By looking deeper into the label list of each of your favorite massage creams, you could very well come up with quite a few creative ideas for session themes, marketing campaigns and selling points. This is one simple and effective way to spice up your daily routine as a massage therapist or bodyworker.
For example, check to see if one of your preferred massage creams contains the extracts of any fruits. Ingredients derived from various fruits are actually quite common in many high-quality massage creams, and they can give you a great jumping-off point for marketing or session themes.
A look at the label on your massage cream might, for instance, show apricot oil. This lubricant, pressed from the kernels of apricots, closely resembles almond oil and contains a high level of olein, as well as the glyceride of linolic acid. These elements give apricot oil its ability to soften the skin, which explains why this ingredient likely appears in massage creams.
Along the same lines, grapeseed oil is another common fruit-based ingredient used in massage creams. A vegetable oil pressed from the seeds of various types of grapes, grapeseed oil is quite fine and light in texture. It also is almost odorless, easily absorbed by the skin and noncomedogenic, which means it does not block the pores of the skin.
With mildly astringent properties, grapeseed oil itself may help tighten and tone skin, producing satisfying anti-aging effects. This oil also serves as an excellent emollient, thoroughly moisturizing skin. In addition, grapeseed oil contains potent antioxidants that may help decrease sun damage, as well as damage from free radicals.
On top of these benefits, grapeseed oil also has been reported to soothe skin irritations and minor wounds. Its mildly astringent quality makes it safe for use on clients with acne or aggravated skin as well.
You may find that a few citrus fruits, lemons especially, have been tapped to produce your favorite massage cream. The bioflavonoids found in citrus fruits have been studied extensively to reveal big health benefits.
Lemons contain a bioflavonoid known as hesperidin, as well as proanthocyandins. These nutrients have been shown to strengthen capillaries, help maintain elastin and stabilize collagen. Such results earn lemons and other citrus fruits a spot in several high-quality massage creams.
It’s important to know the benefits of each of the fruit-based ingredients in your massage cream, so that you can fully inform each of your clients about the benefits he or she will receive on the massage table, not only from your hands-on skills, but also from a carefully selected massage cream.
Use this same approach as you search the massage cream’s label list for other appealing ingredients, such as the extracts of various herbs or ingredients derived from vegetables. Find out what benefits these ingredients bring to the table, and weave this knowledge into a better bottom line for your massage or bodywork business.
—Brandi Schlossberg