Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68008
Rus Withers, managing director of Global Journey Music USA of Denver, says, the noise of a thunderstorm is not a sound he would play in a spa. "But believe it or not, it's one of our top sellers. So is a babbling brook." 3. CONSIDER THE CLIENT The client's needs really should determine the music selection. And that's not always something slow and soothing. If a client has to return to work after the massage, maybe more stimulating music is what's called for. "As long as playing something you like doesn't contradict what the client may need, it's perfectly OK," says David Lauterstein, director of the Lauterstein Conway Massage School in Austin, Texas, and a guitarist whose latest CD, Roots and Branches, is geared specifically to the needs of massage therapy. "As a therapist, if you love the music, your body relaxes," Myrah says. It isn't always true though, that clients will share the therapist's taste. Gelb says. "As a client, the last thing I want to do is criticize the massage therapist at the end of the session. I just won't make another appointment." If you're not getting as much repeat business as you'd like, consider the impact your music may be having. "Sometimes music, in combination with massage, can bring out strange emotions with no warning," Gelb says. "It's happened to me once. For no reason, I got really sad while getting a massage, and it was the music. It's something for a therapist to be on the lookout for, and if you see a client getting upset, ask if they'd like a change in the music." If a client requests a certain artist, be amenable and try to honor the request. 4. But anyone who's ever dozed off at HONOR THE MUSICIANS' RIGHTS Access to music is very open these days, but just because you possess music—on a CD, iPod, or elsewhere—doesn't automatically mean that you can play it as part of your business transaction. Licensing laws, written to protect the creative products of the composers and performers, may dictate that you need to pay a licensing fee to transmit music as part of your business. Most independent practitioners, because of their small practices and their use of music in one-on-one sessions, are unaffected by music licensing laws. Many music labels that create music specifically with massage and bodywork practitioners in mind encourage the use of their music, without additional licensing fees. If the rights to the music you're using are held by one of the performing rights societies (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC), you may be subject to fees, based on their fee structures. If you're unsure of the rules governing your music, "Ask the labels you use for a letter/e-mail giving you permission to play their music, cost free, in your business," Moeller suggests. 5. CLASSICAL MUSIC: YES OR NO? Experts are divided on whether classical music is appropriate background music for massage. Some love it because it has depth and sophistication. Some hate it for the same reasons. "I always pay attention when I listen to classical music," Gelb says. "It makes me do exactly what I'm trying to stop doing when I'm getting a massage. I'm trying to clear my mind, just enjoy the benefits of the massage session. Most classical music ... is unsettling to me because I'm constantly paying attention to it, and I don't feel nearly as relaxed at the end of the session." the symphony might take a different tack. "I think many therapists are discontent with music that is just acoustical wallpaper with dolphin squeaks and water noises. I'd like to plug classical," Lauterstein says. "The very depth of that music can add something." If you do choose to go to with classical, look for chamber music, which has fewer instruments playing at once. Strings are good, Withers says. So are flutes. "The challenge with classical music is that it often has loud bombastic sections in the middle that elicit a great deal of passion," says Dudley Evenson, who, with her husband, Dean, runs Soundings of the Planet, a studio in Bellingham, Washington, that specializes in music to promote peace and wellness. "The music can be wonderful and enjoyable but it tends to not be supportive of massage. If the classical music includes carefully chosen composers or slower sections of symphonies, that can work. Solo piano or synthesizer can work well for some classical pieces." 6. BE WARY OF MUSIC WITH RELIGIOUS OVERTONES It's difficult for a therapist to know how religious music might impact a client—for good or bad. "Some people are freaked out by Gregorian chants," Lauterstein warns. "It might be a good idea, in the initial interview, to ask what kinds of music they like, and if they have any particular beliefs that would lead you to play certain music or avoid certain music. For example, if you put on some Buddhist chant, some fundamentalist Christians might take that as offensive." visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 95