Summer fun and the Fourth of July – well this past week when a client came in with numb fingertips, a raging headache and no neck. The family had been over for the “fireworks.” Oh, and by the way, don’t touch my hands or my neck, the client said. It’s too much. What to … Continue reading Knows to Toes
Most women have sat freezing in a tiny little exam room, rustling their paper gown, trying to read an old magazine. It happens at least once a year and is not fun, but part of staying healthy. It’s the gyn visit. I’ve been there too, so when I decided to do massage … Continue reading Positioning for Success and Comfort
The word “sensitive” aptly describes many clients who seek massage therapy. Sensitive to touch, sensitive to energy, sensitive to light, etc., and overall sensitive to the environment. Sometimes I meet folks who either from past traumas, injuries or toxic exposures are sensitive to everything. These hypersensitive folks come in and tell me they have … Continue reading Canaries in the Coal Mine
At first I really liked foam rollers. They give people who are not getting massage an opportunity to roll out some knots on their own. Rollers are a great shortstop for troubles in major muscles such as quads and hamstrings. They still are, up to a point. Now they have been around for a … Continue reading Rolling in the Deep
Reading the paper this morning, (I know, how old-fashioned of me!) I found myself very interested in the story of a fellow who had gone to a psychiatrist for treatment of depression. As the patient went through a few sessions, he said it became apparent that the therapist had honed in on what he felt … Continue reading Therapy of a Kind
Providing massages for married couples has always been a pleasure. I enjoy seeing the same people for massages and hearing from them how they are doing with life’s stresses – the kids, the business, the in-laws, whatever. It’s always made business sense as well. I will do two instead of one massage at a … Continue reading Un-Couplings
Everybody else is going on vacation this weekend, so I took my vacation last week. This was a trip to the mountains, a friend’s cabin and a week spent looking at birdies and not doing massages. But part of the fun of a vacation is trying to find a good … Continue reading Vacation Massage Finders
Super workouts like boot camp or “insane” sessions are all the rage, and I must say they have been great for the massage therapy business. Not so great for some people taking the workouts, of course, but great for the schedule book. I have seen more rotator problems in the past few weeks, as people’s … Continue reading Boot Camp
I have been blessed with a nice quiet office for massage therapy. My building has lots of mature trees in the yard, pleasant birdies and a very quiet accountant on the other side of my treatment room wall. It has made me forget the days when people chattered right outside my room, clanged the … Continue reading Crickets and Desert Breezes
Sometimes when I am square in between someone’s shoulder blades, I find myself thinking about how some of these knots got there. Most are whiplashes and hard work – a traffic encounter followed by running a lathe at the machine shop, or writing some intensely detailed thesis. No fun involved. Once in a while somebody … Continue reading Therapist Notes from the Passenger Seat of a Low-Slung Sports Car