Get a massage

Sometimes we as massage therapists forget how good we make people feel. Take time out to get a massage from a good LMT that you know. Try something that you haven't received any training in, even.

I just got a massage the other day, 90 minutes. Yum. Of course, she found muscles that I had forgotten about. Sure felt good. Try it yourself!

Another great idea is to take a CEU class for massage therapy. You'll no doubt get some extra work done. You can receive loads of work by taking either Bamboo-fusion or Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy classes. My website, www.affinitymassages.com, has specific information.

Undressing to comfort level

When I was in massage school, the teachers told us that our clients should undress to their comfort level. Looking back at my first massage, though, when the therapist told me that, I didn't have a clue. How did I know what I was comfortable with when nobody had ever given me a massage before?

First time clients are often nervous enough as it is. If you tell them WHY they should undress a certain way, that will make sense to them. For instance, if you want to work skin-on-skin on a certain area, you can tell them that it'll feel much better, that your flow will be smoother and that you can be more accurate.

Or you can say, "If you take off such and such, I won't have to worry about getting créme on it. I know I hate when that happens."

I think that makes your massage easier and gives the client an additional level of comfort.

www.affinitymassages.com

Getting a massage

How often do clients ask you how often you get a massage? And how often DO you get a massage? Can we ask them honestly to come back once a week or once a month for "maintenance" if we don't do it ourselves?

Taking care of yourself by getting a massage does a lot of good. And if you do a trade, all it costs is your time. Here's new mantra--take care of ourselves like we take care of others.