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Massage by 09/08/2017 0Comments

Big vs Small Ashiatsu Therapist – Who’s Deeper?

Ashiatsu is my favorite style of deeper massage to receive, hands-down. Or feet-down, however you want to say it. As a solo practitioner, I don’t have easy access to good quality barefoot therapists close to me. Our instructors who have a team of ashi therapists have set themselves up well for both business purposes and for being able to conveniently receive ashiatsu. (Yes, they are smart ladies in many ways.)

Sadly, there are times when I don’t have half a day to block myself off for my 2-hour barefoot massage sessions. The ashiatsu massage therapists currently I see are about 50 minutes away.

When I can’t receive my barefoot bar massage therapy, my second choice is to get my hands-on deep tissue massage from a man. My other choice is from a tall, well insulated woman. (Stay with me here–there’s a point to the big vs smaller hands-on therapist!)

I like getting hands on massage from men and big, solid, farm-type women for two specific reasons:

Massage, Pro tips by 09/01/2017 0Comments

How to work deeper if you haven’t learned ashiatsu barefoot massage

This question of “how do I go deeper in a massage so I don’t hurt myself” recently came up in a massage group in which I belong. Of course, my obvious answer to learn barefoot massage and directed her to our website.

Sometimes it’s just not possible to take an ashiatsu class anytime soon. Maybe the kids are back in school, your rottweiler just had a hip replacement, or perhaps taking time off work and traveling simply isn’t an option at that moment.

Massage, Pro tips, Tuesday Toesday, Why FasciAshi? by 08/29/2017 0Comments

Tuesday TOEsday: Where to start your massage

Where do your start your massage? At the feet? Perhaps at the client’s initial complaint area? At their upper back or in their neck? With their breath?

There’s not a wrong answer here, it all has to do with the theory you choose to approach the massage with.

on-the-right-footstart-your-massage-

Having procedures and protocols can produce results – but every client and every condition is different. Learning a routine massage and always sticking to it is like being on autopilot: it might always produce the same results, but you may be bored, uninspired… and your clients progress may plateau.

Read a few of the ideas below, and see if changing up the sequencing of your next massage helps you and your client get the results you are looking for!

business by 08/25/2017 0Comments

Using Canva for your massage biz

While text is king for SEO (search engine optimization), infographics (and video) rock by bringing attention to a Facebook post or blog. Using Canva to create blog headers or social media posts (like Instagram and Twitter) is a super easy way to bring attention to your massage biz. Best of all, it’s FREE!

If you don’t have an account, set one up.

Consistency

Have business partners or people you work with who would like to use the same templates? No worries-you can add a “team”!

This is what Jeni and Mary-Claire often do when trading who does the “Wow Wednesday” or “Selfie Saturday” posts on Facebook and Instagram. It creates a consistent feel between posts versus random designs.

Pro tips, Tuesday Toesday, Why FasciAshi? by 08/22/2017 0Comments

Tuesday TOESday: Applying massage lotion

We all know how to apply massage lotion to your clients with our hands: but how about with your feet?

Our faculty and alumni all have their own ways of adding their creme, lotion or oil during sessions. One massage lotion application is to squirt the lubricant onto your foot, then do some smearing strokes to work it along the area you’ll be focusing on… then DO YOUR THANG! (You’ll need to have a holster on your hip to hold that lube tube!) This version definitely helps to avoid getting your hands slippery, which alters your grasp on the bars.

We love to teach you tricks like this in our FasciAshi Fundamentals classes!

How do YOU put the lotion on its skin!?!??!

Read more below:

business by 08/18/2017 0Comments

3 top free email marketing programs for massage therapists

Emailing your massage clients periodically should be a given, like Marketing 101.  You can send them monthly tips about health or something interesting, and you can also let them know your upcoming openings or changes in your schedule. But how do you do that without emailing each person individually?

An email marking service is the best way to go. You can either use plain text for a simple email (apparently, your clients’ inboxes are less likely to send them to spam that way. Read more about that here). You can also design something nice (which is what we do) that will mesh with your website.

