Well, it’s official. We launched this new little brand of ours called Melt in style last Wednesday night, holding a cocktail party as a thank you to our Pozible contributors and a way to introduce Melt to some of the media and bloggers from our local city.
It was an awesome party. We had the support of some amazing sponsors to make it happen, and the theme was decadence… as Style Melbourne so aptly put it in their write-up, we had “all the ingredients that make for a really good night in” – anyone that knows me knows I love exceptional food, wine and cocktails and a penchant for design and fashion. We made sure all these elements were included at the Melt launch party as a way to really spoil our guests.
There was the artisan cheese grazing table from Milk the Cow Licensed Fromagerie stocked with gooey, sumptuous European cheeses. Head Cheesemonger Laura Lown specifically chose cheeses to match the theme of our event, all pale whites to match our colour theme, and all deliciously indulgent, such as the triple cream Brillat Savarin, a gooey choice that fit our Melt namesake perfectly.
Milk the Cow Cheese Grazing Table at Melt Massage for Couples Launch
Branded wooden cheeseboards from Milk the Cow added to the gorgeous styling of the cheese grazing table.
Beautiful, sophisticated styling with mini soft-ripened cheeses, golden pears and fresh herbs from Milk the Cow.
Cheese grazing table by Milk the Cow Licensed Fromagerie
Gooey, melty Brillat Savarin triple cream brie from Milk the Cow Licensed Fromagerie
We had exceptionally decadent martinis made with Fire Drum Vodka, a local brand produced at Tasmania Distillery in Hobart. The Franklin Barley used in Fire Drum is sourced by an expert malter who travels Tasmania selecting only the finest barley. The secret to Fire Drum is the barley is brewed with Tasmanian water into a ‘wash’ which is then double distilled in a Copper Pot still – an age-old, minimalistic approach to distillation.
Fire Drum Vodka was used for our decadent cocktails at Melt Massage for Couples Launch
The best bits of the spirit run which is the most pure, malty and sweet, are then selected and used. The spirit is then gently filtered once through charcoal and blended with pure pristine Tasmanian water.
The result is a truly unique, expressive and smooth vodka. It is full-flavoured with a malty sweetness and it makes an excellent addition to cocktails.
Ben Luzz from Bar Ampere mixing the Melt Massage for Couples Launch cocktails
Ben Luzz from the renowned Bar Ampere came up with two amazing cocktails made with this vodka. The first was the Liquid Gold Melt Martini; a classic wet vodka martini garnished with a golden olive, hand-wrapped in edible gold leaf. It looked divine and tasted amazing too.
Our bespoke Liquid Gold Melt Martini created by Ben Luzz from Bar Ampere, using Fire Drum Vodka. That’s an olive hand-wrapped in edible gold leaf! Photo credit: Style Melbourne.
The other was The Last Bastian, a honeycomb and absinthe martini garnished with orange peel, incredible flavour especially with the notes of vanilla from the Fire Drum Vodka. It’s a beautiful product that, as Ben said, doesn’t require too much messing with, which is why he kept the cocktails simple to show it off.
The Last Bastian Fire Drum Vodka Martini by Ben Luzz from Bar Ampere with Housemade honeycomb syrup and absinthe. Photo credit: Style Melbourne
Of course, there were also some amazing wines flowing, you can’t celebrate without a few glasses of French bubbly after all! Even our mineral water was decadent, a locally sourced, fantastic water supplied by sponsor Capi. This is water that was voted the #1 Australian Mineral Water by Epicure in The Age (aka, our food and drink bible). I love their sleek glass bottles and the water tastes amazing – clean and crisp.
French bubbly at the ready for toasting at the Melt: Massage for Couples launch
I was set on a dessert grazing table so I made one myself – a candy buffet laden with childhood favourite treats like milk bottles, loads of white chocolate, fluffy marshmallows and delicious cupcakes from Joy Cupcakes – the lemon meringue was incredible, as was the Choc Marshmallow flavour. A big hit toward the end of the night after a couple of martinis!
Our Candy Buffet was the perfect dessert option.
Lemon Meringue and Choc Marshmallow Cupcakes thanks to Joy Cupcakes – delicious!
The space we held the party in was just beautiful – friend and sponsor JASONGRECH let us have his style studio for the night, a converted stable where he makes his couture bridal and red carpet gowns by hand. Jason made my wedding dress six years ago, we’ve been firm friends ever since. We were very lucky to have such a great venue made available to us, as he doesn’t do that very often at all. (He also helped style the candy buffet last minute along with our talented friend Mel, an interior designer… thanks to them both for making it look so amazing!)
The first few guests arrive to the Melt: Massage for Couples launch at the JASONGRECH Style Studio
Just warming up – a panorama of the gorgeous JASONGRECH Style Studio as the party begins.
