A Day in the Life of a Massage Therapist
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Massage therapy is one of the most flexible careers you can choose. Massage therapists may offer many different styles of treatment from traditional Swedish massage to Reiki and stone therapy. They may work from home, in a spa or on a cruise ship. They may practice massage occasionally or six days a week. The variety is endless. Finding the right massage therapist school can help set your massage therapy career up for success.
Jenny Platt has been a licensed massage therapist for 15 years. She owns Art of Massage in Richmond, Virginia and employs seven other massage therapists.
Massage Therapist Clientele
Having worked in massage therapy for so many years, 80 percent to 85 percent of Jenny's clients are regulars who come to visit her at least once a month. She sees clients of all ages from their 20s to their 70s, but she says the majority fall between 30 and 50. Her clientele is an even balance of men and women. Approximately 60 percent come in for treatment of a specific problem, rather than just for relaxation.
Massage Therapist Schedule
Art of Massage is open seven days a week and takes appointments until 7:30 p.m. The busiest times are the weekends and the late afternoons toward the end of the week – around 4:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. when people get off work.
Jenny no longer works on weekends. Her schedule is Monday through Friday, 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. Because she has so many other responsibilities as a business owner, she usually sees only three or four clients a day.
Before making the change from part owner to full owner of her business, Jenny typically saw four or five clients each day. "Because I specialize in that deeper style," she explains, "I find that for me, five is a good number. I don't feel like I'm burning myself out. I'm not hurting myself. It keeps me happy and healthy and sane. Unfortunately a lot of times, therapists are seeing eight or nine people a day with no break in a spa. They get burned out."
At Art of Massage, an extra half hour is added on to every appointment booking. This allows therapists to spend plenty of time on consultation and post-consultation, change out the linens in the treatment room and spend a little time relaxing and centering before seeing another client.
Massage Therapist Setting
Art of Massage is located on the first floor of an old historical home complete with crown molding and wood floors. Four rooms are set up for massage, each with a table, music system and shelves of linens and towels. A movable cart is used for preparing Thai herbal compresses and heating stones for hot stone therapy massage.
For atmosphere, each room is painted a different color—adobe brick, mellow purple, sage green and light blue. The rooms all have windows with translucent blinds and white curtains to let in natural light during the long Virginia summers. In the winter, diffuse lighting and candles help create a cozy, relaxing space.
Preparing for a Client's Massage
Linens are changed after each session, but Jenny still makes sure to arrive at least 15 to 20 minutes before each client. She spends the time pulling the client's file, preparing products, choosing music, lighting candles and getting into the right mindset for a session. It's also important to be ready in case a client arrives early.
When they arrive, clients are greeted at a reception desk. New clients fill out an information sheet. Clients are always offered water and invited to use the restroom. Then they are led back into the treatment room.
Jenny then completes a relatively extensive consultation with new clients and a shorter check-in with regulars. She tries to pinpoint each client's needs, so she can customize the session accordingly. She also wants to make sure new clients know what to expect, from their position on the table to the temperature of the table warmers.
"If I've never worked with them or if they're new, I say some things that may help: 'Close your eyes if you're comfortable. Try not to help me move or lift anything. You may want to focus on taking nice deep slow even breaths.’ I also tell them, ‘If I come into an area that's sore or sensitive, try to breath through it. Don't hold your breath.’"
Customizing a Client's Massage Session
Jenny specializes in trigger point therapy, neuromuscular therapy, Shiatsu, Raindrop Technique and Thai herbal compress. She can mix and match from these different styles to customize each session to the clients’ needs.
"It's great being able to do different styles of massage so I'm not doing one type all the time," says Jenny. "But really, for me it's about the client. I have a grab bag of choices. If they are more sensitive and can't take the deep trigger point or neuromuscular, the compress may warm them up so I can massage deeper. Or the Raindrop Technique is a lot lighter and gentler, with a lot of feather stroking."
Daily Challenges as a Massage Therapist
"It's a lot of responsibility," says Jenny. "I'm trying to manage everybody else and make sure all the massage therapists are happy. That's not a bad thing, but I feel like I really need to stay on my toes all the time to make sure it's running smoothly."
Sometimes things get complicated when clients come in late or don't show up for an appointment. Many clients are on multi-session packages with clear terms requiring at least two hours notice for cancellation. If they don't call or show up, they forfeit a session. Jenny tries to handle it in an ethical and tactful way.
"Maybe the first time, we'll let it go and remind them. But the girls are all on call. I don't pay them just to sit there. They only get paid for the sessions they do."
Daily Rewards as a Massage Therapist
Jenny says that what has kept her in the massage therapy field so long is the joy of helping clients heal.
"I think what I enjoy most is seeing the change in them— their demeanor when they arrive compared to their demeanor when they leave—they are always so much more relaxed and centered after their massage session. Often they tell me how much of a difference it's made for them. That's why I got interested in massage and that's really held true. It's really gratifying."
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