Does Reiki involve touch, and can I ask for none?
Answered by Vanessa Chugani · Updated August 2026
In a typical Reiki session, touch is light: my hands rest still on the shoulders, head, stomach, and feet, over your clothing, moving through a sequence rather than massaging. You are welcome to ask for hands-off instead, with palms held a few centimetres above the body, or to have certain areas skipped altogether. A distance session involves no physical contact.
What touch looks like in a typical session
In a typical session I work through a sequence of hand positions: head, shoulders, stomach, hips, knees and feet, and sometimes the back if you turn over partway through. My hands rest still on each area for a few minutes, over your clothing. There is no pressure, no rubbing, no manipulation of muscle or joint, so it is not close to a massage in feel. Most of the session you will simply notice warmth or weight where my hands are resting, or you may notice very little at all. Both are ordinary. If anything feels uncomfortable once we begin, from a position to the temperature in the room, say so and we adjust. This applies whether we are working with touch or without it.
Asking for a hands-off session
You can ask for no physical contact before we start, or change your mind partway through if a position does not feel right. Instead of resting on the body, I hold my hands a few centimetres above you and work through the same sequence in the same order. The length of the session and the areas covered do not change, only the distance between my hands and you. You can also ask me to skip one area specifically, such as the stomach after recent surgery, or the head if lying flat is uncomfortable. Say what you need when you book, or when you arrive. Nobody needs to give a reason. If this is your first Reiki session, it is worth deciding beforehand rather than working it out on the table, though changing your mind once we start is always fine.
Common reasons people ask
People ask for hands-off for all sorts of ordinary reasons: they are ticklish, they do not like being touched by someone they have just met, they are recovering from an injury or surgery, or they are simply more comfortable that way. Pregnancy is another common one, and Pregnancy Reiki sessions are adapted by trimester, including hand positions that avoid direct pressure on the stomach later on. None of these need explaining in advance. If it would help to talk it through before booking, get in touch and ask.
What it is not
This is not a massage and I am not trained as a bodyworker, so if what you are after is physical manual therapy on sore muscle, a Reiki session will likely disappoint you. Reiki compared with massage sets out where the two overlap and where they do not. Clothes stay on throughout, the room is private with the door closed, and a distance session is available if you would rather skip physical presence altogether, whether or not touch is the reason. Either way, what you decide about touch has no bearing on how the session is priced or how long it runs.
Related questions
Can I keep my clothes on during a Reiki session?
Yes. Clothes stay on for the whole session, you only remove shoes. My hands rest lightly on top of clothing, or hover just above it if you have asked for no touch. There is no undressing at any point, whether the session is in person or at a distance.
What if I do not know in advance whether I want to be touched?
That is normal. You can decide when you arrive, and change your mind once we begin if a position does not sit right. Telling me partway through is no different from telling me at the start, the session simply continues without touch from that point.
Does a hands-off session cost more or take longer?
No. Asking for no touch does not change the price or how long a session runs, whether in person or at a distance. It only changes the distance between my hands and you, the sequence of positions and the pace stay exactly the same throughout.