Professional Massage Services

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. If you're not sure what type of massage you want or need, ask the provider to explain the difference in the types of massage they offer and which one they recommend for your issues. If you know what type of massage you want, ask the provider if they have any special training or know specific techniques to help with your issues. If you are not happy with the answers you don't have to follow through with the massage. A professional massage therapist wants you to reach your goals for the outcome of the massage and will understand if you choose someone with more experience or training for your specific issues.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. What I like most about this job is being presented with a problem and being able to solve it in a way that works for me and the client. Being given a list of issues in which I have 60 minutes to find the underlying cause, when possible, and then working out a treatment plan to resolve it is kind of exciting. When I can feel a muscle release under my hands and then being told that I helped someone -- that is a real natural high. When I can make a connection with a client and I am able to help them by relieving a tight muscle or releasing them from pain -- that's almost a reward in itself. That's why I do this job.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. The most common question I get is, "How often should I return for a massage?" That usually depends on what your goals are from the massage. Let's just say for the sake of this discussion that cost is not a factor. If you have, say, chronic neck issues, then my answer is this: 2 or 3 sessions, focusing specifically on your neck muscles, completed within a few days of each other with follow-up once every 3-4 weeks is a good formula to follow. 2 sessions might be enough, 3 sessions might not, but for most people focused work spaced close together then tapered off is usually the answer.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. Continuing education is extremely important in complementary and alternative medicine. Initial massage training teaches therapists basic understanding of muscles, joints and how the body moves and then different types of massage. This is only a starting point. Working with clients and gaining experience with different types of bodies and conditions and injuries is necessary in growing as a massage therapist. Continuing education allows me to improve my skills in the areas I find most valuable to the type of clients I see. I try to take online and hands on education classes every year. I am continually adding to my tool box of skills so that I can offer the massage techniques required to help every client reach their goal for their massage.

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. First - look at job postings on Craigslist. See what types of massage training employers are looking for in your area. Next - Talk to schools you are interested in attending and find out what modalities they teach. Are they in sync with the job market? You don't want to spend time and money learning a technique that an employer thinks is a fad or worse, clients don't want. The best schools are those that offer only massage training. Does the school offer enough training for you to get certified and hired after completion. Find out what your city and state requirements are for working as a massage therapist. Finally, talk to working massage therapist in different fields; someone working in a spa, someone doing chair massage at Whole Foods, an independent contractor for a chiropractic office and someone running their own business. Massage therapy can be hard work with little pay, at least for the first few years, but also very rewarding. Be sure you have all the information before you begin training.