Joseph Kramer
As a young massage therapist, Joseph Kramer became enchanted by Walt Whitman. His poetry seduced me. “I make holy whatever I touch…I place my hand upon you that you may be my poem…Your very flesh shall be a great poem.” Thanks to Walt, I have served the communal “body electric” for forty years, training Sacred Intimates, erotic masseurs and Sexological Bodyworkers.
My favorite way of connecting with others has become giving and receiving massage. I can often learn more about someone by massaging them than by speaking with them. For the last thirty years, my massage table has been constantly available in my living room. If you have visited me, you know you can sit in a chair or climb on the table.
When I think back on the thousands of bodywork sessions I’ve done with men, I am grateful for the astonishing lessons I have learned about male pleasure from those who climbed on my table.
Much of what I learned from doing “sensual massage” is explained in more detail here.
I’ve learned that four hands engaging the receiver (his and mine) can become a mystical experience.
I’ve learned to listen with my hands—allowing the recipient's body to guide my touch.
Faster-paced breathing can intensify a man’s pleasure.
Foot-slapping and hair-tugging can circulate sexual excitement throughout the body. (One time, I unfortunately pulled out a man’s recent hair plugs. I now get consent to tug hair).
It’s good to check in with the man on the table, asking “What are you noticing?” or “What would make this even better?”
For a more traditional biography of Joseph Kramer, visit his Wikipedia page.