We Asked: How has client feedback changed the way you practice?

Here is what you told us...

Some changes that I have made are: 1) Adjust the amount of pressure used when massaging; 2) Use a different technique altogether in order to get a better result when treating for a specific condition; 3) Change the music if they don’t find what is currently playing relaxing; 4) Give them a cloth to cover their eyes if they are sensitive to light; 5) Add an extra pillow for comfort; 6) Changed from using oils to using lotion, due to clients feeling oily at the end of a session; 7) Recently became certified as a personal trainer in order to ethically suggest stretches that may help them relieve pain.
Dwayne Crandall
Waterloo, Iowa

While I was in training, a volunteer client mentioned that she felt my shirttail rubbing up against her arm, which distracted her. That simple message told me I needed to tuck in my shirt and pay more attention to my appearance and my movements around the table. I believe my clients are my instructors, so obtaining their feedback is most important to my continual growth as a massage therapist.
Bob Jensen
Greenwich, Connecticut

Client feedback has guided my practice from the beginning. I polled various people before I started massage school to see what would attract them to getting regular massages and what kind of setting would be most comfortable for them. They enjoy the combination of modalities and styles of bodywork that I use, as well as the warmth of my home office. Thirteen years later, a large percentage of my original polling group are still active clients. Their feedback certainly works for me. All of my new clients are via referral!
R. Wach
Omaha, Nebraska

Before I begin a massage, I ask my clients, “Is there anything you don’t like during the massage, like hands or feet or face?” I don’t want to massage an area [where] they don’t like to be touched. However, I have also started asking, “What is your favorite part of the massage?” And whatever they say, I make sure to do it at least once and maybe twice, time permitting. If the client mentions they really like a technique I am doing, I write it down on the SOAP note as a reminder to myself for next time.
Margaret Taylor
Denver, Colorado

I use a client feedback form, which I provide clients to take with them and mail back to me. This gives them time to process receiving the massage. Often, they mention a small item they liked or noticed during the massage. One client mentioned that he really liked the information I provided to him about sports massage. Client feedback definitely provides the client with a means of communication. I feel it is an important and valuable part of my massage practice.
Dennis G. Ditch
Butler, Pennsylvania

Both oral and written client feedback have greatly changed the way we do business. We use it to affect every aspect of how we serve our clients and how we manage our clinic. Specifically, we use it in three ways: our services, our clinic design, and customer service. Their feedback has been used to make changes to our menu of services (both therapeutic and spa), therapists’ training and education, clinic look and feel, check-in/out procedures, and retail products sold. Our clients are very important to us and incorporating their input is a valuable part of our business operation.
Melody Smith
Covington, Washington