Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68005
The Human Voice I must preface what I am going to say with this caveat: (1) I read the articles in Massage & Bodywork from a male therapist's perspective, and (2) I have been in private practice for four years and have been rated in the Houston Citysearch program 9.0 or higher for all those years. My practice is 60 percent female and 40 percent male and is made up of type-A personalities, such as attorneys, doctors, sports people, etc. But, in reading Rebecca Jones's article on music I was somewhat bewildered ["Music and Massage," November/December 2008, page 94] by No. 8—"Avoid Lyrics and Sing-Alongs." Let me think here: avoid the human voice. Is this the same voice that soothes us in times of trouble or pain? The same voice that sings a baby or a child to sleep after he has had a nightmare? The same voice that a friend uses to console us in times of need? That same voice that softens our hearts and brings a smile to our faces when we hear a song that reminds us of a special time or place? Sorry. I very quickly learned, at least in my practice, that babbling brooks, storms and oceans, waves breaking on the beach, and birds chirping never appealed to my clients—especially my pregnant moms. But a soft voice, in a well structured melody (for example, Diana Krall or Julie London), brought rapid relaxation. It is the human voice that we so often turn to for comfort, for reassurance. It makes no sense that in an atmosphere created for relaxation and de-stressing you would want to shut out this wonderful asset. Your clients are tremendous testing boards. In my waiting room, I have a CD player and headphones. A card on the table lets the client know I am putting together a new CD to use and invites them to listen to the CDs and make comments. In no time at all your clients have put together your CD for you and then it is simply a matter of creating the CD. Trust me, when they hear the songs or selections that they commented on, there is huge positive feedback. Personally, I create two-hour CDs. When I take the client back to the workroom, I turn the CD on. The CD is on while clients are getting ready for their massage, during their massage, and while they are dressing to leave their massage, giving them a continuation of the massage even after I have left the room. "Avoid" the human voice? "In general most attempts to bring lyrics into the music for massage have not been very successful." Sorry. I have a couple of hundred clients who would adamantly disagree. In fact, I am now exploring with my clients the idea of creating their very own CDs that go into their fi le and which I pull out when they come in for their appointment. Lots of voices on those CDs. Lots of smiles. Lots of relaxation. Tremendous positive feedback. DICK JUBY HOUSTON, TEXAS Children and Spa I have recently received press releases on the newest profi t center: spa treatments for children between the ages of 6 and 18 years old. One such service was for an Aroma Chocolate Massage for $75/45 minutes. Another in Palm Springs got on the bandwagon with body treatments as well. I hope that these are isolated situations. I feel this type of marketing is inappropriate. Sharing an adult- style spa with children can be an uncomfortable and confusing situation for the children and the adults. I also question the legality of this and ask if the local health departments would question spa services for children as young as 6 years old. PAMELA PRICE CATHEDRAL CITY, CALIFORNIA Foundations of Somatic Practice, Part 2 The Questions We Need Answered BY THOMAS MYERS T his is the second part of an exploratory article on what a higher education program in somatics might give us as a profession. Primarily, it would give us a well-maintained pipeline from the pure biological/biomechanical research that supports our work to the day-to-day practitioner doing sessions and making connections with clients. It would open many avenues of development for us as a group. visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 79 visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 15