What Should You Choose From a Massage Menu?

Screen Shot 2016-01-25 at 7.48.30 AMMassage is gaining popularity fast. More people than ever are making appointments and more are talking about the positive benefits. It is no longer a surprise to see a massage station at an airport or gym or to talk to people who incorporate massage into their monthly wellness routine. With the increase in access to massage, however, many business owners see a need to differentiate the customer experience by offering “unique massage experiences” to grab customer eyeballs and increase sales.

Enter the massage menu

Just about any massage establishment features a menu of services featuring your choice of Swedish, deep tissue, hot/warm stone, Shiatsu or other modalities. The challenge is that the average consumer a) is unfamiliar with the differences, and/or b) is unfamiliar with which service to choose for the particular massage goal they are seeking.  That means people are choosing right sometimes, and wrong sometimes.  The result could be an ineffective, unfulfilling massage session. Luckily, the fix has an easy two-part answer: better client education and trained reception staff.

What to do to get the right kind of massage for you?

Our massage clinic has seen thousands of clients in our nearly five years in business. While we have a menu of services, about 60% of our clients came to us with a specific goal such as relaxation, pain relief, increased flexibility and mobility, or pre- or post-event sports massage. Our guest services team adeptly steers clients toward the therapist that can best meet their needs and we charge the service accordingly.

The remaining 40% came in with a less clear idea of what they want. They got the massage as a gift, or they wanted to treat themselves to some “me time” but don’t know exactly what that looks like, or perhaps they are getting their first massage. With each of these scenarios, the pre-massage conversation skills of the reception desk and therapist really come into play. For most who aren’t used to identifying a goal, the answer is a personalized, multi-modality service performed by a qualified massage therapist who has created a plan for the service based on discussion with the client and information on the client intake form.

To help make our clients more comfortable about the process of selecting a massage, we we introduced the “Signature” massage. This therapeutic massage is essentially a “massage therapists’s choice”. That means the therapist uses their knowledge and experience to custom design a session using whatever massage techniques they believe will most help the client achieve their goals. Our expert therapists are completely free to use any tool or technique at their disposal. They educate the client as they work and identify massage modalities and techniques most effective for the session. And the clients are completely pleased with the results. Our rebooking rates for these “signature” massages are sky high.

 

Balance and Empathy: A Conversation with Jules

It takes a special person to work with mothers-to-be. It’s about balance and empathy and an informed touch. Expectant mothers are under tremendous stress and their hormones are almost as unbalanced as their changing bodies. For a massage therapist who works with prenatal clients, it’s about listening. It’s about knowing what’s going on anatomically, energetically, and emotionally. It’s about having special knowledge and skills to give some of those who most need it a time where they can completely relax and know that they are in competent hands. Say hello to a wonderfully caring massage therapist – Jules.

Jules does all kinds of bodywork, not just pre-natal. She’s also a doula (birth companion and post-birth supporter). She is very well trained in many types of massage including sports massage, chair massage, Swedish, deep tissue and more. A graduate of National Holistic Institute, Jules continues to attend professional development classes to keep her knowledge up to date.

What do you like most about being a massage therapist?

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Achieving Homeostasis

homeostasisHuman homeostasis is the process that maintains the stability of the human body’s internal environment in response to changes in external conditions. Your body has built-in sensors that constantly monitor body activities and attempt to correct imbalances when they occur. Getting out of balance can lead to serious consequences, including disease and a shorter lifespan. Your lifestyle and attitude has a great deal to do with maintaining balance in your body.

Here’s a short list of some of the main homeostatic processes in humans:

Calm Confidence: A Conversation with Alex

image1When you first meet Alex, you are struck by his calm confidence. He smiles easily and radiates with positive energy. As you get to know him more, you find a bright, thoughtful man who takes his role as massage therapist very seriously.

Alex works hard to understand the “whole client” – their complaints, their daily activity, their environment, and elements in their life that can manifest in aches and pains. He uses his knowledge and skills to design a massage session to maximize relief from pain and spends time educating clients about the interconnected body, mind and spirit. He’s an intuitive teacher.

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Nurturing Touch: A Conversation with Tiffani

As a certified massage therapist and owner of a thriving therapeutic massage practice, I’m always on the lookout for talented practitioners. Our business chooses to set the bar very high, tapping only the top talent and bringing in new team members who are genuine, highly skilled, caring individuals who share our mission to create positive change in the body, mind and spirit of each client.

 

After more than four years of hiring talented professionals, I usually know right away when a therapist is a good fit. They present themselves professionally, are good communicators, and smile – a lot. Every once in a while, though, I stumble on someone who is truly extraordinary. All the professionalism, great communication skills, lots of smiles, but also someone who right away projects  a positive energy and sense of calm. Someone whose very nature, from the first contact, represents a calm and nurturing presence. I’m talking about Tiffani.

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Ten Resolutions You Can Actually Keep

About one in three Americans make a New Year’s resolution. Resolutions are a great tradition, offering us an opportunity to kick bad habits, create new opportunities, soften the rough edges of our behavior, and polish up relationships. The trick, of course, is sticking with it.

Just in case you were sitting around wondering which one of the zillions of promises you’d like to make to yourself, we’ve collected 10 resolutions that are relatively easy to keep and will certainly go a long way toward a healthier and happier 2016.

1. More FTF and less TXT. It’s easy to think that a random text now and then can substitute for a real conversation if you’re working on keeping relationships with friends and relatives strong. It doesn’t. Try talking to your friends and relatives more IN PERSON, or at least hear their voices. Use tech like FaceTime and Skype more. Put DOWN the phone while you eat or talk with others. You will find the quality of your relationships improve, your fingers aren’t as sore from texting, and you’ll avoid that $300 texting-while-driving traffic ticket, too.

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