Why We Keep You Dressed — And Why That’s a Benefit

If you’ve had a massage before, you might expect low lighting, quiet music, and someone telling you to undress and get under the sheets.

That’s not what we do here.

At Elbow Grease, we’re not a spa. We’re a body shop. We’re here to help you move better, feel better, and get back to doing what you love — and that starts with a different approach.

You’re Here for Results, Not a Robe

The kind of work we do — orthopedic massage, functional bodywork, and mobility-focused care — isn’t about zoning out for an hour. It’s about creating real, lasting change in your body. That means we need to stretch you, test you, move you, and sometimes have you move with us.

Loose, comfortable clothes (like athletic wear) let us do that work without pausing every few minutes to readjust sheets or ask you to flip over like a burrito.

Getting Dressed (and Undressed) Isn’t Easy When You’re in Pain

We work with people who are injured, stiff, recovering from surgery, or living with chronic pain. And for a lot of them, dressing and undressing is a real struggle.

Trying to wrangle your clothes off, climb onto a high table, and flip over under tangled sheets — all while managing your pain — isn’t exactly ideal.

We’d rather make it easier on you from the start.

Not Everyone Feels Comfortable Naked — And That Matters

Let’s name the obvious: not everyone feels safe or relaxed getting undressed with a stranger in the room.

Whether it’s past experiences, body image, trauma history, or just personal comfort — we respect that. You don’t owe anyone your vulnerability just to get good care.

Our job is to meet you where you’re at. Not ask you to meet some spa standard that never fit you in the first place.

Clothes On = More Freedom to Work

When you’re dressed in something you can move in, we’re able to:

• Get right to work without stopping to manage sheets or draping

• Have you move, stretch, or breathe through patterns as we treat them

• Show you what to do between sessions — whether it’s mobility work, self-release, or movement tweaks that help the changes stick

It’s not a workaround — it’s how we get better results.

So yeah — we keep you dressed on purpose.

Because this isn’t about fluff. It’s about function. And we think you deserve care that works with your body, not against it.