Massage cream can be much more than a simple lubricant, depending on the attitude and perspective of the massage therapist or bodyworker who is using the massage cream. The way in which your massage cream serves you, your clients and your practice can mainly be determined by the amount of thought and creativity you invest in your choice of massage creams and the ways in which you present and use these massage creams.
The most basic way in which practitioners often choose to use their massage cream is as an all-over lubricant. In other words, the massage therapist or bodyworker will find a massage cream he or she likes and then proceed to use this massage cream during each session.
It may be important to pause here for a moment to discuss the traits of a massage cream that make it one a massage therapist or bodyworker likes well enough to use during each, or at least most, sessions. These appealing traits may vary from practitioner to practitioner, but there are a few common themes.
For one, massage cream should offer the massage therapist or bodyworker a nice balance between friction and glide. Again, what makes for a good balance will vary by practitioner, usually depending on the types of touch techniques he or she applies on a regular basis.
For example, a massage therapist who uses lighter, gliding strokes may adore a massage cream that has more glide than friction. On the other hand, a bodyworker who tends to practice deep-tissue techniques might believe a nice balance in a massage cream is one that tilts more heavily to friction or stick, rather than slick or glide.
Of course, other factors come into play into what makes a person purchase a certain massage cream repeatedly. These variables may include the kinds of ingredients that are in—or not in—the massage cream, as well as whether the massage cream has a fragrance or is nonscented, and so on.
With this understanding of what might make a good core massage cream for one’s practice, we can move on to look at the ways in which massage cream can be more than a simple lubricant. Usually, this means purchasing more than one massage cream for use in one’s session room, so the practitioner may need to go beyond his or her core massage cream in order to derive the most benefits.
For example, one may choose to purchase two other massage creams: one made specifically for the skin of your client’s face and another made specifically for the skin of your client’s feet. Given that the skin in these two areas is a bit different than skin on the rest of the body, it is easy to see how the massage creams used on these areas may need to be a bit different as well.
By taking time to select and purchase these special massage creams, and then explaining their use to clients, you may find clients start to perceive a greater value from each session, coming back more often and spreading the word to friends.