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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
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Cohen on
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Massage isn't like the Martial Arts. Many forms of Massage/Bodywork originate in the Martial Arts. Throughout Asia Martial Arts includes healing arts. The pressure points that disable can also heal. Thai Massage is an example having originated in Northern India as part of Martial Arts. It was necessary for warriors to be at their physical best and recover quickly, just like sports massage today. In fact I regard the Martial Arts forms as the best of sports massage.
Ultimately the marketplace will decide which forms become prominent. We can't limit the forms but we can strive to do our best for the client.
Boris Prilutsky said:Hi Gordon.
Your comparisons of martial arts and massage therapy, maybe having some logical "bridge"(both about results), but it is difficult to agree with you on this comparisons. when fighters stepping in cage and no matter what type they representing,
audience are very clear what is it about.by offering 100s names of massage therapy it is confusing. Confusion do not allow to recognize us and what is our profession about. If this hundreds name presentation would be beneficial, our industry in general wouldn't struggle today,I know you are successful, but I'm talking in general, many our people leaving industry for good.maybe this is not a main, but offering 100s of names contributing to downgrade of our occupation.
Best wishes.
Boris
Gordon J. Wallis said:Massage is like the Martial Arts... There are all these different styles and similar styles with different names and approaches.. They all work according to their rules... However, if someone grabs you.. You better know how deal with that.... and if he tackles you to the ground.. You better know how to deal with that....If your attacker is trying to kick you... You better know how to deal with that...After a while..styles and names don't mean much. Not for me so much anyway..I just massage people according to the situation as best I can...If they are burnt out or injured. Or if its a birthday present... I massage them. Its interesting work for sure... lol
Gary W Addis said:Jeff, with great respect for our CEU providers, I agree with you. How many recognized modalities are there now?--there must be hundreds. And this phenomenon isn't restricted to massage therapy & bodywork; many chirpopractors are promoting their own "secret" brands of bodywork. Frankly, it is...confusing.
Jeff Baldwin said:Professionally, I have one pet peeve that has become prevalent in the last few years; the idea of having multiple names for nearly identical modalities.
It seems an ever-growing number of therapists or allied health providers are creating their own modality or technique based on an what they claim to be of their own development and then pawn it off as the latest and most effective technique in the industry. I don't know how others out there will react to this, but I am growing increasingly tired of investigating continuing education in advanced bodywork modalities only to find that the newest, most innovative technique is no different to the last newest, most innovative technique that I learned a year ago.
How many times can we honestly do this? Therapeutic Massage, Clinical Massage, Medical Massage, Orthopedic Massage, Remedial Massage, Rehabilitative Massage... it goes on and on and on and without much difference between them. Isn't "Medical" also "Clinical"? Isn't "Remedial" also "Orthopedic"? Isn't "Injury" also "Rehabilitative"? Can't one of those titles encompase them all? Aren't all of them "Therapeutic"?
I personally would like to see this industry somehow come to an agreement on one name that describes a generalized, yet specific enough, approach of manual therapy that treats injury and dysfunction of soft tissues?
I think it would benefit all of us greatly if we can bring an end to the continuous relabeling of modalities and create common names and definitions for the work we do and then allow personal variation and adaptation to occur by the practitioner.
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Permalink Reply by Edie Marie Garland on
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Permalink Reply by Rajam K Roose on
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When I shake the hand of a new client to introduce myself and they squeeze it as hard as they can-- I'm not going to play tug of war and don't they want my hand to work?
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Permalink Reply by Lucianna Johnston on
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Anyone who discredits any aspect of being a bodyworker. Intuition is important. Science is important. Energy is every bit a part of healing the body as tissue manipulation, nutrition and science. It's about balance...so over generalizing a stereotype to include all energy workers or all massage therapist who rely on intuition as well as science.....any stereotype that says that chiropractors are bad or medicine doesn't work. The human body is a miraculous and amazing thing and every person is different.....sky's the limit....what works for one may not work for another...and also....what works for many may work for many more....:)
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Permalink Reply by Pete L Blanco II on
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I've had this happen to me too way too many times. It's frustrating and a great way for the MT to not only guarantee that client won't return, but also that the client will be telling their friends about the awful experience.
Micah Goodman said:My biggest pet peeve doesn't have to do with clients but with therapists. If I tell a therapist exactly what areas I want/ or need massaged thats what I want done, period. For example, I have chronic hip pain from an automobile accident so I am good if they work the hips, low back and legs. More often then not I get a scripted full body massage. When I asked one therapist why she didn't even work my glutes at all she said, "I don't work the glutes." I specifically, asked her before the start of my session if she had any issues working the hips and glutes and she told me no. So in short my biggest pet peeve are therapists who don't listen to their clients.
