My family and I recently stayed at a local resort for a mini-staycation, so of course I took advantage of their spa services. My massage therapist had a nice touch, but as we talked, she admitted to me her hands were hurting and she had not had a massage in years. Oh heavens. If … Continue reading Please, Please, Get Regular Bodywork!
Lots of athletes showed up with their sticky strips showing at the London Olympics this year, giving the wide world of kinesio-tape a swift punch in the deltoid. I do occasionally use the tape I dealing with massage clients, generally to encourage sluggish lymph, although I find it also helps with muscles that keep … Continue reading Wrapping Up a Massage with Tape
Sometimes we massage therapists get our best quips quite spontaneously from our clients. I haven’t done a top-ten list lately….so… Top Ten Best Quips from Clients Mid-Massage Number 10: “The combination to the safe is 35 left, 56 right and 22 left.” Number Nine: “Do you wash your sheets?” Number Eight: “Ever … Continue reading Massage Mercies
We massage therapists sometimes see the un-doctored, the folks who are big believers in the preservation of health by staying far, far, away from anything medical. I respect people’s beliefs, especially when they are dearly held, but I also know that I have a duty to at least bring up the subject of finding … Continue reading Tremors
Here’s a visit again to the denizens of the noisy office – I have fairly quiet neighbors, but my recent moved-in neighbor, a chiropractor, has his desk and phone on the other side of my massage room and his treatment room along the other wall. We are unwillingly sharing conversations, little mumbles and buzzes, … Continue reading Real Office Walls Make Good Neighbors
One of my favorite clients really hates massage. Doesn’t want it, doesn’t like it, would rather do his own taxes with a broken pencil or his own root canals with a rusty knife. Tough cookie, he never fails to tell me how much he dislikes massage when he comes in. This massage therapist is easily … Continue reading Walking Hard….
This massage therapist has long searched for the magnum of massage oils. Somewhere, somehow, there is an oil out there that will take inflammation, anxiety and tension out of clients. Oils are not the only source of relief in massage, but I figure if there is oil out there, a certain blend, that will … Continue reading Bottled Nerve-Amma
One of the nice things massage schools do these days is try to encourage students to do an externship during their course. Unpaid, but for credit. I was near the end of my classes when I went for my first interview for a massage job. Thought I was God’s gift to massage, of course, … Continue reading Student Massage….
Being in the stress relief business, I tend to think I can handle anything. Hubris, I know. Two weeks ago my mother-in-law had retina and cataract surgery and one week ago my spouse had an arterial leg bypass. Other than the Jack Skellington staples, honey is fine. Mum is okay, too. … Continue reading Vamanos? No, Foldamos!
This week I spent a lot of time sitting on some uncomfortable vinyl chairs on the surgical waiting room at St. Joseph’s Hospital. I have been there before, waiting on friends or family and often working on medical articles for the local paper. I thought I knew my way around, but hospitals change … Continue reading The Waiting Room