I take massage very seriously. I’ve taught thousands of massage therapists through workshops and full time training programs. I’ve been involved in drafting regulatory standards for therapists in Ontario Canada. I’ve been commissioned to write textbooks and have contributed to some top selling massage books. I’ve promoted the massage industry through appearances in national newspapers and on national television. However, despite the work I do to “professionalize” massage, I pursue an area of massage that many massage therapists hold in low regard. Believe it or not, I’m obsessed with…
…simple back rubs!
That’s correct. Short back rubs in the seated massage chairs. My peers can’t comprehend why I’m so obsessed with what seems to be an insignificant massage service and they wonder:
What’s the big deal about chair massage?
I’m crazy about seated massage because I truly believe that it has the capacity to really take massage to a place where it becomes a mainstream service.
Most industry surveys show massage use to be relatively low.
How can that be? Massage is in the media all the time. It gets coverage in news features and you see massage therapists as featured characters in TV shows and movies.
When you massage a friend’s neck and shoulders are they going to say, “Stop that! I hate it when you massage me. It feels horrible.” That would never happen because unless they are from Mars they love receiving massage.
It’s important that we get touch regularly in order to function normally. That’s why touch is related to the parts of our brain associated with pleasure. Survival functions are highly associated to those pleasure centers in the mid-brain region – just like sex and eating. Our bodies are hardwired to ensure that we get what we need.
If we need touch so badly why don’t people get massage every day?
To discover why you need to look at table massage Stand in the shoes of your clients and consider your massage as though you’re completely new to it all:
In order to get a massage you need to go into a tiny room behind a closed door, take off your clothing and get onto a table while someone you don’t know rubs greasy oil all over your body. Not only that, you have to pay a lot for the opportunity.
It bothersome for massage therapists to think of massage therapy from this viewpoint, but for the most part, that’s how the public perceives massage. And when looked at from that perspective, it seems as if the massage profession is purposely trying to discourage potential customers from buying massage therapy. Read the rest of this entry »