Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/588318
F r e e S O A P n o t e s w i t h M a s s a g e B o o k f o r A B M P m e m b e r s : a b m p . u s / M a s s a g e b o o k 15 Oil or lotion? Why? Publication Date: Jan/Feb What's your favorite spring cleaning tip for your space? Publication Date: March/April Email your responses to darren@abmp.com. Your submission can be as short as you'd like and up to 250 words. Upcoming Topics FROM FACEBOOK I started getting massage at 16 years old by a robust older Spanish lady. She always kept super long fake nails and wore a ton of big rings and bracelets! But I thought she was awesome. Now 20 years later, I still remember those bangles chiming to her strokes, but I tell you she's one of the biggest reasons why I became a massage therapist 10 years ago! That being said, I keep from my fi ngertips to my elbows clear of jewelry and my nails short, sometimes painted, most of the time not. Clean and professional is the goal. MORGAN KELLY HERNANDEZ I believe that jewelry and accessories that can come into contact with the client should be removed prior to the session so the client is not distracted. I know I prefer my massages without these distractions! Nail polish is OK as long as the polish is kept neat and professional. CRISTINA ATENCIO I wear earrings and short necklaces, but no rings or bracelets during sessions. I don't have a problem with nail polish as long as it's not chipped. I don't personally wear nail polish, because I do skin care, too, and exfoliants are brutal on the fi nish. JENNIFER EVANS-LAMBERT Wedding ring and earrings. That's it. Everything else affects the work. BRIAN CHADBOURNE As long as it doesn't get in the way of the massage, it's all good. MATTHEW RICHARDS FROM TWITTER It shouldn't be done, especially when it comes to jewelry. @CBMAC84 If the jewelry holds great healing properties, the therapist should wear it. @JLOFURTADO We have to have this conversation with our students (Ann Arbor Institute of Massage Therapy), even though it is clearly stated in the policy handbook. I, along with my entire faculty, never wear nail polish on our fi ngernails, due to polish harboring bacteria. The only jewelry we wear are earrings and perhaps a short necklace— one that will never drag on, or brush up against, a client's skin. Other than a holster and oil bottle, I can't think of any other accessory a massage therapist should wear. We also believe in wearing shoes that do not show toes. We like to have good support on our feet and a sanitary situation during the massage—fl oors are dirty, after all. JOCELYN GRANGER ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN FROM GOOGLE+ No jewelry that would inhibit the massage or nail polish that might fl ake off onto a client. Use common sense in presenting a professional image for the type of environment you are in (e.g., scrubs in a hospital or salon, or yoga pants and branded shirt in a massage studio). AMANDA ALMEIDA