Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68165
TEN FOR TODAY 8. ALTERNATIVES TO GELS, 6. LOTIONS, AND CREAMS Soothing Touch's Narayan Oil isn't a gel or a lotion or a cream. It has the viscosity of an oil, and so lends itself well to massage therapy. The product is a blend of clove, eucalyptus, and peppermint essential oils in a sesame oil base. "The formula was given to us by a yogi in the 1970s, and we've been mixing it up, blending it, and selling it ever since," Khalsa says. "It's one of those formulas that's been passed around and TOPICAL PAIN RELIEVERS MUST BE STORED CORRECTLY "Sunlight is not a good thing," Khalsa says. "Keep it in a cool, dark place if you can, and the less light the better. It's best when used at 60–72 degrees. And if it sits in a scorching car, it will get thin and start to break down." Shelf life typically ranges from two to three years, but much depends on usage, according to Poirier. "If you've used half and opened the container many times, because of the evaporation of some of the liquid, it could be less potent. But if you've hardly opened it at all, it could still be quite potent even after three years." A PUMP APPLICATOR Squeezing out a little bit from a tube at home is one thing. But a professional who will be using a substance repeatedly on clients really should go the pump route, experts say. "Whenever you dip your hand into something, you can introduce impurities," Poirier says. 7. CONSIDER GETTING passed around. We started out just using it on ourselves, but it's a great blend for sore muscles." Ayurvedic practitioners have been using forms of Narayan oil as a pain reliever for hundreds of years, so for those who prefer something a little more exotic, this is an option. One example of a no-mess analgesic product is Set-N-Me-Free Aloe Company's aloe heat balm stick. The product is more of a solid that's rubbed over the skin. "You don't have to get your fingers messy," says Jan Heinrich, managing director of the Portland, Oregon, company. She says clients often keep sticks in the car to combat stiff necks while on long drives. PRODUCTS AS A SOURCE OF INCOME The products you, as a health-care professional have access to, tend to be stronger than what your clients can buy over the counter in retail stores. And you can use that to your advantage by making your products available to clients. "I think it's a therapist's obligation 9. to provide to their clients the products they believe in and use themselves," says Performance Health's Poirier. "I connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 79 DON'T OVERLOOK ANALGESIC expect my massage therapist to tell me what I should be using, and to sell it to me, not to send me off to a retail store to buy a brand that may or may not work." Once you've identified a product you can endorse, ask the manufacturer to work with you. Many will provide you with free samples you can pass along to clients, along with brochures that carry your name and contact information. They may also provide you free samples of products you haven't tried, in order to allow you to assess for yourself its efficacy. Take advantage of this. Others will put their product in private label packages, which you can use as a marketing tool for your practice. "We understand small businesses," Nitchman says. "We know many massage therapists don't have a lot of money to spend on private labeling, so we'll work with them. We can help them look big without having to spend big money. We're willing to help them because it helps us too." 10. GO WITH WHAT YOU KNOW Don't gamble on untried products just because the price is right, the packaging is pretty, or the advertising sounds convincing. Read the ingredients and weigh what you know about the healing properties of various substances. Go online to check out databases. Develop a relationship with companies whose products have proven worthwhile in the past. And before using anything on a client, try it out on yourself and on friends first. "Find something that works for you," Khalsa advises. "The real way to look for products you can use on your clients is to test them yourself." freelance writer. Contact her at killarneyrose@ comcast.net. Rebecca Jones is a Denver-based