We are going to skip over the paid versions because if you’re just learning about this now, a free version will probably suffice nicely.

Pro tips, Tuesday Toesday, Why FasciAshi? by 08/15/2017 0Comments

Tuesday TOESday: step it up with Ashiatsu Step Stools

Stepping up to your massage table to start an Ashiatsu massage can be tricky sometimes. Placing ashiatsu step stools near your massage table can help make your life easier. Maybe the table is set real high. Maybe you aren’t the type of person who takes 4 stair-steps in a single leap when you run up the stair case! Lunging that far repeatedly overtime might put some extra strain on your knees (or KNEE if you tend to always step up with the right more than the left!)

Honestly? I was stubborn about this for years. I never had my table set obnoxiously high. I have long legs. I used my Ashi-strap (read more about that here) to help me up. I love to sneak in secret work-outs by engaging my own muscles to create a slow-mo stair climber exersize when I got up on the table. I would try and remember to take turns stepping up with my right foot this massage, and my left foot during the next massage. I would reverse the action when I was getting down off the table, and lower myself in a controlled, eccentric movement to play with that secret strengthening idea during each session. It was a nice meditative focus to maintain while I worked… and help me stay toned.

I never thought I ~needed~ any step stools.

Massage by 08/11/2017 0Comments

What do massage therapists really think about my body?

“I’d never get a massage,” a friend once confessed to me. “You’d see how fat I really am.” And “I’m SO SORRY! I didn’t shave my legs!” another confesses when you’re about to start the massage. Do massage therapists care about extra cush or stubble? What do we really think about your body?

Most massage therapists are honored that their clients trust them to touch them with healing intent. It doesn’t matter what color you are, if you’re bloated from that big burrito you ate during lunch (yes, gas happens. It’s ok.), if you broke your razor or if you’re chunky.

Massage, Pro tips by 08/08/2017 0Comments

Tuesday TOESday–help your massage client cover their stuff!

One of the benefits of teaching is that we learn every time we teach. It may be what NOT to do 😉 but sometimes it’s something cool. One of my students in my last class showed us this cool tip as to how to effectively (and we’re all about effective) cover their bits and parts when they get up off the massage table. This trick is good for any massage therapist!

Normally, they’d get up off the table when you’re not in the room. But say they need to go to the bathroom and time’s short, so they don’t want you to have to step out for them to get dressed or wrapped up.

OR you’re taking a massage class and you don’t feel comfortable being all butt nakedy in a room full of strangers when you get up off the table.

Read on (or save yourself some time and just watch the video)!

The client needs to be lying on his / her back for this to work

  • Cover up their shoulders with the corners of the fitted sheet.
  • Have them sit up, holding the flat sheet against their chest. The fitted sheet should stay put on the shoulders.
  • Ask them to put one leg on each side of the table–make sure their feet are uncovered.
  • Pull up the bottom corners of the fitted sheet and have the client pull them through his / her legs.

Voilà!

They have on the biggest cloth diaper you’ve ever seen, and all the private parts stay private.

As they say in the film biz, “It’s a wrap!” (Get it? A massage client wrap! 😉 )

Happy Tuesday TOESday!

 

 

Massage, Pro tips by 08/04/2017 0Comments

Who’s your ideal massage client?

Many of us niche down pretty well after we’ve been doing massage for a long time. All of our instructors specialize in Ashiatsu barefoot massage. Some add in a little this or that in addition (like Pillossage or cupping), but we are, in essence, barefoot therapists. Who’s your ideal client for your massage?

When we first start out, our answer is usually, “EVERYONE!”

Massage therapists have a tendency to massage the way they’d like to be worked on. Love cranial? That’s probably your jam. NMT? You’ve likely taken a lot of classes.

What clients do you want to have?

You can’t determine who your ideal client is if you don’t have a firm handle on what your business is and what it does best. -Stephen Sheinbaum, Founder, Bizfi

My ideal client when I started massage is not the same as it is now.