People in the field of massage therapy and bodywork typically strive to alleviate their clients’ issues as best they can within the span of a session or series of appointments. The basic goal is to make clients feel better with healthy touch.

However, there are a few aspects of one’s practice that can help a massage therapist work toward that goal, thereby enhancing the effects of his or her hands-on modality. If the main point is to make clients feel good, then there are several ways to begin this process before the actual bodywork take place.

For example, aromatherapy candles or diffusers in the waiting area and changing room can set the tone for relaxation and stress relief. Soothing music pouring softly from the stereo in your session room also may add to the effect.

A high-quality massage table and sheets that feel great against a client’s skin are important to the overall experience as well. Making sure each client is kept at comfortable temperature, neither too warm or cold, also is key to inducing relaxation.

There is another detail that can help massage therapists and bodyworkers reach their goals when it comes to making clients feel good—choosing the right massage cream. This aspect of client satisfaction comes into play as the session begins, and the practitioner smooths the massage cream over the client’s skin.

You may be wondering exactly how a massage cream could lead to greater client satisfaction with the massage or bodywork session. Remember, massage cream can

For instance, you may choose a massage cream that contains essential oils. In this way, you are performing a subtle form of aromatherapy as you rub the massage cream into your client’s skin.

By selecting a massage cream that contains lavender essential oil, for example, you may help induce relaxation. There also are massage creams on the market that contain signature aromatherapy blends built specifically for common bodywork goals, such as relaxation, rejuvenation, increased clarity, stress relief and more.

Another way in which certain massage creams may help make your clients feel better is by addressing their specific complaints. Most massage therapists have clients who come in with severe aches in pains, whether due to excessive exercise, an inflamed injury or simply sleeping the wrong way.

In these cases, the well-prepared bodyworker may reach for a massage cream that contains analgesic properties, such as Arnica montana or menthol. Such ingredients work quickly to dull pain in areas throbbing with pain, helping the client to relax and better reap the rewards of the hands-on modality.

If your most basic goal is to help clients feel better, as is the case for most massage therapists and bodyworkers, then it is important to consider ways to reach that goal that go beyond and enhance your hands-on skills. Massage creams can help you get there.

---Brandi Schlossberg

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