We loved our pink carnival heart from Letter Lights as a fun photo booth area!
Co-founders who kiss! Bit of fun in the Pink Carnival Heart from Letter Lights.
Is three a crowd? Doesn’t look like it!
The look of love! Awesome Pozible supporters Cory & Paul.
Pink Carnival Heart from Letter Lights
But the very best thing about the Melt launch was being able to celebrate with all the people who have supported us and thank them from the bottom of our hearts.
Thanks to everyone who came to the Melt: Massage for Couples launch party and supported our crowdfunding campaign! We really couldn’t have done it without you. All images by Timson.
As Den said in his speech, 2013 was a really hard year for us. Our other business wasn’t going well, there was no money, we were living and working from a house that desperately needed renovating and we were having a really awful time of it. It was the toughest year we’ve had so far financially, as well as career-wise and then of course – ipso facto – for our marriage.
In November 2013, it all changed. We ran a crowdfunding campaign to get this business – Melt: Massage for Couples – off the ground. Getting successfully funded was our first win in a long time. Less than two months later, we were on a plane to LA to film the couples massage videos we’d been planning for so long. By March 2014, we were selling them online and as of a few months ago we have couples on every single continent (bar Antarctica) that are learning to massage using our product.
A little thank you speech.
What a turnaround, and what a difference a year makes. We’re so very grateful to everyone that helped get us out of that dark time and through to today. We quite literally couldn’t have done it without the support of a solid network. Which brings us full circle – last Wednesday night, we officially launched this new little brand of ours called Melt. And we couldn’t be happier. Now, we’re back to the task of reaching as many couples as possible right around the world!
Just try keeping the smiles off our face right now! Can’t happen.
If you were to ask me “Steve, what is the secret to the perfect back rub?” My answer would be:
1. “Actually, my name is Denis.” and
2. “Contour your hands to your partner’s body.”
I’m an Australian massage therapist, and I specialise in teaching couples how to give amazing back rubs.
Over the last decade, I’ve taught over 20,000 couples in more than 50 countries using my methods how to give a great massage at home, so they can last longer than five minutes and not end up with sore hands at the end.
If I could give you only one tip to a better back rub, it would be contouring. This is the #1 technique couples should start with to make their hands feel more professional.
Check the GIF below out…
The MOST important massage tip I’ll ever teach you
Take a closer look at my hands in this clip – watch how they contour to my wife’s body… notice how relaxed she is… notice how each finger moulds to her curves, palms are down too.
Looks good, huh?
Best of all, this doesn’t hurt my hands, nor do my thumbs want to pop off and run away.
I could literally do this for hours without putting any stress on my hands and it feels simply amazing!
Most couples go in too deep, too early – making their back rubs feel amateurish. Worst of all, as soon as your hands begin to hurt, you give up and your partner has a very unsatisfying massage experience that lasts just a few minutes.
I want you to do it the way professional massage therapists do.
Always warm the muscles up first. I call this “romancing the body.”
The easiest way for you to do this, is… you guessed it! To contour your hands.
Start by moulding your hands to your partner’s body – follow along to how I do it in the GIF above.
Your goal is to see if we can relax our partner, make their shoulders drop and sink back into us. We need to start here before we can move on to teaching you knots and deep tissue work.
The single most important massage tip I’ll ever teach you. Mould your hands to your partner’s body: “Keep your palms down & fingertips down.”
Want to learn how to do this properly?
Join our FREE online mini massage course. I’ll show you:
Where to sit for the most intimate back rubs at home
The 4 most common mistakes couples make
We talk more about contouring
AND I take you through two amazing massage techniques (that you don’t even need any massage oil for)
Sign up free. No spam. We will never share your address. Just good massage tips and exclusive content.
https://couplesmassagecourses.com/wp-content/uploads/one-tip-you-should-learn.jpg6281200Denis Merkashttps://staging.couplesmassagecourses.com/wp-content/uploads/melt-logo-192.pngDenis Merkas2014-09-17 06:36:392018-05-20 00:15:23The Most Important Massage Tip I’ll Ever Teach You
“We’re coming to your live couples massage course this weekend. We were hoping you could include some tips on lymphatic drainage massage for us?”
Every now and then I receive questions like this from a couple, asking for specialised tuition on how to treat their partner at home.
It’s important that we understand the roles that we play with our partner when massaging. The most important distinction to make is that your partner is not your massage therapist, nor should you be theirs.
Your partner is your lover, your best friend, your husband, your wife, your boyfriend, your girlfriend. They are not there to fix your high level muscular issues.
Registered massage therapists, even at entry-level, spend many, many, many hours over months and years learning their craft.
And massage school isn’t even the important part. What makes a good practitioner is the hours of practice they put in after their schooling is over.
