At a recent continuing education class, I spoke with a recent massage graduate struggling with starting her massage career. A few months have passed since graduation, and she has had trouble with deciding on a venue for massage. Should she work on her own? Work for a doctor? A spa? Join an established massage practice? … Continue reading Taking the Last Step off the Diving Board
Recently a prospective client quizzed me on the phone about my massage therapy services. This is the type of call I used to be frustrated with – some people only ask about price and hang up. I’ve never found a great way to turn the price-callers into appointments – I try to get a … Continue reading Finding the Right Touch…
At a recent continuing education class, our instructor went around and asked us to introduce ourselves and talk about how we are doing with our massage therapy practices. Our first participant said she is doing a few house calls and working for a chiropractor two days a week. Her practice is slow. Renting … Continue reading Class Struggles
Massage therapists are not all alike when it comes to their understanding of how to build a practice. I have heard lots of explanations as to why bookings stay low, very few explanations of why they are full. How to develop a practice is an art just as much as massage. It requires some … Continue reading Practice Punts
When I first started doing pregnancy massage, I went for the old “grab a big pillow in side-lying and slide another between the knees” method. I really hated the “pregnancy cushion system” that we had: it seemed to have about a million mysterious parts, none of which wanted to hold together in position. However comfortable … Continue reading The Sophie Pregancy Pillow: Pregnancy Prone
It strikes me that May 1st — May Day — with its ancient associations with summer and fertility, is a good time to write about… fertility. When I was a child, I loved to go to the Little Rock Zoo. We lived so close that my mother strolled me over almost everyday to see the … Continue reading Fertility Rites
Living life by a clock is not always easy. In fact, it can be quite difficult when you are a sensitive and caring massage therapist often dealing with clients suffering from stress and pain. But like all good things, a massage session must come to an end … preferably when the schedule says it should. … Continue reading Life By the Clock: Why Keeping Within Time Limits is Not Always a Bad Thing
What has ended up being one of the best changes ever made to my massage space began almost as a tussle at the last company Christmas party. Instead of a simple gift exchange, we played one of those games where everyone brings a mystery gift priced under $20. Then, everyone pulls a number out of … Continue reading My Happy Little Salt Lamp Sun
At my place of business, we’ve instituted the practice of writing thank-you notes to new clients. A brief thank-you note really adds a special touch and shows clients that we are genuine both in wanting to help them and in being grateful for their business. Sounds like a fairly simple task, right? Apparently not for … Continue reading Thanks Sincerely
At my place of business, we use a level system of 1-4 to describe the depth and intensity of a given therapist’s typical massage style. Recently, I interviewed a job candidate who had never heard of this system and wanted me to explain it. “Well,” I said, musing, “Think of Level 1 like someone sweeping … Continue reading Mix and Match: Light to Deep