Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68008
TEN FOR TODAY "Religious music tends to engage the mind and the emotions," Evenson says. "Religious music that is mostly chanting … or in other languages can be appropriate, but again, it will depend on the individual client's personal preferences." LENGTH AND SESSION TIME The music should be at least as long as the massage session to avoid switching CDs, skipping through tracks, or hearing a recording start from the beginning again. Of course it's a nice touch if there's remaining harmony to accompany the client as he or she regroups after the session. 7. AND SING-ALONGS As a rule, avoid vocal music, say the experts, for the same reason that some would avoid classical music: lyrics engage the mind. "In general, most attempts to bring 8. lyrics in to music for massage have not been very successful," Lauterstein says. "It tends to engage the left side of the brain when you use language, and that's not what you want to promote in massage." The exception, Lauterstein says, are lyrics in a foreign tongue. AVOID LYRICS MATCH RECORDING "It can work well if your left brain is hearing it simply as sounds rather than interpreting it as words." Avoid music in a language the client is learning. AND OF ITSELF, CAN BE HEALING Music opens the doors to healing, Moeller says. "Therapists work on a person so healing can take place," he says. "The massage is opening doors to healing. And other tools can help: aromatherapy is one tool a therapist might use. Another tool is music." And the benefi ts of good music 9. can extend far beyond the length of the actual massage session. "We're developing music for healthy living," says Myrah, "with the suggestion that therapists present their clients with the idea that they use the music in between sessions. You rely on cellular memory. When you're stressed, you lie down, listen to this music, and let your body remember the massage. The feedback we've had has been incredible." REMEMBER THAT MUSIC, IN PART OF YOUR REVENUE STREAM "If you're playing the music, you should also be selling it," Moeller says. "Shame on you if you introduce a client to some music and then make them do the work to fi nd it to purchase it themselves." Withers' company offers 10-CD 10. packs for therapists to keep in their studio to let clients select from. He says massage therapists are missing out if they don't get any revenue from the music they play. "You let the client select whatever genre they like, and when they leave, they can purchase the music out front," he says. "Just selling a few CDs a day can make a big difference in your revenue stream." freelancer who loves the rhythm of nature. Contact her at killarneyrose@comcast.net. Rebecca Jones is a Denver-based CONSIDER CD SALES AS visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 97