I always laugh when massage therapists get all indignant, scream for licensure and complain that they’re not taken seriously or treated like a professional. It all boils down to the old saying, “You reap what you sow.”
In this crazy over-saturated world, there’s a “spa” opening on every corner and from every chiropractic office. Couple that with the mind frame of more is better, we see each owner vying for business via the current paradigm that the only way to stimulate action is to discount prices. Wrong plan! It’s EDUCATION! Your customers are not ignorant! This more-is-better, disposable mentality leaves a plethora of discounts available to the consumer compliments of “GroupOn” and such whereby “GroupOn” is the only winner receiving 50% of the cost for doing nothing and approximately $15 to be shared by the massage therapist and spa. . . seems like a lot of work to gross $7.50 each! And remember, these are usually not LOYAL customers you are attracting, they’re “GroupOn” junkies who will be anxiously awaiting the next big deal.
This, understandably, leads to cost cutting by the spa. I worked in one such place. They would want us to up-sale add-ons in an attempt to boost the meager income being made.
Examples of what the consumer was getting:
• A Foot Scrub. Vegetable oil from the “Dollar Store” mixed with “Table Salt” from the same. Ooooooh, that’s nice!
• A Leg Treatment. A “Green” cooling gel. I asked, “What’s its protocol of use?” Answer: “Just schmear it on, rub it in and take it off with a hot towel.” . . . Very beneficial!
• Upgrade to “Deep Tissue”. “Just throw in some elbows and get out of there!” . . . Yep. That’s deep tissue work!
• Aromatherapy. “Let ‘em smell a choice of three essential oils, use a couple drops on their back . . . That stuffs expensive! . . . And go with it”! . . . And in my humble opinion, these were low grade, non-therapeutic essential oils to boot; we may as well have used air freshener!
Upon bringing clients into a room, we were discouraged from talking to them; get ‘em in and get ‘em out. That “history” which is filled out is SUPPOSE to be used in conjunction with client input. . . I’m thinking it’s just a snappy way to slide in the disclaimer! See, this is where the big laugh comes in. Massage therapists WANT to be all professional, but how in God’s name can you evaluate the client as a professional WITHOUT having discussion with the client? To merely say, “Is there any areas I should concentrate on or stay away from,” is a pat, token, question. Does the Massage certificate make you psychic as well? Is this chronic pain from habitual movements? Was there an accident? What is the SOURCE of this person’s pain? I can’t tell you how many times during a “couples massage” I’ve noticed the therapist next to me performing a deep, forearm stroke on the client from sacrum (tailbone) to C7 (base of the neck) on a CLEARLY kyphotic person (excessive curve in upper back). Well if you’re so professional, you should understand those facets are locked OPEN and that is then, a faux pas! One should only move in the OPPOSITE direction to encourage them to CLOSE! You also most likely need to release the pectorals to even ALLOW closure of those joints. Right?
The reality is, is that ANY massage is beneficial; they all encompass touch and that is very important to all human life. There are MANY types of massages which work in a variety of ways. The key to aprofessional in massage is comprehending the intrinsic manner in which all the muscles work synergistically together and how potentially a dysfunction in ones hips may lead to knee problems or even plantar fasciitis and addressing the SOURCE; So if someone is complaining of, say, plantar fasciitis and you merely rub their feet, you are NOT a professional without making the connection; end of story! You may disguise your actions under the huge umbrella of being therapeutic due to the enormity and wide range of massages benefits; that's easy. But then ANYONE can give a massage and what sets you aside? . . See, even the dreaded “fluff and buff” has value if all they need is some relaxation. And that’s where talking to the client comes into play. But if one doesn’t take their profession seriously and compromises their actions and methods to make a buck, the most expensive state license in the world won’t deem you a professional and it’s just another bill to pay.
You see, when one is devaluating their service to such an extent by offering “cheap” massages, I get feeling the need to “put on a show”, create the illusion and move on. But don’t become appalled when you’re viewed in less than a professional light. The consumer and public is not to blame, it’s that person in the mirror. I would rather maintain a handful of educated clients than pages of those who come in for a “deal”.
And remember, anything which one perceives as bad, also has a bright side. These “fluff and buff”, $30 massages can be great because it opens the door for people who in the past may never have laid on a massage table; that’s where education comes in and that’s why, I believe, it’s imperative to talk with and relay your knowledge to the client. Otherwise, you may as well be working at the car wash, having more fun and probably making more money without going home exhausted!
So in close, know that it’s YOU that deems you the professional, not a piece of paper.
Till next time . . . 
