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…
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
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
One of my favorite massage therapists to trade with recently let me in on a secret. She has been doing massage for more than 20 years without health or disability coverage. That pressed some buttons with me. Since getting into massage, I have always had coverage, health through my own individual plan, then my spouse’s … Continue reading Massaging Without a Net
Hands are the best tools in a massage therapist’s toolbox and the most likely to be injured. It happens to even the most careful therapists: a burn from a hot pan, a scratch that gets oily, a bit of tendonitis that turns into a raging case of nerve inflammation. Plan A for most … Continue reading Save Your Hands