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I think this is a great discussion. I can relate to so many of these peeves. One thing that bothers me that hasn't been mentioned yet is when clients call late in the day (4 PM or later) wanting to get in TODAY and ONLY today.
I am curious about this though. Those who mentioned being bothered when a client leaves a gratuity on the table rather than handing it to you, why does that bother you? In cases where I have prepaid for massages, I've frequently left a gratuity on the table rather than handing it to the therapist. In my own practice, I've had clients do that as well and I've never taken offense... Would anyone care to elaborate as to the offense being inadvertently committed?
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Luckily for me, when I work another spot away from where they tell me to, the pain goes away. Then they say that is amazing. lol
But to say you work the glutes and then during the massage say you don't is fraud. How does one address low back, hip, or thigh problems without including the glutes?
Pete L Blanco II said:I've had this happen to me too way too many times. It's frustrating and a great way for the MT to not only guarantee that client won't return, but also that the client will be telling their friends about the awful experience.
Micah Goodman said:My biggest pet peeve doesn't have to do with clients but with therapists. If I tell a therapist exactly what areas I want/ or need massaged thats what I want done, period. For example, I have chronic hip pain from an automobile accident so I am good if they work the hips, low back and legs. More often then not I get a scripted full body massage. When I asked one therapist why she didn't even work my glutes at all she said, "I don't work the glutes." I specifically, asked her before the start of my session if she had any issues working the hips and glutes and she told me no. So in short my biggest pet peeve are therapists who don't listen to their clients.
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Permalink Reply by Gary W Addis, LMT on
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I agree with you, Pete. Why would that be an offense? No one takes offense if a diner leaves his tip on the table, or adds a tip to his credit card when he/she gets to the register.
Actually, some people fear embarassing a server by handing the cash to them--or embarassing themselves if all they can afford is small. Don't know about anyone else, but me, I'd rather receive a small tip than no tip--it's not supposed to be about the money, but rather a statement that the massage was exceptional, and deserves recognition.
Pete L Blanco II said:I think this is a great discussion. I can relate to so many of these peeves. One thing that bothers me that hasn't been mentioned yet is when clients call late in the day (4 PM or later) wanting to get in TODAY and ONLY today.
I am curious about this though. Those who mentioned being bothered when a client leaves a gratuity on the table rather than handing it to you, why does that bother you? In cases where I have prepaid for massages, I've frequently left a gratuity on the table rather than handing it to the therapist. In my own practice, I've had clients do that as well and I've never taken offense... Would anyone care to elaborate as to the offense being inadvertently committed?
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As the move towards Medical Massage gains sway, how does the tip apply? Will the designation allow charging more to cover lost tips? PTs, OTs, Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Anesthesiologists, and other Health Care Professionals don't get them. But many of us don't want to be Medical Practitioners. Which is why I support separate licenses ro allow better selection by the public. My suggestion for what now gets lumped together as massage is; Wellness Massage, Medical Massage, Erotic Massage, and Prostitute. Unless all are licensed there will always be the masquerade and the difficulty of enforcement against fraud.
Gary W Addis said:I agree with you, Pete. Why would that be an offense? No one takes offense if a diner leaves his tip on the table, or adds a tip to his credit card when he/she gets to the register.
Actually, some people fear embarassing a server by handing the cash to them--or embarassing themselves if all they can afford is small. Don't know about anyone else, but me, I'd rather receive a small tip than no tip--it's not supposed to be about the money, but rather a statement that the massage was exceptional, and deserves recognition.
Pete L Blanco II said:I think this is a great discussion. I can relate to so many of these peeves. One thing that bothers me that hasn't been mentioned yet is when clients call late in the day (4 PM or later) wanting to get in TODAY and ONLY today.
I am curious about this though. Those who mentioned being bothered when a client leaves a gratuity on the table rather than handing it to you, why does that bother you? In cases where I have prepaid for massages, I've frequently left a gratuity on the table rather than handing it to the therapist. In my own practice, I've had clients do that as well and I've never taken offense... Would anyone care to elaborate as to the offense being inadvertently committed?
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I have only had one person who I have avoided having back. It went beyond telling me where to work. She told me the direction and type of stroke! She said only that makes her feel less low back pain. She also said no one has been able to get rid of the pain which quickly returns. I wonder why when the Therapy is being micro managed by a nonprofessional. I can deal with the "Massage here" people who quickly learn relieve can be a distance from the pain. But someone who directs your strokes contrary to good body mechanics that can give you pain is out of my clinic pronto.
