Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/108504
Growing Your Own Self-Satisfaction Growing your own herbs and plant material for your massage therapy clients to enjoy can give you a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. You've planned your spa treatment or use for the herb, nurtured the seed or new transplant, and raised a beautiful harvest. In the era of prepackaged everything, you have tapped into the art of days past. When you create a unique and personalized treatment for your client that took you months to bring to fruition, there is a rewarding sense of achievement. quality assurance You know the saying, "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself"? As massage therapists, we are concerned with the quality of the products we use in our sessions. In fact, we worry about the quality of the entire experience, taking care to plan the atmosphere, lotion or oil, music, scents, sheets, and every other detail from entrance to exit. Competitive Edge Finding the freshest, highest-quality ingredients is sometimes a difficult process. Labels can be confusing or downright misleading, and unless you are buying organic you can't be sure what pesticides or chemicals have been used on the plants. What better way to be absolutely sure about the chemicals used (or not used) on the herbs than to grow them yourself? Marketing expert Seth Godin writes about finding your purple cow: nobody stops to take a picture of a cow in a grassy field, but everyone would stop to take a photo of a purple cow because it is remarkable. In a tough economy, you need a competitive edge to stand out, something unique that will attract potential clients. Growing your own herbs for a particular treatment or massage experience is a memorable, extra element your clients can become emotionally invested in that will capture the imaginations of potential customers as well. I know one massage therapist who grows her materials in her city's community garden. Her garden plot has a sign with the name of her business and the phone number. That little wooden sign has resulted in additional clients for her business. 58 massage & bodywork march/april 2013