The 3 Things to Know When You Give a Massage to a Client with an Autoimmune Disease This is a topic that I understand too well and could write an entire book on! But not today. Today I am going to give you some things to think about that might answer some questions for you and possibly change how you massage someone with an autoimmune disease for the better. Having a history of an autoimmune disease myself, I can tell you from personal experience what massage can do and cannot do for someone like me. I can also tell you what really helps and what sets me back so quickly…
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The 3 Keys to Getting Clients to Reschedule
The 3 Keys to Getting Clients to Reschedule You work hard for each and every client you get to schedule with you for the first time. You try your hardest and do you best work to showcase your skills when that first time client comes to see you. They tell you it was a great massage – and then they don’t reschedule. Why? Was there something you did not do correctly? Did the client want something different and didn’t tell you? What can you do? Ask yourself this question and answer it: Why do you go back to a therapist you like? Or even better yet! What makes you NOT…
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The 3 Causes of Being “Mentally Stuck” in Your Massage Therapy Business
Working for yourself, no matter the career choice, can be mentally challenging. You will go through periods of time where you love your career and business; you are excited for the possibilities every day! Other times you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning and face your “must-do” list. It becomes a HUGE mental chore to just motivate yourself to do things that help you be successful. Having been a massage therapist for 25 years, I understand both of those mental places very well. I have had to learn how to keep myself feeling motivate about my career and at the same time, stop the mental exhaustion…
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Why Massage Therapists Feel They Can’t Raise Their Rates
How Do I Raise My Rates? Let’s say you have been a therapist for 5 years and have worked very hard to create your clientele. Your schedule is full most of the time and feel that you have created a good business for yourself. However, your fees and rates are still the same as they were when you started practicing and you feel like it is now time to start making more money without working more hours. BUT then the “fear” starts to creep in and you are not sure HOW or IF you should raise your rates. Some of the questions that are probably going through your mind right…
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The 3 Problems that Create Low Client Retention
You work hard to get every client you can on your table. It costs money and time to get them there. It is very important that you keep them If you are losing even 10% of your clientele that is too much! How do you enhance your skills so that you keep as many clients as you can? How do you meet the unique expectations of each client to help them enjoy your service so much that they consistently reschedule with you? Honestly, the best way to solve this problem is to look at it from the therapist’s perspective and then the clients’ perspective. Typically, the answers can be found…
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Are You Getting “Burned-Out” Being a Massage Therapist?
The 3 Causes of Physical Burnout in Massage Therapy You LOVE being a massage therapist! BUT…. There comes a time when you are just not sure if you can keep being a massage therapist. Believe me when I say YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Here are some of the questions that might be going through your mind: Am I really going to be able to keep doing massage for the next (fill in the blank) years? I get so tired – how can I keep going? Maybe I should get a real J.O.B. with benefits and a retirement plan… I just can’t seem to make enough money doing massage and doing…
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The 3 Reasons a Client Chooses to Go to a Different Therapist (Even Though They Really Like YOU)
This week we are going to talk about something that can be a huge problem for in our massage businesses. Losing clients. Even for therapists that have been in this field for years, we can struggle to keep our clients. The biggest problem from losing clients is that we are losing income and that stops us from being able to continue to pursue what we love; Being successfully self-employed as a Massage Therapists. So, what makes clients choose to leave your table and find a different therapist? How can you be progressive and prevent that from happening? Hard questions – I have some answers for you. Here are 3 of…
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K.I.S.S. for Pain Managment Massage Therapy
This week I was reminded to “keep it simple sweetheart”. I teach and teach about only doing enough massage work to change pain 4 points (on a 10 point scale) and then leave the body alone to heal on its own. I also teach that when someone’s pain level is 5 and under that you can start shifting from doing Scar Tissue work into more regular style of bodywork and massage. Scar Tissue massage really works best on clients whose pain level is 5 or higher. That is because working with Scar Tissue changes inflammation – almost immediately – through changing pain levels. The less pain you have the less inflammation…
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A Discussion with the Orthodontist, Physics, and Massage Therapy
My oldest son had to get braces for the 2nd time last week. He was born with a mild cleft in his lip that while visible, did not require surgery. However, it created some problems with his gum line and teeth. He essentially has 3 front teeth because the cleft line went through his tooth bed and caused the tooth just left of his front tooth to split into 2 teeth. When his baby teeth came in he had 11 teeth on the top and 10 on the bottom. That same tooth was split into 2 adult teeth but it had time to grow together in the gum line so…
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Pain Levels
Pain Levels, Let Them Guide You! Use the 4-Point Pain-Change as a Guide On a pain scale of 1 to 10, the most realistic decrease you should strive for is a 4 point change in one massage session. Now, I know what you are thinking, “But I want to help my client MORE! I want them to go from an 8 to a zero!” We would all love to be able to do that for the people we serve. However, what you need to realize is that in a well-meaning way, by trying harder to get rid of someone’s pain, many times you can actually create more pain for your clients by…