When I finished massage school back in the year 2000, I took every chance to get my hands on everyone I knew. When I wasn’t treating at the clinic, I was giving away free massages to anyone who i could get my hands on. The complicated the presenting condition was, the higher I would jump to get a chance to see if I could rectify the issue.
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My girlfriend (back then), who was also a massage therapist, and I would spend hours every day, month after month working on each other’s muscles, going through the process of clinical assessments, mapping out muscles and perfecting our techniques.
Do you see what I’m trying to say? Massage for me was not a hobby – I took it very seriously. If you want to treat your partner as a massage therapist, you need to do the education first and then most importantly spend the hours practicing, preferably on as many different people as possible to build your experience!
A two-hour workshop with me will never get you to this level. I do not teach people how to become massage therapists. I teach couples how to massage each other.
My goal is to teach couples how to give a massage, within their existing relationship. I teach people to massage the way they would at home for closeness, intimacy and a deeper connection. This is a world away from the way a massage therapist treats you on a massage table. They are two separate concepts.
It works both ways. There is no way I would ever treat a random patient using the system I’ve created in MELT: Massage for Couples – its far too intimate and personal, by design.
My techniques are not designed to teach you to “fix” your partner or treat specific problems; they are created to make your partner fall in love with your hands, to have them say “mmm” and “ahh” and so you can give them an experience unlike any you’ve had before. Most importantly, Melt is for healthy bodies.
When my wife Emma first massaged me using the techniques I had written, I was blown away. In all my years of professional massaging, I’d never had a massage like that before. It wasn’t about the techniques, or having her be perfect at the massage she was giving me… it was about a shared experience, a deeper connection.
Don’t try to be something that you’re not, and don’t expect your partner to suddenly be a massage guru. It will only result in disappointment. If your partner has a specific muscular complaint that you don’t know how to deal with, or a recent injury, or chronic pain, or wants a lymphatic drainage massage, I recommend you book them in to see a reputable, registered massage therapist. This simple act of kindness will be enough to blow your partner away.
https://couplesmassagecourses.com/wp-content/uploads/why-i-will-never-teach-this-style-of-massage.jpg3601030Denis Merkashttps://staging.couplesmassagecourses.com/wp-content/uploads/melt-logo-192.pngDenis Merkas2014-09-05 14:26:592018-05-14 17:44:19Why I Will Never Teach This Style of Massage
It’s no coincidence that most people raise their eyebrows at us when we tell them we teach couples how to massage each other. The mere thought of all that oil, flesh and rubbing… it’s inherently sexy, no?
While Den and I consciously and deliberately make sure our products and our seminars are clean, sophisticated and massage-focused, it’s also hard to ignore the fact that massage is a whole heap of hot when it’s done effectively between two people who are attracted to one another.
We’ve always said we just provide the massage toolkit, what happens later behind closed doors is completely up to you.
But here’s the thing. Learning to give your partner an amazing romantic massage can make you a better lover.
Think I’m joking? I’d never kid about being better in bed. In fact, when we surveyed our live course participants a few years back, 50% of them agreed that learning how to massage had improved their sex lives!(We can only assume that the other half already had it going on when it came to the boudoir!)
Here are five ways the skills you develop when learning how to massage can crossover into your boudoir:
The Art of the Tease
Whether it’s a professional massage between a therapist and patient or a romantic massage between a couple, the concept here is the same: when you’re massaging, you want to take your massagee on a journey.
Much of any massage is made up of repetition. We repeat strokes again and again to lull people into a comfortable, relaxed state. The best part about this repetition? Anticipation, baby.
Consider this: You’re nailing an awesome massage stroke, hitting just the right sore spots in your partner’s shoulders as you go… You hear your partner moan just a little bit when you work on that spot you know is there. Instead of going hammer-and-tong on the sore bit (no pinchy-pinchy, people!), you carefully note where it is and leisurely take your time coming back to it.
You hit that sore spot again – another moan. They like it. You continue the rest of the stroke, then return toward that little spot of gold you know is waiting there.
Right this second, your partner is thinking “… Do you think he’s going to hit that spot again? I think he is… yep, I’m pretty sure he’s going to do – Ohhhhhh wowwwwww (cue drooling).”
Learn the art of the tease in your massage and you’ll have a captivated audience for life. Apply the same art of the tease to your seduction in the bedroom and watch your partner melt happily into a pile of blissed-out goo.
Rhythm and Flow
The best massage therapists add a natural rhythm and flow to their massage routines. These two crucial elements help relax your massagee with gentle rocking, swaying and no unexpected surprises.
When we say flow, we mean each stroke should fluidly merge into the next one, flowing in an unbroken dance over the skin. The best way to do this is to make sure each of your massage techniques can link to the next seamlessly, and to make sure you finish every stroke right to the end.
