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Do You Play Music or Not?

I have never played music during my massage sessions. When I first qualified it was to be different from everyone else who played whale sounds etc, then I started to reason that it was providing a more clinical environment for my clients as most of my work is of a remedial nature.

Every once in a while I revisit the question of should I play music or not and I'm currently wondering if I should. I've also never been able to decide if I was to play music what would I play, I am not a fan of the Whale sounds, or pan pipes type of relaxation music you usually get and my personal music I don't think would hit the spot either.

So my questions are,
Do you play music during your sessions?
If yes why and what do you play?
If no why not?

And just for good measure what are you listening to right now?

I'm listening to Galactic, which is jazz funk.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Trevor Chisman on October 17, 2009 at 1:38am

Hey Lisa
I am looking to incorporate many more full body massages back in to my practice.

With the spot work, most clients come in for a 1 hr slot which rarely gives longer than 50 minutes table time, also most clients present with an issue or problem that has caused them to seek out something more than the regular Swedish massage they have been having. For me it is a process of investigation and education within those first few treatments. The client will for example only want a back massage because it's only between the shoulders that hurts. In the first treatment I have to give the client what they want (back massage), give some relief from symptoms (to get the return visit), educate the client to the fact that everything is connected so this shoulder problem could be coming from the hip lower extremities, that there is benefit to gain from working the neck, chest, abdominals etc.

But no excuses I want to get back to full bodies and I want to lead my clients that way too.

Cheers for your imput

Lisa said:

Hey Trevor... I'm curious why you got away from doing full body massages. we were always taught the very importance of full body since everything is connected. therefore if you're just working on a problem area, you're not finding the other problem areas that are overcompensating.

and you're right...i gain a LOT of personal benefits from GIVING. i would highly encourage you to try and incorporate it back into your practice. maybe you can't with the current clients you have...but going forward with new clients.

Trevor Chisman said:
I know exactly what you mean about the dance and that is exactly what brought me back to this question of music or no music again.

Much of my work is spot remedial work, i.e, I very rarely do a full body massage these days and rarely is my focus anything other than trying to effect change in a problem my client is currently having.

But I really want to get back to that dance you talk of, where you run through a treatment without having to be looking at the clock to see when the next client is arriving, when you can focus on whatever your intuition and your hands tells you needs attention always looking for flow. Where the treatment is of as much benefit to yourself as it is to the client and where for a brief time you both work together in the dance. I know sounds daft, but I've been missing this out of my treatments.

So anyway, it seems I'm the only person not playing music, I think it is probably time I gave it a go and see what my clients think of it, I might actually mention it to some of my regulars and see what there take on it is.

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas

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Permalink Reply by Trevor Chisman on October 17, 2009 at 1:39am

Hi Nyema, thanks for your input

Nyema Tolese Randall said:

I play water sounds

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Permalink Reply by Trevor Chisman on October 17, 2009 at 1:41am

Hi Laura, thanks for the link I'll go have a read of that now. Thank you

Laura Allen said:

I wrote a blog on this subject on the massagemag.com website. It's archived so here's the link.

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Permalink Reply by Marilyn St.John on October 17, 2009 at 7:21pm

Just jumping in with a vote for World music here! (Love that Funk, too...both the jazz AND THE Pink Floyd varieties!) I load my iPod every month or so with different & appropriate & obscure stuff, just no sharp percussion. Programming 60 minutes' worth keeps me on track ~ I personally don't like my clients to think about the time so I don't keep a clock where they can see it. I have enough variety programmed in there to satisfy just about everyone (blues acoustic is requested a lot, I seem to have a blues-y clientele) and I draw the line at show tunes. The variety keeps me from getting malais on those very long days of back-to-back clients. I even have a couple people who bring CD's that they like so I can sync them. As a musician myself (viola) I play just classical in my "other life", so I tend to not include it when I'm working because it's too distracting. Since the environment is sometimes noisy outside my massage room when I work with my chiropractors, I also offer courtesy headphones.

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Permalink Reply by Jackie Wilson on October 17, 2009 at 8:22pm

Hi! I have always used music..only once in ten years of my practice, have I had someone request no music..but everyone else loves the music.there are a lot of good massage music out there!

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Permalink Reply by Jackie Wilson on October 17, 2009 at 8:23pm

I've heard not to play water sounds because it may make your client have to go potty...but I'm sure some may like it!

Nyema Tolese Randall said:

I play water sounds

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Permalink Reply by Gerry Bunnell on October 17, 2009 at 8:50pm

Hi Trevor, there are several reasons why I use music in my sessions. First, I try to involve as many senses as I can during a session. The sense of touch is obvious. Sense of smell with aromatherapy. Sense of hearing with music. I have yet to explore sense of tast, it just seems a bit absurd to ask my client to taste something in the middle of a massage. Since most people rely on sight as their primary sense, it can be a huge factor in hanging onto stress. Have you noticed how those who are most stressed keep their eyes open? I do my best to illiminate it by dimming the lights, or using an eye pillow.

I don't use a clock in my room. It's a subliminal message I pass onto my clients to forget about time, let it go. I have encountered too many people who hang onto time (another stressor) so I take away the temptation for them to look at the clock during the session. >:) Having familiar pieces of music allow me to guage how much time I am taking knowing how long the set of music lasts.

I feel it is important to have music you can relate to more so than the client. Music does help with the flow of a massage, or "the dance" if you will. Getting into that groove is very helpful in getting the client to relax. There are those clients that have specific tastes. For them I will play what they prefer.

Peace

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Permalink Reply by Lisa on October 17, 2009 at 9:07pm

Gerry Bunnell said:

I have yet to explore sense of tast, it just seems a bit absurd to ask my client to taste something in the middle of a massage.

Peace

phew...for a minute there i thought you were gonna say you lick your clients during a session!!! sorry...i'll go back to my rowdy group now. :)

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Permalink Reply by Mary Ellen Derwis-Balaz on October 18, 2009 at 8:46am

One work... ambient. The main complaint I had in the past was the obvious melody in celtic or native american. Sonosync in th UK has ambient music that entrains the rhythm of the heartbeat. try them I think you will love what it does for both you and your client.