Category Archives: Tools of the Trade

Massage and the Full Sixty…

When I was new to doing massage therapy, I had a habit of getting lost. Lost in the neck, lost on the back, lost in the space-time continuum. I’d glance up at my clock and see that I had spent 40 minutes massaging the back and I had 20 minutes to do the rest of […]

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Adding Magnesium to Massage

Got Magnesium? Turns out that might be a great slogan for massage therapists – if they look both ways and proceed with caution. Magnesium as a topical aid, and along with ingested and intravenous magnesium, has been used for a very long time in the treatment of muscular cramps and spasms. Magnesium is the other […]

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Covering the Cradle

Some things about being a massage therapist are all about the details – the atmosphere, noise level, lighting, and yes the table linens.           Face cradle covers have always been problematic for massage therapists. The disposable covers are scratchy – and although no client has ever complained about them I have heard clients complain about […]

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Tools for Massage

As an “old hand” at massage, I am not too impressed with tools sometimes used in massage therapy. I have stayed away from knobbles and thumb covers and even hot stones in my practice, largely because they tend to create elbow and shoulder problems for therapists who are tempted to use too tight a grip. […]

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Travel Tips Redoux!

I love sharing travel tips with clients, as since they are classified top-secrets of the secret society Knights of the Massage Therapists, I want to share them with you.   Sciatica Roll: This can be a pillow, a rolled-up towel or jacket/coat. Use it for passive realignment in any airplane, car or train seat. Tuck […]

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Wrapping Up a Massage with Tape

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 […]

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Bottled Nerve-Amma

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 […]