Don’t bail out halfway through a massage technique to hurriedly jump to the next one – that’s amateur.
When we say rhythm, we mean building up a repetitive and comforting rhythm to add interest. If we think of the rhythm just like music, you don’t have to do your entire massage to a 4/4 beat. You can change the rhythm, add a highlight every few “bars” or so. The easiest way to introduce rhythm to your massage is to work with the music you have on in the background.
And when it comes to lovemaking? Well, I shouldn’t have to tell you that getting a good rhythm and flow between the sheets is infinitely preferable to random thrusting. Learn to use your body in a sensual and rhythmical way to really up the ante with your lover.
Get in Tune with Your Partner
One of the most important parts of learning how to massage is listening for feedback cues to see if you’re doing it right. This is especially crucial when you first start out learning to massage, so that you can keep becoming better.
What you want to look for are both verbal and non-verbal cues from your partner that you’re hitting the right spots. Because you’re usually sitting behind them to massage, you can’t read the facial expressions you usually would.
Soft moans, head dropping back and goosebumps on the skin are all excellent signs you’re headed in the right direction.
On the other hand, hunched shoulders, pulling away and your partner sitting up straight as a pole while you massage should be cues that you’re not quite hitting the mark.
Learning to read your partner’s body like this has many benefits in the bedroom as well, before long you’ll instinctively know exactly what your sweetie is thinking without having to ask.
Ambiance, Ambiance, Ambiance
We’ve tried massaging under fluorescent lights. In cold rooms. On hard floorboards with no rug. With the TV on. None of it is good.
Whether it’s sex or a massage, the principles of a romantic ambiance are exactly the same: flattering lighting, a comfortable temperature, some moody music and maybe even some wine and a fruit plate. It’s all classic seduction and man, is it melt-worthy.
Spend some time perfecting your ambiant mood-setting techniques and you can turn an entire night around with the flick of a light switch. For a massage, for love… for whatever you like.
The Ultimate Pre-Foreplay Foreplay
Foreplay is the perfect way to take any lovemaking session from good to great. It’s fun, you can play and experiment, it stretches out the whole encounter to make it a truly delicious experience. After all, the actual sex part usually lasts an average of 5 minutes (true fact) so anything we can do to draw that out is a Very Good Thing.
Consider massage as your pre-foreplay foreplay. It will help get you in the mood for the foreplay that will get you in the mood for sex. It will extend your seduction by another forty-five minutes, done right.
Use your romantic massage to build anticipation further, to help your partner wind down and relax from a stressful day before you transition to something more, to make sure your sweetie feels loved and appreciated and as a great way to get your hands on them for a little bit longer.
Your massage might not always lead to sex – of course, you need to respect your partner’s feelings on this. But if the lag between the pre-foreplay foreplay and the actual foreplay is a few weeks, the effects won’t wane in between. It will only serve to build more anticipation for your future bedroom frolic.
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https://couplesmassagecourses.com/wp-content/uploads/massage-will-make-you-a-better-lover.jpg3601030Couples Massage Courseshttps://staging.couplesmassagecourses.com/wp-content/uploads/melt-logo-192.pngCouples Massage Courses2014-07-31 17:34:462018-05-14 17:44:215 Unbelievable Ways Learning How to Massage Will Make You a Better Lover
Here’s a little secret for you: you don’t have to be great at massage to give your partner an amazing, romantic massage experience.
Your massage should only be part of the equation. The best experiences include music, ambiance and anticipation.
Ideally, by the time you get your hands on your partner, they should already be bowled over by your efforts to connect and make them melt. It’s easy to make this happen…
Here’s some ideas you can do to make your massage experience unlike anything anyone has even created for your partner before:
The Ambiance Soft music, flickering candles and even some seductive foods make for the perfect setting.
Dim the lights
Clean and tidy your space
Heat the room to comfort level
Make use of tea light or votive candles
Your partner’s favourite music (chilled / soft recommended, although most genres work)
Switch devices off (no distractions)
Privacy is highly recommended
The Massage Equipment It’s important to have everything you need to massage your partner close by. The best massages are ones that flow, from beginning to end, without distractitions. Once your hands touch your partner aim to keep your hands on them until the massage ends. Make your partner the most important person in the world to you at that moment.
Towels or a soft blanket for the floor (you don’t want massage oil in your carpet)
Hand towel on standby for wiping off oil later
Small footstool or sturdy pillows
Your favourite massage oil
Large towel or sarong to wrap around your partner while massaging them
The Romantic Massage Optional Extras If you want to take your romantic massage night up a notch, here are some decadent additions you can consider for an ultimate seduction.
Fruit and cheese platter
Bottle of wine
Blindfold (cut off one sense, all the others heighten… this will make your massage feel even better!)
