Time to face the facts: most cradle covers remind me of some grandma’s underwear. The covers do not fit very well, leaving lots of extra cotton. The little stretchy elastic edge seems like undies to me. I’ve noticed clients tend to get itchy noses while prone because the lower seam covers their airway a bit. … Continue reading Stalking the Ultimate Face Cradle Cover
Sad Sack-like, this client came in not expecting much. After a hellacious car accident a decade ago, she had developed pain throughout the left shoulder girdle and felt restricted and unable to do much. She had cut down work to two days a week. Her husband drove her in to the office because she hasn’t … Continue reading The Light in the Eyes
By the time he was a young man, my father was already hard-of-hearing, particularly on the left side. Being left-handed, he thinks that a lifetime of holding shotgun and rifle stocks to the left shoulder and firing without hearing protection was the largest culprit. In any case, by the time I was in my late … Continue reading Hearing and Understanding: Communicating with Deaf Clients
The last glowing ember of the Fourth of July fireworks had gone out and as we walked to the car, I ran into two old friends I had not seen since massage school – now a good 16 Fourth-of-July fireworks shows ago. We compared hairstyles, and weights and marriage and divorce milestones. Then the question … Continue reading Hands On and Ambitions
Lots of therapists need massage themselves, as do many people in the service industry, so I have always had a wholesale, “courtesy” rate for folks to come in and have a massage. When I owned day spas at hotels, the courtesy rate was a must. Every room service server, bartender, housekeeper, etc. was not only … Continue reading Courtesy
Dear Fellow Therapist, Find Touch envisions a world where the vast majority of massage therapists are thriving, successful, healthy and empowered. This is possible when good information and good resources are freely available. And Find Touch is committed to bringing increasingly more relevant information to massage therapists, from massage jobs to CE opportunities to a … Continue reading Looking for Community Outreach Representatives
Vacation appeals to full-time massage therapists. First, one gets a whole week without having to do any massages. Vacation gives me a chance to relax and people-watch without using that part of the brain usually hunting looking for knots and structural anomalies. I can spend time watching seabirds or the back of my eyelids without … Continue reading The Hobble
In the process of making an important point, we are all apt to put some “English” on our words, a sort of little extra push that adds emphasis, emotion and belief to what we say. My Dad always used a little “English” on his words when we did something particularly heinous playing rock ‘n roll … Continue reading Meaningful Words and Scalene Havoc
An Open Letter to All Mothers Who Find It Necessary to Bring Their Small Children Into Massage Rooms: Dear Mommy Dearest, First, let me say that I know I grew up in a simpler time when most mothers were “homemakers” and “had time” for their own full-time childcare. I was lucky enough to have one … Continue reading Dear Mommy Dearest
Seems like every client I see in my massage practice has some trouble getting comfortable to fall asleep and stay asleep all night. Granted, people coming on for massages tend to be those with a computer-based job, a history of neck or back injuries and trigger points, all elements that mess with sleep. What is … Continue reading Resting on a Good Night’s Sleep