massage and bodywork professionals
a community of practitioners
What are your professional pet peeves?
We need some input for our Round the Table column in the next issue of Massage & Bodywork magazine. Reply with your answers and you just might see it printed in the next issue!
The question this time is:
As a massage therapist, what are some of your professional pet peeves?
Views: 6007
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Robin Byler Thomas on
-
My professional pet peeve is when clients are brain washed into believing deep tissue massage is the most effective modality. Often, a new client will come in and, after taking a full assessment, when asked what kind of pressure they'd like they'll respond something like this: "Well, I prefer medium pressure, but I know massage therapy has to be deep to work." This response is reminiscent of the "no pain, no gain" belief; a myth that has been dispelled for some time (think '60s-'70s gym class). I then have to carefully re-educate them about taking a more gradual approach and working up to deeper pressure in order to avoid the muscle defending itself. Different areas of the body also respond to different types of pressure and techniques must be adjusted accordingly.
Pressure is ultimately an individual preference; it's okay to like light, medium, or deep work, it's all effective. Sometimes a lighter touch can make all the difference at that moment in time. Additionally, deep tissue has a different meaning for each individual client and it's worthwhile to define terms before the session, checking in with them throughout to see how it's going. Perhaps what a client really wants is a firm touch, which is different than deep tissue.
Finally, deep tissue can be contraindicated; for instance when someone is on blood thinners or hypertension medication. We don't want the client to end up bruised or for the massage to overload their system. The brainwashing about deep tissue is an example of a MT not listening to their client (another pet peeve) and instead pushing their own agenda. An agenda that says this modality is the best and only modality that works. A skilled and experienced MT has many useful modalities in their tool bag, knowing how to integrate and fine tune the session as it unfolds.
-
Permalink Reply by Sreed on
-
What really bugs me are therapists that "drop" names of other therapists like I should know who they are. I recieved a massage where the entire time she talked about other therapists and how she knows them, ugh. This is why I do not tell other therapists i'm seeing, that I am therapist also. Another thing that bothers me is the competition between therapists, it drives me nuts when therapists talk crap about other therapists, and when they know that their client would be better off with another therapist but their egos wont let them refer to others.
-
Permalink Reply by elizabeth mount on
-
Doors ! Doors that don't close easy doors that are loud doors that get stuck doors that squek doors doors doors
-
-
The word toxin! Too much salt NaCl is posionous does that make it a toxin?!! No. (Immature sentence removed) Our bodies are a faboulsly complex collection of chemicl reaction so much so that it bogogles the mind. Side note: enzymes are the coolest chemicals ever. Toxin is some type of cop out from even attmpting to understand and or to teach anything about biochemistry.
-
Permalink Reply by Daniel Cohen on
-
Not sure the clients are too interested in biochemistry. Oversimplified yes, but harmful no. We rub people, it helps them feel better and recover from many conditions. Teachers should know better but in the massage room does it really make a difference?
Pet Peeve? New clients who come with a pain and tell me where and how to work on their body and have never found anyone that can help them.
-
-
Daniel Cohen said:Not sure the clients are too interested in biochemistry. Oversimplified yes, but harmful no. We rub people, it helps them feel better and recover from many conditions. Teachers should know better but in the massage room does it really make a difference?
Pet Peeve? New clients who come with a pain and tell me where and how to work on their body and have never found anyone that can help them.
So over simplified it is wrong. Is it so hard to just indicate that it supports the natural processes of the body.. massage clients ARE intrested in their bodies and health. Why do we have to treat everyone like they are too dumb to understand. (Pet pev of life). One has no idea the knowledge level people have coming in the door. If we want to be taken seriously we have to get serious. Well everyone I am inerested in biochemistry I think it's the coolest @#$% on the planet. For me it is what make massage so awesome. So tell me massage flushes toxins and I won't ever be coming back.
-
-
We and our clients are a mixed bag. Enough for all to find what suits.
elizabeth mount said:
Daniel Cohen said:Not sure the clients are too interested in biochemistry. Oversimplified yes, but harmful no. We rub people, it helps them feel better and recover from many conditions. Teachers should know better but in the massage room does it really make a difference?