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Permalink Reply by Linda LePelley, RN, NMT on
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Daniel,
I have a lot of respect for your opinions and the work you do. However, I feel I must ask you to reconsider your apparent inclination to lump massage therapists in with prostitutes. It would make as much sense to say they (prostitutes) should be licensed under the same umbrella as nursing . For many decades nurses were looked upon as glorified prostitutes, and they had to struggle and demand they get the respect they earn and deserve.
As I understand from other discussions I’ve read here, there are still areas that regulate massage therapists as if they are no more than that, glorified prostitutes. While it may seem like a non-issue to some of us, others are struggling with society’s erroneous ideas about who we are and what we do. I have only had a few people over the years make comments that suggest they equate the two, and it can leave a person feeling demeaned. To deal with that on a regular basis would be very discouraging. Unless such attitudes and statements are refuted and rejected, ignorant people will continue to belittle our profession. How can we expect to be afforded the respect we have earned and deserve if we don't even have it for ourselves?
Daniel Cohen said:As the move towards Medical Massage gains sway, how does the tip apply? Will the designation allow charging more to cover lost tips? PTs, OTs, Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Anesthesiologists, and other Health Care Professionals don't get them. But many of us don't want to be Medical Practitioners. Which is why I support separate licenses ro allow better selection by the public. My suggestion for what now gets lumped together as massage is; Wellness Massage, Medical Massage, Erotic Massage, and Prostitute. Unless all are licensed there will always be the masquerade and the difficulty of enforcement against fraud.
Gary W Addis said:I agree with you, Pete. Why would that be an offense? No one takes offense if a diner leaves his tip on the table, or adds a tip to his credit card when he/she gets to the register.
Actually, some people fear embarassing a server by handing the cash to them--or embarassing themselves if all they can afford is small. Don't know about anyone else, but me, I'd rather receive a small tip than no tip--it's not supposed to be about the money, but rather a statement that the massage was exceptional, and deserves recognition.
Pete L Blanco II said:I think this is a great discussion. I can relate to so many of these peeves. One thing that bothers me that hasn't been mentioned yet is when clients call late in the day (4 PM or later) wanting to get in TODAY and ONLY today.
I am curious about this though. Those who mentioned being bothered when a client leaves a gratuity on the table rather than handing it to you, why does that bother you? In cases where I have prepaid for massages, I've frequently left a gratuity on the table rather than handing it to the therapist. In my own practice, I've had clients do that as well and I've never taken offense... Would anyone care to elaborate as to the offense being inadvertently committed?
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Linda, I don't think what I suggest is lumping together. I want to have clear license separation. By licensing each and having legal scopes of practice fraudulent claims can be prosecuted and licenses suspended or removed. It answers the problems of clarification that many complain about.
Personally, I do what I do which would be straddling wellness and medical massage if they were separate licenses. And I don't see that I would change the way I work. But for those entering the profession perhaps wellness could provide a lower tier of education to counter the current trend towards ever spiraling upwards education for entry level.
The Nursing profession has gone this route with multiple levels of license and classification. As for the designation of Erotic Massage, I think something must be done to recognize the need and demand of it without forcing those that would do it into full prostitution. I don't like calling it sensual massage because I think that is currently legitimate wellness/spa massage. I think the subject needs to be open for discussion as ignoring it isn't stopping it or helping the massage profession or public safety.
And thank you for the compliment. I also respect and like reading your posts.
Linda LePelley, RN, NMT said:Daniel,
I have a lot of respect for your opinions and the work you do. However, I feel I must ask you to reconsider your apparent inclination to lump massage therapists in with prostitutes. It would make as much sense to say they (prostitutes) should be licensed under the same umbrella as nursing . For many decades nurses were looked upon as glorified prostitutes, and they had to struggle and demand they get the respect they earn and deserve.
As I understand from other discussions I’ve read here, there are still areas that regulate massage therapists as if they are no more than that, glorified prostitutes. While it may seem like a non-issue to some of us, others are struggling with society’s erroneous ideas about who we are and what we do. I have only had a few people over the years make comments that suggest they equate the two, and it can leave a person feeling demeaned. To deal with that on a regular basis would be very discouraging. Unless such attitudes and statements are refuted and rejected, ignorant people will continue to belittle our profession. How can we expect to be afforded the respect we have earned and deserve if we don't even have it for ourselves?
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when a client wants to keep their cell phone on during the session and i hear it going off like 20xssss : /