Draping Your Client (Ethics Standard V)

The Importance of Proper Draping in Massage Therapy

As a massage therapist, one of your most essential responsibilities is ensuring the comfort, safety, and dignity of your clients. Proper draping is not just a skill; it’s a cornerstone of professionalism and client trust. Whether you're working with clients in a prone or supine position—or performing a more specialized abdominal massage—understanding and mastering proper draping techniques is critical.

Our Draping Course is designed to provide clear, practical guidance to help you maintain professional boundaries while enhancing your client’s relaxation and trust during each session. This online course combines detailed written instruction with numerous photographs, ensuring you have the visual and contextual tools to practice and perfect your technique.  

Why Proper Draping Matters

1. Protects Client Modesty

Massage therapy requires close physical contact, which can sometimes make clients feel vulnerable. Proper draping ensures that only the areas being worked on are exposed, maintaining the client’s privacy and comfort throughout the session.

2. Establishes Clear Physical Boundaries

Draping acts as a physical and psychological boundary between the client and therapist. It reinforces professionalism and reassures clients that their needs, comfort, and consent are always respected.

3. Enhances Relaxation and Trust

When clients feel secure and respected, they’re more likely to relax and fully benefit from the therapeutic process. Proper draping fosters an environment of safety, which can lead to deeper client-therapist rapport and better session outcomes.

What You’ll Learn in This Course

1. Comprehensive Draping Techniques

This course provides step-by-step instructions for draping clients in both prone and supine positions, ensuring you’re equipped to handle any scenario with confidence and professionalism.

2. Draping for Abdominal Massage

Abdominal massage can be particularly sensitive for clients, making proper draping even more critical. This course includes detailed guidance and visual aids to help you navigate this specific technique with care and precision.

3. Common Draping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

You’ll learn about potential pitfalls in draping and how to address them to ensure each session remains professional and seamless.

4. Visual Learning

The course includes a wealth of photographs and video links to illustrate proper draping techniques, giving you clear examples to follow and apply in your practice. 

Why This Course is Essential for Massage Therapists

1. Build Client Confidence: Clients often choose a therapist based on how safe and comfortable they feel. Mastering proper draping techniques demonstrates your commitment to their well-being and professionalism.

2. Meet Industry Standards: Draping is a fundamental part of massage therapy training and practice. By taking this course, you’ll ensure your methods meet the highest industry standards, protecting both your clients and your reputation.

3. Gain Practical, Real-World Skills: This course is designed for immediate application, equipping you with the knowledge and skills you need to implement proper draping in your next session.

Enroll in the Proper Draping Course Today  

Proper draping is more than a technical skill—it’s a professional commitment to your clients’ safety, comfort, and dignity. By enrolling in this course, you’ll gain the confidence and expertise to handle every session with care and precision.

Don’t leave something as essential as draping to chance. Enroll today and take your massage therapy practice to the next level.

About This Course

• Massage Therapy continuing education CEUs awarded: 2 (This counts as two ethics hours under the Standard V Roles and Boundaries for the NCBTMB.)
• Classification of CE Hours: Cognitive
• Tuition: $12
  
• Approved by: Institute of Somatic Therapy is approved by the NCBTMB (Provider #280672-00) as a continuing education Approved Provider. Institute of Somatic Therapy is approved by Florida (#MCE-326), and New York (#0019). Our courses are also valid for most individual states as well as for AMTA and ABMP. Some states limit how many hours can be done online or by home study. Please refer to our State Guidelines section for specific information about your state. Laws can and do change, and your state will hold you responsible for knowing the laws that apply to you.
• CE Broker Reporting:  Institute of Somatic Therapy will automatically report your hours to CE Broker in applicable states ONLY IF you have provided your license number in your online account with us. You can verify your license information by logging on to our website, and reviewing your account information. If your license is not shown there, please select “edit” to include it.