Scenery (romantic getaway – think hotel or log cabin)
Here’s just one example of setting up an intimate expereince. Book your partner in for a “special date night” ahead of time, and then lets get organised.
On the night, draw your partner a relaxing bath (assuming your place has a bathtub – if not skip this paragraph). Set up the bathroom with candles and music, perhaps hand them a cup of tea or a glass of wine on their way into the bathroom, let them know you’d like them to relax and you’ll be back to get them in a little while.
As they’re soaking in the tub, you’ll set up your massage space using the checklist above. Then, head back to the bathroom with blindfold in hand. Collect your partner and have them leave their towel on, or pop on a robe.
Slip the blindfold around their eyes and carefully lead them to the massage space. Settle them in their spot, hand them a glass of wine while you get yourself set up.
Settle in behind, hands on their shoulders and gently annouce they’re about to receive a massage. Follow-along to one of our curated massage routines. Ideally, you will have already practiced the techniques ahead of time with your partner. This is just taking your practical knowledge from good to amazing, knee-weakening, classic romance.
And watch them Melt in your hands…
Common Things That Ruin A Massage Watch out for these.
Distractions – not being present
Interruptions – massage stops often
Breaking the flow of the massage is a Melt sin. Frequent stop/starts are a mood killer.
Pain / Uncomfortable
As soon as one person is uncomfortable or in pain the massage ends
This could be due to posture, seated arrangement
Poor massage technique
Cold room / Messy Room
Cold hands
Poor preparation
Run out of oil
Forgetting your wipe off towel
Music too loud
Attitude / emotions
Messy room
Harsh lighting
Uninspiring music
Boring massage – not being present.
Poor technique
The bed (soft surfaces are difficult to massage on)
https://couplesmassagecourses.com/wp-content/uploads/Complete-checklist-romantic-massage.jpg3601030Couples Massage Courseshttps://staging.couplesmassagecourses.com/wp-content/uploads/melt-logo-192.pngCouples Massage Courses2014-07-28 16:19:552021-07-26 23:50:14Your Complete Checklist for a Romantic Massage at Home
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It’s Official: Melt Massage for Couples Launches with Decadent Party
Well, it’s official. We launched this new little brand of ours called Melt in style last Wednesday night, holding a cocktail party as a thank you to our Pozible contributors and a way to introduce Melt to some of the media and bloggers from our local city.
It was an awesome party. We had the support of some amazing sponsors to make it happen, and the theme was decadence… as Style Melbourne so aptly put it in their write-up, we had “all the ingredients that make for a really good night in” – anyone that knows me knows I love exceptional food, wine and cocktails and a penchant for design and fashion. We made sure all these elements were included at the Melt launch party as a way to really spoil our guests.
There was the artisan cheese grazing table from Milk the Cow Licensed Fromagerie stocked with gooey, sumptuous European cheeses. Head Cheesemonger Laura Lown specifically chose cheeses to match the theme of our event, all pale whites to match our colour theme, and all deliciously indulgent, such as the triple cream Brillat Savarin, a gooey choice that fit our Melt namesake perfectly.
Milk the Cow Cheese Grazing Table at Melt Massage for Couples Launch
Branded wooden cheeseboards from Milk the Cow added to the gorgeous styling of the cheese grazing table.
Beautiful, sophisticated styling with mini soft-ripened cheeses, golden pears and fresh herbs from Milk the Cow.
Cheese grazing table by Milk the Cow Licensed Fromagerie
Gooey, melty Brillat Savarin triple cream brie from Milk the Cow Licensed Fromagerie
We had exceptionally decadent martinis made with Fire Drum Vodka, a local brand produced at Tasmania Distillery in Hobart. The Franklin Barley used in Fire Drum is sourced by an expert malter who travels Tasmania selecting only the finest barley. The secret to Fire Drum is the barley is brewed with Tasmanian water into a ‘wash’ which is then double distilled in a Copper Pot still – an age-old, minimalistic approach to distillation.
Fire Drum Vodka was used for our decadent cocktails at Melt Massage for Couples Launch
The best bits of the spirit run which is the most pure, malty and sweet, are then selected and used. The spirit is then gently filtered once through charcoal and blended with pure pristine Tasmanian water.
The result is a truly unique, expressive and smooth vodka. It is full-flavoured with a malty sweetness and it makes an excellent addition to cocktails.
Ben Luzz from Bar Ampere mixing the Melt Massage for Couples Launch cocktails
Ben Luzz from the renowned Bar Ampere came up with two amazing cocktails made with this vodka. The first was the Liquid Gold Melt Martini; a classic wet vodka martini garnished with a golden olive, hand-wrapped in edible gold leaf. It looked divine and tasted amazing too.
