This was one request I had not run into before – a gentleman called to request I do a half-hour pregnancy massage for his wife, who was undergoing pre-term labor (33 weeks) contractions and was in the hospital. I have been certified in pregnancy and post-partum massage for several years, but I must admit this … Continue reading Preterm Labor and Massage
Dear Clients: When will you hear what I say? Parents understand this concept perhaps most. Parents can say “don’t slam the door; hang up your clothes or look both ways before you cross” about 6,000 times and it may take anywhere from 5 to 18 years for a child to “hear” them. It’s not that … Continue reading Relax your Shoulders.. and Other Urban Myths
Lots of therapists like to say they are not salespeople, that they didn’t get into massage to sell anything and they don’t like to “sell” anything to a client. I never understood that. A therapist is always selling their skills and benefits of massage to clients. When I was doing training for a large day … Continue reading What Is More Professional?
Well, California can once again be accused of being different and difficult. It’s a land of fruits and nuts, yurts and yogurt, movie stars and serial killers. And one of the oddest hybrid massage licensing laws ever. First, after a long-fought battle mostly amongst ourselves, the California licensing law isn’t a license, it’s a voluntary … Continue reading Another Kind of Business, Not Massage
Well, the experiment with Bamboo and cotton yarn sheets, I am happy to report, is going quite well. Earlier I wrote about how much I loved the light, silky yet warm feel of 100-percent bamboo yarn sheets, and how my clients appreciated them as well. Then, alas, after a few washings the yarn developed little … Continue reading Tough Sheets Update
Ok, I’ve been doing this massage therapy thing for a while. But two weeks ago I thought I was going to have to hire a Sign-Twirler. Darn, it was slow. Everybody was busy, out of town, broke or otherwise engaged. I know how to handle these things. I’ve been around. But I must say one … Continue reading Furling for dollars
I know we are supposed to be at war, but where, really does one see any signs of the effort? No rations, bonds, enlistment drives or things our parents knew well. The war is distant, a story on the news page. A sad obit inside the local news, a picture of someone looking too young … Continue reading Helping the Wounded Warrior
Any therapist has to love sheets that feel like silk, breathe so they are not too hot, not too cold, happily opaque and are so light it takes 10 sets to fill a washing machine. Yes, they are wonderful. A therapist’s sheet dream. I purchased my first four sets of bamboo sheets recently and fell … Continue reading Bamboo Sheets, No Pinholes, Please
The store, which had been a gathering place for massage therapists, was going out and under. The shelves were half-bare and the phone had been cut off for a week. No more job board, no more bumping into friends, trying out CD’s or talking shop. The Orange County Bodywork Emporium in Costa Mesa would soon … Continue reading The Massage Store
My client seemed particularly stressed. Her back and neck was a never-ending patch of bad trigger points and spasms. This client was all wound up. “How are things going?” I asked. My standard way to get folks to open up when their tissues are slammed shut. “Work is driving me nuts. Actually, the work is … Continue reading Psychology and Massage: Some Things in Common