We had a wonderful time picking out decorations for my mother-in-law’s 90th birthday party. Pink table-covers, birthday lawn signs, a banner and bubble-making bottles, clean fun for all of us youngin’s. We’ll also be running around next weekend picking up a vanilla cake with white and pink frosting, tamales, sandwiches and the “Happy 90th” balloon. … Continue reading History at Your Hands
We massage therapists pride ourselves on our abilities in touch – and that’s why I am so surprised when clients give me an earful about fingernails! This is a touchy issue for massage therapists – we figure we’re doing things like avoiding perfumes and warming our oils so we can facilitate relaxation in our clients. … Continue reading Nail It!
Treat Your Own Kinks… While we massage therapists are busy rubbing away knots, an industry has been developing of how-to guides to assist clients between office visits. The publications start with “Treat Your Own…” and I have always been a fan of the guru self-treatment book, Robin McKenzie’s “Treat Your Own Neck.” When I … Continue reading Treat Your Own Kinks…
I love the rag-mags when they have a page of psychic predictions, from the end of the world to when some celebrity will be married. But do we in massage therapy really need psychics to make spot-on predictions? I’ve been working up my own list of the future of massage therapy – wink, wink. Here’s my … Continue reading Predictions on Massage Therapy
Massage therapists learn many ways to push on trigger points and stuck areas. I’ve often wanted to see if pulling on these spots would help open them up. Yet, of course, we are taught that pulling is bad body mechanics. Massage therapists who pull rather than push don’t last long on the job. They … Continue reading Negative Pressure Massage
Is it OK to stretch a client’s adductors? What if the client is female, the therapist male, and the wind is whistling through openings in the drape? Oh my, the topics that come up for question in a massage clinic. One of my friends had a complaint from the husband of a couple whom had … Continue reading Best Intentions? Massage and Permission
The Adventures of Ana Log, Massage Therapist My alter ego in my massage therapist career has been “Ana Log.” She is a heroine of old school practices that simplify life instead of clouding it. Contrary to trends out there in e-land, Ana Log has her own schedule book, written in pencil, to give her … Continue reading Massage and the Past Perfect
Perhaps you have seen the ads in the massage therapist trade publications: What would happen if you could see four clients in an hour? Folks in the massage biz are not often associated with great math skills. Four clients in a single hour? As a private practice therapist, heck, I figure could make a lot … Continue reading Massage Therapists Do the Math
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 close … Continue reading Practice Punts
A client stopped in last week a bit worried about her neck. She had been on vacation, feeling very tight in the neck and shoulders and stopped for a chair massage. Eager to get rid of the tension, she asked for a 30-minute massage. Toward the end of the massage, she started to feel faint … Continue reading Dizzy Chair Massage