Upon graduation from massage therapy or bodywork school, you may have already found the massage cream perfectly suited to the hands-on work you were setting out to practice. Whether it was a professor, fellow student or someone else who introduced you to the product, the reason you stuck with it is most likely because it worked.

As for what it means for a massage cream to "work," that basically refers to a product that not only assists you in performing a particular technique or modality, but may also enhance the overall outcome of the massage therapy or bodywork session. Of course, for some massage therapists and bodyworkers, all a massage cream must do to be considered a worthy product is assist in the hands-on movements. However, other massage therapists and bodyworkers want a massage cream that may add a little something to the session.

One of the interesting things about working in the field of massage therapy and bodywork is your career can last a long time, and in that time, you may see it change directions in several different ways. Along with changes to your massage therapy or bodywork menu, as well as changes to your knowledge level and skill base, you will probably change massage creams.

Perhaps you are long out of massage therapy or bodywork school and have found other massage creams you like better since those early days, or maybe you just started your practice and you are still quite happy with the results you are

Either way, it is a good idea to keep an eye on what type of benefits you are getting from a particular massage cream. Chances are that cream is working for you in terms of assisting you in the application of your specific massage therapy or bodywork techniques. The factor that may be up in the air is whether this cream is actually enhancing your sessions beyond that point.

With constant advances in the research and production of top-quality massage creams, the odds are good you could find one or more massage creams that both aid your hands-on practice and offer extra benefits in the session room. The successful massage therapist or bodyworker should always be seeking ways to improve his or her practice, and selecting the best massage cream is one of those ways.

Resist the temptation to believe the massage cream you are using is good enough, especially if you have been using the same one for many years in a row. Take a little time to explore what else is out there on the market in terms of massage creams, knowing you can always stick with your favorite one if you do not find one you like any better.

A great way to check out various new massage creams is by calling the companies that make these creams and asking if you can get any free samples. This way, you will have a chance to actually test the creams to see which one you like best before investing any money.

--Brandi Schlossberg

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