Massage Opportunities and Life Learning Massage therapists have an excellent opportunity not only to meet extraordinary people but also to learn from them. I have met many, and they have taught me many things. After 20 years in massage therapy, many of my wounds have healed through touch, and I have tried my best to … Continue reading Massage and Life Learning
Sometimes the best relief on a massage table is nice, firm Swedish efleurage. And with some clients, a quip is the best way to break the tension. This is my homage to Mad Magazine’s Snappy Answers to – Massage — Questions… Question: Been doing massage long? Snappy Answers: You’re my first. Ever since the parole … Continue reading Snappy Answers to Massage Questions…
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 … Continue reading Massage and the Full Sixty…
Sometimes a client just appears looking for a massage. Literally a walk-in. What can a therapist do to turn a lookie-loo into a booking? These potential clients may be trying to size up you and your spa. Offer a quick tour. If they like you and your spa, but are reluctant to make an appointment, … Continue reading Wrangling the Walk-In Massage Client
People who give massages hopefully like receiving massages. I know I do. When my therapist friends are out of town or otherwise engaged, I have a few places I will slip into to try their hands. I found one therapist purely by chance who really knows how to do meridian and nerve-based massages, something my … Continue reading Massage Hygiene and the Return Visit
There is a time in every massage when the therapist begins to rub the posterior neck. For many of our computer-burdened clients, it presents an opportunity to relieve the congestion of technology. The head is supported by these many muscles, embedded with many layers, often adhesed, and near the source of many functions from sleep … Continue reading Massage with the Eyes in Your Fingers
Here’s my shortlist for what a good massage therapist needs to know: Talk to the client first, not during a session. Get enough information to know what the client seeks, whether they want a complete massage or spot work, and if they have medical conditions that should not be massaged. This communication takes only a … Continue reading The Good Massage Therapist
On a massage therapist’s first day at work, the training starts with how to say hello to a client. Easy? Oh heavens. I have had massage trainees stare at the floor. Roll eyes in a complete circle looking everywhere but at the client. Worst, a brief nanosecond of eye contact followed by staring over the … Continue reading Real Practice for Real Massage
Massage therapists are not known for their left-brain skills. It’s hard to keep track of money, supplies, and clients and still use the powers of intuition and touch to help people. Or is it? There are some relatively simple and low-tech ways to keep track of things so you can keep up with your bills … Continue reading Running Your Massage Practice
The other day, whilst talking to massage therapist friends about the best and worst places to do massage, we came up with lots of candidates for best, but the worst won hands down: beauty salons. Yes, it has happened to many massage therapists. It may have been a fill-in job during massage school or a … Continue reading Good Fences Make Good Massages…