Our bespoke Liquid Gold Melt Martini created by Ben Luzz from Bar Ampere, using Fire Drum Vodka. That’s an olive hand-wrapped in edible gold leaf! Photo credit: Style Melbourne.
The other was The Last Bastian, a honeycomb and absinthe martini garnished with orange peel, incredible flavour especially with the notes of vanilla from the Fire Drum Vodka. It’s a beautiful product that, as Ben said, doesn’t require too much messing with, which is why he kept the cocktails simple to show it off.
The Last Bastian Fire Drum Vodka Martini by Ben Luzz from Bar Ampere with Housemade honeycomb syrup and absinthe. Photo credit: Style Melbourne
Of course, there were also some amazing wines flowing, you can’t celebrate without a few glasses of French bubbly after all! Even our mineral water was decadent, a locally sourced, fantastic water supplied by sponsor Capi. This is water that was voted the #1 Australian Mineral Water by Epicure in The Age (aka, our food and drink bible). I love their sleek glass bottles and the water tastes amazing – clean and crisp.
French bubbly at the ready for toasting at the Melt: Massage for Couples launch
I was set on a dessert grazing table so I made one myself – a candy buffet laden with childhood favourite treats like milk bottles, loads of white chocolate, fluffy marshmallows and delicious cupcakes from Joy Cupcakes – the lemon meringue was incredible, as was the Choc Marshmallow flavour. A big hit toward the end of the night after a couple of martinis!
Our Candy Buffet was the perfect dessert option.
Lemon Meringue and Choc Marshmallow Cupcakes thanks to Joy Cupcakes – delicious!
The space we held the party in was just beautiful – friend and sponsor JASONGRECH let us have his style studio for the night, a converted stable where he makes his couture bridal and red carpet gowns by hand. Jason made my wedding dress six years ago, we’ve been firm friends ever since. We were very lucky to have such a great venue made available to us, as he doesn’t do that very often at all. (He also helped style the candy buffet last minute along with our talented friend Mel, an interior designer… thanks to them both for making it look so amazing!)
The first few guests arrive to the Melt: Massage for Couples launch at the JASONGRECH Style Studio
Just warming up – a panorama of the gorgeous JASONGRECH Style Studio as the party begins.
We loved our pink carnival heart from Letter Lights as a fun photo booth area!
Co-founders who kiss! Bit of fun in the Pink Carnival Heart from Letter Lights.
Is three a crowd? Doesn’t look like it!
The look of love! Awesome Pozible supporters Cory & Paul.
Pink Carnival Heart from Letter Lights
But the very best thing about the Melt launch was being able to celebrate with all the people who have supported us and thank them from the bottom of our hearts.
Thanks to everyone who came to the Melt: Massage for Couples launch party and supported our crowdfunding campaign! We really couldn’t have done it without you. All images by Timson.
As Den said in his speech, 2013 was a really hard year for us. Our other business wasn’t going well, there was no money, we were living and working from a house that desperately needed renovating and we were having a really awful time of it. It was the toughest year we’ve had so far financially, as well as career-wise and then of course – ipso facto – for our marriage.
In November 2013, it all changed. We ran a crowdfunding campaign to get this business – Melt: Massage for Couples – off the ground. Getting successfully funded was our first win in a long time. Less than two months later, we were on a plane to LA to film the couples massage videos we’d been planning for so long. By March 2014, we were selling them online and as of a few months ago we have couples on every single continent (bar Antarctica) that are learning to massage using our product.
A little thank you speech.
What a turnaround, and what a difference a year makes. We’re so very grateful to everyone that helped get us out of that dark time and through to today. We quite literally couldn’t have done it without the support of a solid network. Which brings us full circle – last Wednesday night, we officially launched this new little brand of ours called Melt. And we couldn’t be happier. Now, we’re back to the task of reaching as many couples as possible right around the world!
Just try keeping the smiles off our face right now! Can’t happen.
Images graciously supplied by Timson Photography & Design.
The Most Important Massage Tip I’ll Ever Teach You
If you were to ask me “Steve, what is the secret to the perfect back rub?” My answer would be:
1. “Actually, my name is Denis.” and
2. “Contour your hands to your partner’s body.”
I’m an Australian massage therapist, and I specialise in teaching couples how to give amazing back rubs.
Over the last decade, I’ve taught over 20,000 couples in more than 50 countries using my methods how to give a great massage at home, so they can last longer than five minutes and not end up with sore hands at the end.
If I could give you only one tip to a better back rub, it would be contouring. This is the #1 technique couples should start with to make their hands feel more professional.
Check the GIF below out…
The MOST important massage tip I’ll ever teach you
Take a closer look at my hands in this clip – watch how they contour to my wife’s body… notice how relaxed she is… notice how each finger moulds to her curves, palms are down too.
Looks good, huh?
Best of all, this doesn’t hurt my hands, nor do my thumbs want to pop off and run away.
