Massage Groups

A friendly reminder to everyone that backing up your data is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself. It’s free, or close to it depending on how you do it, and it gives you peace of mind if your computer crashes or you get a virus or something.

We believe in data portability here at massage groups, and will do everything we can to make it easy for you to export your data to your local computer. The code that we are using here is cutting edge, and there are always malicious programmers out in the world trying to take down web sites and data for bragging rights, so don’t become a victim of their ploys, have backups!

Export your data from your online sources, and save backups of your data from your computer on cd-rom, dvd, usb thumb drive, or use on online backup service.

We are currently testing the new profiles for massage groups site. We should have them up and running for public beta soon! You will be able to create your own profile page similar to myspace and facebook, then share with the world or just your private group.

Profile Sample Screenshot

Stay tuned for the public beta release – coming January 2009!

During my time in massage school I was well practiced in using bolsters to support the knees when the client was in the supine position and I have enjoyed them as a client as well. Recently I found a friend who uses a pillow instead of a bolster, and I tried it out.

I can see this as being a great choice if the client was to be supine for a longer amount of time than say 30 minutes, definitely. I liked the pillow, but I do think that the bolster provides a little more leeway with draping, especially as a male client.

Have you tried other options aside from the bolster? What have your clients said?

I had a recent round table discussion with other massage therapists about their cancellation policies and I found most, if not all, of their policies to be too lenient. Perhaps it’s just me, but I think any notice less than a week, and maybe 9 or 10 days if there is a weekend notification to be right. Many therapists I know ask for a 24 hour notice, and I think that is too little.

I am sticking to my guns as of now, cancel within 7 business days and no charge for rescheduling, but any less notice than that and I may find it harder to book that time with another client, so I am currently charging a 50% cancellation fee if it;s not done within that time frame, and if it is not canceled within 48 hours of the session, then 100% is expected.

Am I being too stringent with this? Does anyone else use a similar policy?

I have been wishing during the past two quarters that some of the massage classes, or at least part of the massage classes were available with an online learning component. I love school, I enjoy being there, but drive time and the associated expenses really have me wishing for longer school days or the ability to take some of the learning online.

I also wish we had more padding on the chairs in school, and they would do away with the fluorescent lights.

What are your wishes for making massage school or CEU classes better?

I’ve used many different outfits for giving massages, and I wonder what is the best clothing to wear when giving a massage?

I suppose part of that choice would depend upon the location of the massage work and how many were being given. Certainly doing massage work in a cold winter climate for one client would require different attire than multiple clients at an outdoor marathon in 90 degree weather, but what makes for great massage “uniforms”?

For a time while in massage school I used sweats and a t shirt, comfortable for the occasional massage, but not professional looking, and no pockets for storage, I imagine clients seeing me with a t-shirt tucked into my sweat pants did not find it adding to the relaxing atmosphere.

For a time I used scrubs, those relatively inexpensive clothes that many nurses and other health care working wear often, I found these to be great in many ways. lightweight, easy to move around in, and accessible storage for little things like towels and lubrication.

Certainly some massage clients would not mind this attire, but I recently saw the “Tai Chi like” uniforms that a friend wears at his massage spa, and I thought that those are a great balance in professionalism, along with light weighted-ness and I’d like to try that a few times.

Perhaps there is not one perfect massage uniform to wear, but perhaps qualities that make each choice in clothing to be best for each situation.

Tai Chi Silk Jacket image from ymaa

What do you consider when choosing what to wear when giving massage work?

We have been testing new massage styled theme options this week, and have had some pretty mized results. Adding the functionality for the groups sharing along with nice colors and massage pictures has proved challenging, yet we are having some success!

Are there any particular color schemes or pictures that you would like us to consider? Let us know!

I spend much more time giving massages than I do receiving, so face cradle covers to me were kind of something to not think about much. Recently one of my clients mentioned her enjoyment of a friend’s face cradle cover, so I thought more about it.

In the name of being frugal I simply got the cradle covers that came with the natural sheets I had recently ordered. It made sense to me, they matched the sheets, they were natural cotton with no bleach or dyes, and didn’t cost anything extra. I knew these cradle covers were going to be much more comfortable than those cheap, rough towels we used in the massage classes, so I made that decision and never thought about it again.

Then my dear friend mentioned how she liked the covers that Eric used during her sessions. I asked for more details and she said that it was softer, smoother, and it did not bunch up as much, so it made breathing easier and gave her a more free feeling, or less constricted / claustrophobic feeling. Well those are important things to consider, so now I’ll be upgrading and adding more options for my face cradle coverings.

When I started massage school I had already purchased an older used massage table from a friend and used that at home, but starting school I knew it was time to upgrade and buy a new one. At the time I made a quick decision, the brand that the school suggested (and offered to purchase and have delivered for us) was a good brand, and there were two choices metal or wood. Being in a phase of desired things all natural and wood, I chose the wood variety. If I could go back and change that decision I would.

I do love the look of the wooden table legs, and I appreciate the old world feel of adjusting through the holes in the wood on the legs, however, I have come to appreciate the aluminum massage tables now. The metal legged variety are much faster to make height adjustments with, and much lighter for carrying around. Clients will rarely see the metal legs and I doubt any would be turned off by it. So I will end up buying a lighter, quicker aluminum based massage table in the future. I’ll keep the wooden one at home where it doesn’t need to be moved or adjusted often, and maybe on day I’ll transfer it to my own spa or massage office location, but if I could go back and repurchase again, I’d simply choose the wooden one.

So I wonder, what is everyone’s favorite massage oil or massage cream / lotion?

I used to favor the bio massage cream, the green colored bottle. I just loved the way it melted in my hands, and so I stuck with that more several years. I still use it on occasion, but my new favorite choice is the line of all natural massage lotions from twelve corners. I love the fact that it’s all natural, not petroleum products.

I also occasionally custom blend my own lubrication solution, one of my clients is particular about feeling greasy after a massage, and she loves coconut, so I use a dab of twelve corners unscented with some organic coconut cream and a dash of lemon and lime essential oils – I love that stuff, but it’s a bit of an expensive mix to use with every client that comes through the door.

I have been considering trying out some of the other all natural products I have seen advertised in the massage magazine, have any of you tried them? What’s your favorite massage lubrication and why?