This article is the first in a three-part series that will provide key information and proven methods to minority-owned businesses, including those owned by spa-and-massage professionals. The author is Toshiana C. Baker, founder of the Network of Multicultural Spa and Wellness Professionals, whose mission is to provide support, education, and access to resources to underrepresented and marginalized professionals.
There is a big difference between full-scale online curriculum design and emergency remote teaching. (COVID-19 disrupted education across many disciplines and necessitated that many people put massage continuing education programs online. Teachers and students had to adjust to this change nearly overnight.)
Any massage therapist who has ever felt pain in their body knows all too well how it siphons the enjoyment out of giving a massage. Elbow pain may be one of the top inconveniences during work, because the pain is there at almost every stroke.
Does this scenario sound familiar? Your business line rings, and you answer the phone excitedly because this could be a new client calling to set up an appointment. It is indeed a potential new client, but she’s not calling to make an appointment—she’s calling to “find out more about your services.” Ugh.
perfectionism parrot more than once. It says: It needs to be just right. Do it again. Make it perfect or it won’t work. Just tweak it one more time and then you can share it. No one’s going to like it if it’s not perfect. And this little birdie is paralyzing.
When you first graduate or start practicing as a brand-new massage therapist, you are likely to have many questions. As a seasoned practitioner and educator of many years, I can tell you that all of us felt this way when we started. Let me assuage your concerns and thoughts with some valuable insight from years of experience.
Remember that term “isometric” in massage school? What does it mean, and have you ever used it since? An isometric exercise is defined as a muscle contraction where no movement occurs.
As massage therapists, it is easy to think the only reason clients come to us is the amazing hands-on skills we possess. But the truth is, anything that touches a client—from the moment they scroll through your Instagram posts until they drive out of your parking lot—may have an impact on how they feel about you as a professional as well as the services you provide. This also affects their decision to do business with you, or not.