Getting Up Off the Massage Table: How Long Is Too Long?

Your massage is finished, and the therapist whispers, “take your time getting up” and disappears. How long can you lie there? One minute? Five? Twenty? This is one of the most confusing points of spa etiquette, according to new research by the International Spa Association. In my experience, what the massage therapist really means is, “in a minute or two, start to get up off the table. Don’t move so fast that you make yourself dizzy. Make sure you’re clearheaded before you stand up.”

It would be great to lie there for as long as you want, but spas have the room booked for another massage. The therapist needs times to strip the sheets and make up the room for the next person. So as a general rule, get up within a few minutes, slowly. And then go relax in the lounge or “meditation room.” For as long as you want to!