Fallen asleep? Accidentally farted? Don’t worry – that embarrassing massage moment happens more often than you think…

If you’ve ever embarrassed yourself during a massage, you’re not alone. We’ve all got a massage story we’d only tell under oath, but here a few brave souls reveal theirs.

Underwear woes

‘As soon as I undressed, I realised my knickers weren’t very appropriate – purple velvet at the front and totally see-through at the back! I had to lay face down with my bottom on show,’ says Heather, 63. ‘My therapist just reached for a towel and said ‘I’ll put this over you, in case it gets a bit cold’. I’m convinced he was being tactful.’

Anne, 32, also got her knickers in a twist – or rather a lack of them. She says, ‘My masseuse asked me to get ready, and left a pair of paper pants to change into. I’d never had a massage before, so I thought they were for putting on my head, to cover my hair. She walked back in to find me naked, wearing the pants like a bandana, and didn’t say a word.’

Bodily outbursts

Falling asleep is a common massage side effect. Sarah, 26, says, ‘I regularly drift off. I’ve even woken myself up snoring! I mean, with a lady-like rumble… My therapist says she sees it as a compliment when clients fall asleep; she’s been able to put them so at ease, they feel calm enough to nod off.’

Feeling calm is impossible when you’re trying to stop yourself farting. ‘I’d just eaten a bag of dried apricots before a reflexology session,’ confesses another Sarah, 30. ‘As soon as it started, I felt a horrible sensation in my stomach. A few gurgles turned into bloating and suddenly I had to suppress the urge to violently let rip. I spent the next hour in absolute agony – no wonder my therapist said he could spot an imbalance in my digestive system!’

Let it all out

Even our emotions can be released during a treatment. Gillian, 37, says, ‘I was having a full-body massage, and at one point I found tears running down my face. When my therapist massaged the bridge of my nose, I weirdly laughed out loud! But she explained that we hold both good and bad emotions in tense muscles, which are released when we relax.’

So whatever happens to you during a massage, rest assured that your therapist has seen (or heard!) it all before. Even the stories we couldn’t include here…