Couples massage is just one of The Chattery's many class offerings

My longtime boyfriend, Jon, is not a touchy-feely guy. I literally had to get dogs to get in some snuggles. But when I asked him to go to a couples massage class for this piece - in the name of professional development, of course - he couldn't really say no.

The Chattery offers peer-to-peer education on a variety of topics: watercolor, palmistry, dog behavior, mindfulness, air fryers and publishing, to name a few, and that's just the start of this month's lineup. Basically, anyone with a skill they'd like to share can contact the nonprofit educational clearinghouse and set up a time and place to do just that. Classes are mostly held at Chattanooga WorkSpace, a downtown co-op of artists, though some are offered at partner locations around town; and most have nominal participation fees associated.

I've long looked at The Chattery's constantly updated class listings and thought, "That would be fun!" but for whatever reason, never actually jumped on one. That is, until I rediscovered last year's Christmas gift from Jon, granting me six - still unused - instances of "whatever [I] want, no questions asked." (Best gift ever!) So when I say he couldn't really say no, he really couldn't say no. This would also give me a way to help Jon work out his disc golf injuries, the latest of which he'd come home with only yesterday, I reasoned with myself. So, on an otherwise dreary Tuesday evening, we headed out for some hands-on bonding.

Our class, Couples Massage 101, was taught by Mattie Bearden, a licensed massage therapist and owner of Mad Hatter Massage and Wellness in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, where she offers personal massages, related classes and a fitness boot camp. In practice since 2014, according to her website, she has a sports-centered focus, typically helping athletes and regular people like Jon and me recover from their workouts. Though, among her smorgasbord of other options, she also teaches self-massage to children. The class at The Chattery drew on some of that previous teaching experience, she told us, as well as the self-preserving technique it takes to be one of the massage therapists responsible for working the kinks out of Ironman competitors on race day. She's worked eight of the world-class competitions, she said, as she showed us how to stack our hands on the backs of our partners and lean in to their body to save our own hands and backs from strain. After a few moments of brief introduction, we essentially jumped right in so that each partner could receive 30 minutes of hands-on care.

Brendon Peck massages Gentry Whittaker's leg. The couple were one of five participating in a massage class at The Chattery.

Jon and I were one of five couples in the class, a significant jump from the three who attended the first class just weeks before. It was clear not everyone there had a special wish-granting Christmas card, as one girl loudly proclaimed she would not be touching her boyfriend's feet. Sadly (for me), those powerhouses, the most used and yet underappreciated body part, were not on the menu. Even so, the techniques taught were general enough that they could probably be used on any part of the body. Under Bearden's roving guidance, we took turns working our way up our partner's legs, thighs and back, using gliding palms, gentle squeezes and finger circles to help move tension out of the body and blood up to the heart. Then, we applied those techniques to the arms and neck, all the while tossing the occasional method inquiry out to Bearden and hushed instructions, gratitude and jokes to our partners.

Believe it or not, sitting at a desk all day can be hard work, so I get regular massages from a professional therapist. Still, there's nothing like your partner's touch to help you recover from a long, stressful day. I do feel the class gave us a good starting point for bringing that kind of healing into our own homes, but the most important part is just the willingness to do so, to be attentive and responsive to your partner's needs, hurts and wants, Christmas card or not.