Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/640605
C h e c k o u t A B M P 's l a t e s t n e w s a n d b l o g p o s t s . Av a i l a b l e a t w w w. a b m p . c o m . 57 W H Y C H O O S E S I G H T U N E S M O N T H LY M U S I C F O R M Ts? REASON #1 It's just F.U.N. to have your session music on your phone or device (Android, iPad, Kindle Fire, computer) • No more messy CDs • No odd online music from robots who don't get your needs • 10 hours of music • Music refreshed monthly • Human created playlists www.sightunes.com 800-619-1410 TM Subscribe today! It's not a lot and you'll save big if you're ABMP Certifi ed the special connection established during the session. An unhurried closure to a session is as important as the initial contact in order to leave a lasting positive impression in your client's memory. It is sad to me that the "50-minute hour" is often the norm, especially at spas. A spa owner tells me she loves the 50-minute hour her competitors use: "When they come here and get a full hour, we have them hooked. We schedule with a little leeway so our therapist can actually find out what clients want and make a connection." Communicate to your clients the benefits of longer sessions that combine an integrative full-body massage with spot work to address problem areas. In her early practice, Ophelia performed almost all 60-minute massages; now, about 70 percent of her clients choose longer sessions, with a great many choosing 75-minute sessions instead of 90-minute slots as a convenient compromise in time and money. Not only do her clients get better work, Ophelia is less tired and earns more income working on fewer clients. A somewhat shy therapist recently told me he finally realized he had been hesitant to suggest longer sessions at his spa because he had an unconscious fear of appearing pushy, and most of his training had been in one-hour massages. He admits, "When I began offering longer sessions, I did have to learn to do more specific and detailed work rather than just stretching the session length by repeating more of the same old strokes. But now, I get so much more gratification really helping people, and a fair number of clients now get longer sessions and my rebooking numbers are much higher." If you are limited to a "beat the clock" schedule, hone your bodyreading skills to be more efficient. Notice posture or restrictions in movement when they enter the room. Even a short time spent with the client sitting or standing up can inform you where they hold tension. Look for transmission of movement through different segments. Are strain patterns more anterior or posterior? How do the arms hang? Is there more tension in the legs or upper body? Even a short window of time to make eye contact and exchange some verbal communication with your clients can establish a warm connection, rather than having clients jump on the table to not waste a minute of their time. There is no penalty for beginning the session with supine work and then turning to prone work and continuing as usual back to supine with a better view of what priorities you need to focus on. This allows for conversation about your clients' needs (no mumbling into a headrest) and enables you to assess breathing and tension patterns without sacrificing time.