Of all the questions people are too shy to ask before a first massage, this is the big one. So let me answer it the way I would over a cup of tea: plainly, honestly, and with absolutely no judgement.
The short answer
Wear whatever you like to the appointment — you will not be massaged in it. When you arrive at my treatment space we talk first, and then I leave the room while you undress to *your* comfort level and settle under a sarong on the table. Most people keep their underwear on. Some prefer to keep more on. Both are completely fine, and nobody is ever asked to be more undressed than they want to be.
That phrase — "undress to your comfort level" — is the whole rule. There is no dress code on a massage table. There is only what lets you relax.
What draping actually means
Draping is the practice every good therapist works by. You are covered with a sarong, and rather than uncovering one small spot at a time, the sarong is simply folded back — at the waist, for example — so I can massage down the back and along the whole length of the body, head to feet, in those long unbroken strokes. You stay covered where it matters the entire time, and intimate areas are never part of the work, ever.
It is not an awkward formality, and it is not a test of modesty. Good draping is what makes it possible to deeply let go while feeling completely safe — warm, held and private. Once you have felt it done well, you stop thinking about it within minutes, which is rather the point.
Why less clothing suits KaHuna (but comfort wins)
KaHuna massage is long, flowing bodywork — strokes with warm oil that travel the whole length of the body without stopping at borders. Waistbands and straps interrupt that river, so the work flows best with less in its way. That is the honest, practical reason massage generally happens skin-to-oil.
And yet: your comfort outranks the technique, every single time. If you would rather stay more clothed, tell me and the session adapts — the rhythm, the warmth and the intention all still arrive. A tense body in the "correct" amount of clothing gets far less from a session than a relaxed one wearing whatever it needed to feel safe.
Small practical things worth knowing
Jewellery — easier left at home. Anything you do wear can come off in the room and sit safely with your things.
Hair — if it is long, a soft tie is handy; there is warm oil involved and it does its wandering best.
Afterwards — the oil is nourishing and your skin drinks most of it in, but soft, easy clothes are nicer to float home in than anything crisp or fitted. Nobody has ever regretted bringing their comfiest jumper.
Arriving — come as you are. From work, from the beach, from the school run. There is nothing to prepare and nothing to get right.
Still wondering about something?
Every question you are half-embarrassed to ask, someone asked me last week — there is a whole honest list on the FAQ page, and a fuller walk-through in your first KaHuna massage: what to expect. Or just book a time and ask me in person before we begin. That conversation is part of every session, and no question is too small for it.
With love,
Bryony 💕