I could literally do this for hours without putting any stress on my hands and it feels simply amazing!
Most couples go in too deep, too early – making their back rubs feel amateurish. Worst of all, as soon as your hands begin to hurt, you give up and your partner has a very unsatisfying massage experience that lasts just a few minutes.
I want you to do it the way professional massage therapists do.
Always warm the muscles up first. I call this “romancing the body.”
The easiest way for you to do this, is… you guessed it! To contour your hands.
Start by moulding your hands to your partner’s body – follow along to how I do it in the GIF above.
Your goal is to see if we can relax our partner, make their shoulders drop and sink back into us. We need to start here before we can move on to teaching you knots and deep tissue work.
The single most important massage tip I’ll ever teach you. Mould your hands to your partner’s body: “Keep your palms down & fingertips down.”
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Why I Will Never Teach This Style of Massage
Every now and then I receive questions like this from a couple, asking for specialised tuition on how to treat their partner at home.
It’s important that we understand the roles that we play with our partner when massaging. The most important distinction to make is that your partner is not your massage therapist, nor should you be theirs.
Registered massage therapists, even at entry-level, spend many, many, many hours over months and years learning their craft.
And massage school isn’t even the important part. What makes a good practitioner is the hours of practice they put in after their schooling is over.
When I finished massage school back in the year 2000, I took every chance to get my hands on everyone I knew. When I wasn’t treating at the clinic, I was giving away free massages to anyone who i could get my hands on. The complicated the presenting condition was, the higher I would jump to get a chance to see if I could rectify the issue.
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My girlfriend (back then), who was also a massage therapist, and I would spend hours every day, month after month working on each other’s muscles, going through the process of clinical assessments, mapping out muscles and perfecting our techniques.
Do you see what I’m trying to say? Massage for me was not a hobby – I took it very seriously. If you want to treat your partner as a massage therapist, you need to do the education first and then most importantly spend the hours practicing, preferably on as many different people as possible to build your experience!
A two-hour workshop with me will never get you to this level. I do not teach people how to become massage therapists. I teach couples how to massage each other.
My goal is to teach couples how to give a massage, within their existing relationship. I teach people to massage the way they would at home for closeness, intimacy and a deeper connection. This is a world away from the way a massage therapist treats you on a massage table. They are two separate concepts.
My techniques are not designed to teach you to “fix” your partner or treat specific problems; they are created to make your partner fall in love with your hands, to have them say “mmm” and “ahh” and so you can give them an experience unlike any you’ve had before. Most importantly, Melt is for healthy bodies.
When my wife Emma first massaged me using the techniques I had written, I was blown away. In all my years of professional massaging, I’d never had a massage like that before. It wasn’t about the techniques, or having her be perfect at the massage she was giving me… it was about a shared experience, a deeper connection.
Don’t try to be something that you’re not, and don’t expect your partner to suddenly be a massage guru. It will only result in disappointment. If your partner has a specific muscular complaint that you don’t know how to deal with, or a recent injury, or chronic pain, or wants a lymphatic drainage massage, I recommend you book them in to see a reputable, registered massage therapist. This simple act of kindness will be enough to blow your partner away.
5 Unbelievable Ways Learning How to Massage Will Make You a Better Lover
It’s no coincidence that most people raise their eyebrows at us when we tell them we teach couples how to massage each other. The mere thought of all that oil, flesh and rubbing… it’s inherently sexy, no?
While Den and I consciously and deliberately make sure our products and our seminars are clean, sophisticated and massage-focused, it’s also hard to ignore the fact that massage is a whole heap of hot when it’s done effectively between two people who are attracted to one another.
We’ve always said we just provide the massage toolkit, what happens later behind closed doors is completely up to you.
Think I’m joking? I’d never kid about being better in bed. In fact, when we surveyed our live course participants a few years back, 50% of them agreed that learning how to massage had improved their sex lives!(We can only assume that the other half already had it going on when it came to the boudoir!)
Here are five ways the skills you develop when learning how to massage can crossover into your boudoir:
The Art of the Tease
Whether it’s a professional massage between a therapist and patient or a romantic massage between a couple, the concept here is the same: when you’re massaging, you want to take your massagee on a journey.
Much of any massage is made up of repetition. We repeat strokes again and again to lull people into a comfortable, relaxed state. The best part about this repetition? Anticipation, baby.
Consider this: You’re nailing an awesome massage stroke, hitting just the right sore spots in your partner’s shoulders as you go… You hear your partner moan just a little bit when you work on that spot you know is there. Instead of going hammer-and-tong on the sore bit (no pinchy-pinchy, people!), you carefully note where it is and leisurely take your time coming back to it.
