My business has been doing a lot of interviewing lately, so I’ve been doing a lot of practical massages. Or having them done to me, as the case may be. Which is not, perhaps, as delightful as it sounds. In a practical massage, I can’t just zone out: I have to listen, feel, weigh, measure, … Continue reading Practical Plotting
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
Nobody would start a war over a table, right? Well, wars have started over less. In this case, the possible storm brewing involves an electric lift table, the only one in the six-room massage business where I work. When I first began working there, I was afraid I had become too spoiled with electric lift … Continue reading The War of the Table
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
A friend of mine who subscribes to Wordsmith.org recently sent me a word-of-the-day that I knew I wanted to blog about: cacography. Cacography (kuh-KOG-ruh-fee) is both simply defined as “bad handwriting” and “incorrect spelling.” The site summary adds an explanation of this word’s history/derivation: “From caco– (bad), from Greek kakos (bad) + –graphy (writing). Caco … Continue reading Cacography and Other Points in Stinky Communication
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
Some people think that massage therapists are a perhaps a little too obsessed with lubricants. But you know, lubricants are one of the most important tools of the trade next to linens, liniments, and tables. In school, they teach you about the Big Four: lotions, crèmes, oils, and gels. Generally, they provide you with a … Continue reading So Many Lubricants, So Little Time!
“What’s the best place to get my liability insurance?” I think I have heard this question more often than any other since I graduated from massage school in 2002. Insurance is insurance. Some therapists go with one insurer over another because of additional benefits offered, for example by an AMTA membership. But, some of us … Continue reading Where to get your Professional Liability Insurance
When I began massage school, I had never heard of Lomi Lomi. Later, having been introduced to the few odd strokes, I became very enthusiastic about learning more, given that I have a tendency to want to listen with and use my whole body in massage, and Lomi Lomi seemed as much like dancing as … Continue reading The Mana of Lomi Lomi