapies is to provide relief from stiffness and pain which, hopefully, leads to improvement of movement and lessening, if not complete elimination, of pain and discomfort.

Many of my clients are referred by other people who have received therapies from me. However, quite frequently I get referrals from professionals such as physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists and athletic trainers. One such referral was a business man—I’ll call him Carl—who was referred to me by his physician, wanting me to work on Carl’s hips.

Carl’s first session with me was in the evening. Upon arrival I saw a tall, fit, middle-aged man enter my office. I immediately noticed that he was walking with a limp. After completing an information form we spoke about what was needing to be addressed in the session. He told me that he had been playing racquetball with a friend and had quickly twisted in a manner that pulled a muscle in his left hip. After that he experienced such severe pain that he had to quit the game. “I could hardly move after that. In fact,” Carl said, “It was like my whole butt seized up.” He pointed to both butt cheeks and said, “Both sides hurt but the left one hurt like hell.”

Carl told me that he had a difficult time getting out of bed the next day. “I had to take pain relievers just to move without pain shooting into my butt. That’s when I called my doctor and he said I should see you.”

At that point I explained my work to Carl, that in addressing his problem I would be working directly on the muscles of his buttocks. He gave me the needed permission after which I showed him the therapy room and told him to undress after I left the room. I pointed to a small draping towel that was laying on my therapy table. I said, “Once undressed, please lay on the table face down and place the towel over you.” I then added, “You have the option of either leaving your underwear on or not.”

A few minutes later I heard Carl say, “Okay. I’m ready.” Upon entering the room I saw Carl laying on the table as I had instructed. However, instead of placing the towel over his buttocks—which I saw were completely naked—he had placed it on his back. Not wanting to make Carl feel uncomfortable, I approached the table and lowered the towel from his back to his buttocks, covering both well muscled cheeks.

Carl’s response was, “Sorry about that. I knew you would need to work on my butt so I didn’t think the towel was to go down there.” The ‘down there’ was obviously referring to his buttocks.

Since I didn’t want to overwork the buttocks muscles in the first session I had planned on a session time of thirty minutes with the possibility of another visit or two after that. So, for the next many minutes I kneaded Carl’s buttock muscles, all nine of them, on each side. My first approach was light touch, warming the muscles with my hands and slow movement. After doing several minutes of light massage I began to work my fingers into each area of Carl’s butt, eventually kneading with my closed fists as if those muscles were bread dough. Several times I asked Carl if he was okay with my pressure. His answer: “Oh, yeah. What you’re doing feels great.”

As time went by I could feel the muscles that had been so tight, begin to loosen. My therapy approach was working. Finally, after many minutes of light to heavy kneading, I took away the dry towel and replaced it a warm, wet one. Carl’s immediate response was, “Oh, man, that feels good.” As the heat penetrated Carl’s buttocks muscles I could feel the effects of the warmth: the fibrous tissue that had been so tight was continuing to soften.

After seeing that he was responding well to my treatment, I eventually withdrew the wet towel and, once more, covered Carl’s buttocks with a dry one. I then told Carl he could dress after I left the room and then call me when he was done. Surprisingly, within less than a minute, I heard Carl call out, “You can come in.” Upon opening the door I instantly saw Carl, totally naked, walking around the room. His response to my entry was not what I would have expected. Without any sense of shame, Carl said, “You’ve done a miraculous thing! Look at how easy I’m walking now.” Trying not to embarrass Carl, I didn’t do anything or say anything that would make him feel I was uncomfortable at seeing him completely naked. In fact, I continued speaking to him as if he was fully dressed, instructing him how to do some easy stretches over the next few days.

Eventually, Carl began to dress. Recognizing that I might be questioning why he had remained naked after my work on him was done, Carl said, “Sorry. I hope I didn’t embarrass you.” He then told me his was a nudist. “I’m used to being naked, especially around the house. But I sometimes forget that others may not be as comfortable with me being like this.” He then added that he was a member of a nearby nudist camp. “I try to get out there whenever I can but my business keeps me so busy that I’m not there as much as I would like.”

Smiling, I told Carl that nudity did not embarrass me. I then told him that I, too, enjoyed being naked, but that was mostly at home. “But I’ve been to a few nude beaches and went to a nudist resort in Florida a few years ago.” In addition I informed him that was an artist and that I sometimes did paintings or drawings of nudes. “I have several nudist friends who pose for me occasionally.” Carl smiled and quickly responded with, “Well, if you ever need a model, I’m available.” Given that invitation, I followed up with, “I just may give you a call in the near future.”

A few weeks later I did call Carl who quickly agreed to pose for me. The painting here is one I did of him, one that showed him doing what he does when he gets home from work: takes off his business clothes and enjoys the freedom nudity brings him. Obviously, Carl enjoyed the series of treatments that first brought him to my office. He has been a returning client of mine ever since. He finds my bodywork relaxing and helps him get ready for meeting his friend at the racquetball court. He has also invited me to be his guest at the nudist camp he is a member of. I think I’ll take him up on that invitation once the weather gets warmer.