Right this second, your partner is thinking “… Do you think he’s going to hit that spot again? I think he is… yep, I’m pretty sure he’s going to do – Ohhhhhh wowwwwww (cue drooling).”
Learn the art of the tease in your massage and you’ll have a captivated audience for life. Apply the same art of the tease to your seduction in the bedroom and watch your partner melt happily into a pile of blissed-out goo.
Rhythm and Flow
The best massage therapists add a natural rhythm and flow to their massage routines. These two crucial elements help relax your massagee with gentle rocking, swaying and no unexpected surprises.
When we say flow, we mean each stroke should fluidly merge into the next one, flowing in an unbroken dance over the skin. The best way to do this is to make sure each of your massage techniques can link to the next seamlessly, and to make sure you finish every stroke right to the end.
When we say rhythm, we mean building up a repetitive and comforting rhythm to add interest. If we think of the rhythm just like music, you don’t have to do your entire massage to a 4/4 beat. You can change the rhythm, add a highlight every few “bars” or so. The easiest way to introduce rhythm to your massage is to work with the music you have on in the background.
And when it comes to lovemaking? Well, I shouldn’t have to tell you that getting a good rhythm and flow between the sheets is infinitely preferable to random thrusting. Learn to use your body in a sensual and rhythmical way to really up the ante with your lover.
Get in Tune with Your Partner
One of the most important parts of learning how to massage is listening for feedback cues to see if you’re doing it right. This is especially crucial when you first start out learning to massage, so that you can keep becoming better.
What you want to look for are both verbal and non-verbal cues from your partner that you’re hitting the right spots. Because you’re usually sitting behind them to massage, you can’t read the facial expressions you usually would.
On the other hand, hunched shoulders, pulling away and your partner sitting up straight as a pole while you massage should be cues that you’re not quite hitting the mark.
Learning to read your partner’s body like this has many benefits in the bedroom as well, before long you’ll instinctively know exactly what your sweetie is thinking without having to ask.
Ambiance, Ambiance, Ambiance
We’ve tried massaging under fluorescent lights. In cold rooms. On hard floorboards with no rug. With the TV on. None of it is good.
Spend some time perfecting your ambiant mood-setting techniques and you can turn an entire night around with the flick of a light switch. For a massage, for love… for whatever you like.
The Ultimate Pre-Foreplay Foreplay
Foreplay is the perfect way to take any lovemaking session from good to great. It’s fun, you can play and experiment, it stretches out the whole encounter to make it a truly delicious experience. After all, the actual sex part usually lasts an average of 5 minutes (true fact) so anything we can do to draw that out is a Very Good Thing.
Consider massage as your pre-foreplay foreplay. It will help get you in the mood for the foreplay that will get you in the mood for sex. It will extend your seduction by another forty-five minutes, done right.
Your massage might not always lead to sex – of course, you need to respect your partner’s feelings on this. But if the lag between the pre-foreplay foreplay and the actual foreplay is a few weeks, the effects won’t wane in between. It will only serve to build more anticipation for your future bedroom frolic.
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Your Complete Checklist for a Romantic Massage at Home
Here’s a little secret for you: you don’t have to be great at massage to give your partner an amazing, romantic massage experience.
Ideally, by the time you get your hands on your partner, they should already be bowled over by your efforts to connect and make them melt. It’s easy to make this happen…
Here’s some ideas you can do to make your massage experience unlike anything anyone has even created for your partner before:
The Ambiance
Soft music, flickering candles and even some seductive foods make for the perfect setting.
The Massage Equipment
It’s important to have everything you need to massage your partner close by. The best massages are ones that flow, from beginning to end, without distractitions. Once your hands touch your partner aim to keep your hands on them until the massage ends. Make your partner the most important person in the world to you at that moment.
The Romantic Massage Optional Extras
If you want to take your romantic massage night up a notch, here are some decadent additions you can consider for an ultimate seduction.
On the night, draw your partner a relaxing bath (assuming your place has a bathtub – if not skip this paragraph). Set up the bathroom with candles and music, perhaps hand them a cup of tea or a glass of wine on their way into the bathroom, let them know you’d like them to relax and you’ll be back to get them in a little while.
As they’re soaking in the tub, you’ll set up your massage space using the checklist above. Then, head back to the bathroom with blindfold in hand. Collect your partner and have them leave their towel on, or pop on a robe.
Slip the blindfold around their eyes and carefully lead them to the massage space. Settle them in their spot, hand them a glass of wine while you get yourself set up.
Settle in behind, hands on their shoulders and gently annouce they’re about to receive a massage. Follow-along to one of our curated massage routines. Ideally, you will have already practiced the techniques ahead of time with your partner. This is just taking your practical knowledge from good to amazing, knee-weakening, classic romance.
And watch them Melt in your hands…
Common Things That Ruin A Massage
Watch out for these.