Pet Peeve? New clients who come with a pain and tell me where and how to work on their body and have never found anyone that can help them.
So over simplified it is wrong. Is it so hard to just indicate that it supports the natural processes of the body.. massage clients ARE intrested in their bodies and health. Why do we have to treat everyone like they are too dumb to understand. (Pet pev of life). One has no idea the knowledge level people have coming in the door. If we want to be taken seriously we have to get serious. Well everyone I am inerested in biochemistry I think it's the coolest @#$% on the planet. For me it is what make massage so awesome. So tell me massage flushes toxins and I won't ever be coming back.
-
Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on
-
Every client and massage therapist too.. Has their own idea of what a massage is.. That's kind of the hard part in a way.. I work in a spa.. So I have a lot of people that expect to just collapse on the table.. No talking...and get rubbed really good head to toe...The only talking I do for those people is to ask a few times if the pressure is good. Even though Ive instructed them to tell me if it isn't. However, when I have a client that is coming in because they have a pain problem. And indicate tha'ts why they are getting a massage .Sore back or whatever maybe..Then I talk, and explain why and what I'm doing in pretty good detail..I get better results that way.. I also get some people that just like to talk constantly...But most people getting massages don't want conversation...As a matter of fact...That's one of the pet peeves against massage therapists.. The massage was good, but he talked too much.
elizabeth mount said:
Daniel Cohen said:Not sure the clients are too interested in biochemistry. Oversimplified yes, but harmful no. We rub people, it helps them feel better and recover from many conditions. Teachers should know better but in the massage room does it really make a difference?
Pet Peeve? New clients who come with a pain and tell me where and how to work on their body and have never found anyone that can help them.
So over simplified it is wrong. Is it so hard to just indicate that it supports the natural processes of the body.. massage clients ARE intrested in their bodies and health. Why do we have to treat everyone like they are too dumb to understand. (Pet pev of life). One has no idea the knowledge level people have coming in the door. If we want to be taken seriously we have to get serious. Well everyone I am inerested in biochemistry I think it's the coolest @#$% on the planet. For me it is what make massage so awesome. So tell me massage flushes toxins and I won't ever be coming back.
-
Permalink Reply by kristi marco on
-
Personally, my biggest pet peeves is the fact that society still hasn't given us anything more than "lip service". When it comes down to it, regardless of what you may think, we are still living in the dark ages. Sure we have managed to turn a few heads in the medical community. They throw us a bone occationally,but I can't help feeling like we are still dumped on by the common man. The same man that is always in need of us, but never will admit it. They would rather go to their DR and have to take out a home loan just to pay the deductable. In order to feel better?- not to mention the fact that we are paid at least 4x less than the dr. go figure...
-
Permalink Reply by Holly Lynn Donaldson on
-
I have several pet peeves. First, I dislike being judged by people before they know me or the work that I can potentially do to help them. It's really annoying to be compared to other therapists (esp. ones in other states with the only reasoning being that they have higher requirements for licensure) before you do any work or even meet the person judging you. It bothers me that male therapists get looked down upon simply because they are male. Many of them do wonderful work and have big hearts. It straight out sucks being called a masseuse. No matter if the person saying it had good intentions. Unfortunately, that term has been tainted by misuse. And nothing is more annoying than hearing that term used to describe a massage therapist in all sorts of media (esp. television and cinema). Another is the expectation that I will take home, wash, and return all sheets that were used by my clients the day before. It's been a long day and I'm tired. You can wait a day to have them back if I work at a facility I do not own. We are all busy people. As a business owner you should know this will happen and either purchase enough linens to not need them back every day, use a linen service, or have a laundry facility on site. Problem solved and the rest of us don't need to rush and use family time on work errands. And lastly, when coworkers talk about other coworkers or clients behind their back on site (esp. if I'm working on a client and we both can hear these people through the walls). Not very professional and it definitely happened for almost the entire 60 mins. I just frown on disrespect as a whole.
-
Permalink Reply by Xach Lightner on
-
Clients with dirty skin and bad body odor. Scrub out those sebaceous glands!
-
Permalink Reply by Beante Hollie on
-
people who are late for a appointment or call after hours and on sundays
© 2024 Created by ABMP.
Powered by
