Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68008
ten for today BY REBECCA JONES MUSIC AND MASSAGE 1. Music is to massage what aroma is to a bakery: It may not be the primary draw, but it certainly does add to the enjoyment of the experience. And it can linger around in the subconscious for days or weeks afterward. However, the wrong choice of music can ruin an otherwise good massage experience, experts say. "If I were a therapist, I'd never use music on a client until I've listened to it from end to end, sat in a chair with my eyes closed, and meditated with it, so I'd really have a feel for what my client will experience," advises Jim Moeller, owner and founder of Serenity, a company in Maria Stein, Ohio, that specializes in music for the healing arts. The genre known as ambient music has mushroomed in recent years, and massage therapists have hundreds of new titles to choose from. With a market so vast, how do you choose? Is there a right sound for massage? Is there a wrong sound? Here are some factors to consider. BEWARE OF THE 30-SECOND CLIP AND IMPULSE BUYING Massage therapists often complain they have loads of CDs, none of which they can use, says John Gelb, president of At Peace Media in Riverside, Connecticut. "It all boils down to the fact that they didn't buy it very carefully," he says. "When you're buying a 60-minute CD, if you only listen to one or two 30-second clips, you have no idea what the rest of the CD will sound like. The stores sell it cheap, and while you may think that 30 seconds is kind of pretty, it may be repeated ad nauseum." Rather than buying cheap CDs at discount stores, consider listening to music online at your leisure, and then buying something only when you're satisfied the quality of the entire recording is up to par. 2. TREAD CAREFULLY WITH NATURE SOUNDS "Nature sounds can be very disruptive," warns Sharon Myrah of Twin Flames Productions in Fort Collins, Colorado. She is a certified healing touch practitioner and her husband, Steve Skudler, is a musician. "We love wind," she says. "Wind to us is a positive thing, but how does it sound in the music? Does it sound like it's picking you up and taking you to see with a bird's-eye view? Or does it sound like you've got a nor'easter coming and you better batten down the hatches?" 94 massage & bodywork november/december 2008