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A Gripe

This picture here shows what I was hoping to receive today, not what I got.

I received a massage today from a set of hands that had so much tension in them, I almost wanted to switch places with the therapist and help the girl out.

Good body mechanics have been hammered into our brains at school, with soft hands being among the most important if one wants to have a career that lasts more than a year. Quite frankly, I don't know how this therapist makes it though a day at Massage Envy with EIGHT massages in a row (talk about a career ender). Work smarter, not harder, right?

Forgetting the therapist for a minute and the over-taxation going on in the hands up to the neck, how about the person receiving? Oh my poor fascia! It is not even that it was too deep too fast, but just a lack of quality in the touch. A couple of plastic hands does not do the fascial system good. Our fascia is highly intelligent and sensitive, loaded with more sensory neurons than muscle. I think this therapist hurt my fascias feelings.

While I am here, I might as well complete my complaint of this massage. The therapist worked on my back for, what must have been, 25 minutes at least. I finally had to lift my head out of the cradle and say "You have worked on my back a long time. Would you mind moving on?" I was embarrassed to have to say it, but the tissue in my back was beginning to recoil from her touch.

The work on the legs was ok, but was done mainly on the muscle belly. Hello?? Tendons??? Also, this may just be me nit picking, but is a diaper drape really necessary for work on the posterior leg if you are not doing joint range of motion? I do a diaper drape when working on the anterior leg because I always work the inner thigh... another wonderful bit that I have only gotten from one therapist at this establishment. Guess I need to ask for it...

A small amount of time was left for head and neck, with hard thumbs falling anterior to my sternocleidomastoid, giving a lovely bit of compression on my carotid artery. I realize we are all different in our massage styles, but head and neck is one area that should not be skimped on. I devote the last 10-15 minutes to the neck, chest, maybe a little face and finally the head.

Oh, and energy holds? Not one. Not even at the opening. No, the sheet came right down and a 25 minute hard rubdown of my back began.

I did let the front desk know I didn't particularly enjoy my massage, so I feel I did my duty there. Truly, if ever you receive a massage that is just no good, let your voice be heard... and that includes getting one from me! The only way I will become an exceptional bodyworker is by good constructive feedback that I can use as a learning tool.

Ok... that's the end of my gripe. Next time I will stick with my friend Kate who not only works my inner thigh without being asked, but also knows how to respect fascia. Hm!

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Comment by Gordon J. Wallis on July 28, 2012 at 11:40am: A comment kind of along the lines of this thread... I remember one day a couple years ago...Two clients raved about me. Left me huge tips..Saying I gave them the best massage in their life...and they had been massaged all over the world.. But also on that same day a client told the front desk that my massage was horrible and she demanded her money back...they gave it back.. I remember leaving depressed that day.....

Comment by Doug Turet on July 28, 2012 at 2:19am: I'm curious, Amanda...

When you began your session, about how much time did you invest into communicating your needs and wants with whomever it was that later left you feeling so thoroughly unfulfilled? Did you go to a "McMassage" and begin by offering the least amount possible -- even if that was all that was asked of you, during your intake interview -- and hoping for the best, or did you risk being vulnerable enough to share whatever it was that you were seeking? (And, for that matter, did you happen to begin the session by mentioning that you were an MT, as well?)

I'm not trying to give you a hard time, here; I'm just curious as to whether you gave this person the benefit of the doubt, or if you did what a few other MT's I know have occasionally bragged about doing: offering as little info as is humanly possible, as a kind of "trial by fire" for the person on the other end of that energetic transaction, to see if the poor person earning $10-15/hr is able to produce a world-class treatment session, or not.

Now, granted, my perspective on this is more than a little bit skewed by the years I spent as a master craftsman and designer, before transitioning to energy- and bodywork as a career. In addition to a great many insights into the processes by which others attach their senses of value and meaning to objects and services, that background instilled in me the universal awareness that quality is quality, and price is price. Just as it would never even occur to me to look for the kinds of quality I've always created (via two hands, a workbench, and hours upon hours of committed devotion to creating something that honors the person who will receive it) at a big-box discount store full of factory run merchandise, I wouldn't expect to find someone as nurturing, intuitive or attentive as I am as a healer, at a massage "discount store". This is not to suggest, for a second, that there aren't any intuitive and highly skilled Massage Envy employees who are able to produce a mind-blowingly fascia-melting experience, but rather, that I wouldn't intentionally go there, expecting anything resembling that.

...All of which leads me to wonder, Amanda: have you previously been to massage franchises where you received the kinds of quality that you, yourself, would offer? Perhaps I'm leaping to conclusions, here, but I'll bet that you're a far more caring and intuitive therapist than the person you've "Gripe"'d about, above... Would I be wrong to assume, then, that you're also paid accordingly?

Comment by Cynthia Gillick on December 7, 2010 at 12:52pm: food for thought....you get what you pay for.

I understand the need for drive through style massage possibly being cost or time. While the concept seems valid the delivery leaves me wondering who the target audience would be. Several people I am acquainted with work for and own these types of massage clinics. they all seem to have the same mindset, numbers. No offense intended. Through these experiences we all form our idea of where we want to take our own work. In my opinion, the fast food style massage establishments are a good training ground for newbies wanting to gain more experience and not intended to be a long term career choice.

I have always been concerned with quality. If I pay top dollar I expect top quality, When I pay for a no frills massage I ask for specific work, like my arms and hands, yes for the whole hour! I ask for the type of massage I need and never go in without first communicating what my needs are. I save my money for the more experienced therapist if I really want to be happy with the results.

Comment by Lynne Stiller on November 30, 2010 at 1:06am: what a well phrased gripe! I applaud your bravery to complain to the front desk, but have you ever considered your therapists feelings? Obviously they are working so many hours because they can't afford to work fewer. And being a therapist yourself, how could you be a patron at a corporate run, fast-food massage chain? Good therapists struggle to run private practices or work in small community like offices to charge a fair price to earn a fair wage & you choose the walmart of the massage world & have the nerve to be unhappy with the product? You don't get steak from McD's dear. Try a real massage establishment for real people & I bet you will get better results.

For any therapist who wants to get out of the fast-food massage chains in S Austin. Look me up & I will help you begin a real massage practice where you can develop your skills and learn as much as you can while developing your career.