In most careers, as well as hobbies and nearly every other activity done on a regular basis, one may experience highs, lows and plateaus. Although a plateau may be pleasurable for quite some time, there may come a point when it begins to feel more like a low. Quite often, this is due to boredom or a loss of enthusiasm for doing the same thing day in and day out.
For massage therapists and bodyworkers, continuing-education classes offer the perfect solution to any plateau, allowing the touch-therapy professional to expand in new directions before he or she ever hits a low.
One great idea for a plateau-busting class is one that teaches the basics of chair massage, for the massage therapists or bodyworker who usually only works within his or her session room with a massage table. By learning chair massage, you are essentially learning a new skill that will allow you to take your healing hands nearly anywhere, not just within the spa or session room.
A top-notch class on chair massage should cover a few basic topics. These will likely include a long list of touch techniques specific to chair massage, as well as ways in which these techniques can be turned into massage routines of varying lengths.
You should also learn the fundamental information, such as how to set up a massage chair and proper body mechanics, along with how to best communicate with chair-massage clients, how and where to market your chair massage, and more.
By the end of a high-quality course on chair massage, you should be ready to take your massage or bodywork skills well beyond the walls of your office, perhaps setting up at a local health clinic or grocery store, or on the sidelines of a local marathon or charity event.
As you can see, there are so many ways that one continuing-education course on chair massage could change the whole nature of your massage or bodywork practice. Not only will this new skill allow you to get out of the session room now and again, but it also may boost your bottom line considerably, by allowing you to market your actual hands-on skills within the community.
In fact, with a massage chair and the proper skill set, you may even wish to approach local businesses, to see if they would like to offer on-site chair massage to their employees once a month or even once a week.
If you live in an area where massage and bodywork are regulated, be sure to find out if your class on chair massage will count toward the continuing-education credits you may need in order to maintain your massage or bodywork license.
There’s a good chance you can rack up credits toward continuing education at the same time you expand your massage or bodywork skills. In the end, the more continuing-education classes you take, the less likely you are to hit long plateaus or boring ruts in the realm of massage or bodywork.