Independent massage therapists (like myself) have a few extra duties to perform during the course of their careers. One of the least fun is leasing space. My first office was a pretty simple deal. I rented two days in another therapist’s office and we had a handshake deal. I paid once a month and kept … Continue reading Boundaries and the Fine Print
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 … Continue reading Travel Tips Redoux!
For a while now, a good bit of my practice has been working on other massage therapists. I don’t say it to brag, it just is. Folks in the biz bring their aches to me, and I do massage therapy. And, if they are interested, I do a little coaching, too. It is … Continue reading Fencing and Using Your Feet in Massage
Tailbone problems plague people – and massage therapists. The worst is the sideways curl, keeping hips, feet, lumbar vertebrae and cervical vertebrae all a-twist. This massage therapist finds a lot of trouble in tailbones. They are really supposed to flex a bit when sitting, guide and balance while walking or running. Too may of my … Continue reading Parking Stones
I see these huge automatic water massage machines on E-bay all the time. Discounted to about $20,000. Maybe on a bad day, discounted to $10,000.The ads say wonderful things about how great they are and how much money you will save by not having to have a massage therapist do the massage.I read between the lines: … Continue reading The High Costs (and High Benefits) of Hands
Nothing makes fear quake in many massage therapists than the entrance of the super, hyper-mobile client. I too, have experienced the fear, the trepidation and the surprise. For the record, in Gumby folk symptoms of troubles are completely different than my true forte, people as stuck as me. What I would normally assess test … Continue reading Adventures in Super-Mobile Massage
Hey, it happens. A humble massage therapist is massaging someone who has a freak-out during the session and leaves. Later, the client wails in an online review that the massage was unprofessional because…(drum roll please)…the therapist massaged her glutes. This scenario happened to a friend of mine and believe me, it was not a fun … Continue reading To Glute or not to Glute…
My family and I recently stayed at a local resort for a mini-staycation, so of course I took advantage of their spa services. My massage therapist had a nice touch, but as we talked, she admitted to me her hands were hurting and she had not had a massage in years. Oh heavens. If … Continue reading Please, Please, Get Regular Bodywork!
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 … Continue reading Wrapping Up a Massage with Tape
Sometimes we massage therapists get our best quips quite spontaneously from our clients. I haven’t done a top-ten list lately….so… Top Ten Best Quips from Clients Mid-Massage Number 10: “The combination to the safe is 35 left, 56 right and 22 left.” Number Nine: “Do you wash your sheets?” Number Eight: “Ever … Continue reading Massage Mercies