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Author page: Mary-Claire

HomeAuthor page: Mary-Claire
Massage by 08/11/2017 0Comments
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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.

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

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Ashiatsu barefoot massage, Pro tips, Tuesday Toesday, Why FasciAshi? by 08/01/2017 0Comments
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Tuesday TOESday – using twin sheets for ashiatsu

My flannel massage sheets are the bomb. They are perfect for ashiatsu for several reasons.  The fitted sheets are nice and snug, so my toes don’t get stuck in them when I move around, and they’re super comfy. Other massage sheets work well also (some of our instructors love Comfy Co.), but I’ve worked mostly with the flannel. Twin sheets…

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Ashiatsu barefoot massage, Why FasciAshi? by 07/28/2017 0Comments
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Look ma, no hands! (on massage)

I have raved about Ashiatsu for 15 years. “Save your hands!” I’d cry. “Take a class and learn barefoot massage! Extend your career! Give your clients the deep tissue massage they crave without hurting yourself,” I’d urge.

I don’t do hands-on massage. Ashiatsu barefoot massage is the name of the game.

Last week, a client whom I  haven’t seen in years called me to ask about massage.  “I see on your website you don’t do house calls or hands-on massage anymore,” she started with. Correct. I don’t do hands-on massage, with the exception of the occasional pregnancy massage.

So she scheduled a one-hour barefoot massage at my office for her and one for her husband the following day.

A few days later, she called me back to tell me that she had misplanned, and was there any way I could go to her house downtown (a 25-minute drive) and give her husband a hands-on massage for his birthday?

I don’t do hands-on massage, I protested internally.

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Ashiatsu barefoot massage by 07/21/2017 0Comments
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Whose Ashiatsu photos and videos can you use?

So you’re marketing your barefoot massage biz but haven’t had time to get your photos taken or videos shot. And, man! It’s so expensive. The internet has some amazing ashiatsu photos and videos–they’re online, so you can just use them, right? Wrong! Today we’re going to talk about what you can legally use and what you can’t.

Can I use a photo I found off the internet?

  • Did you ask the photographer for and receive permission? Yes.
  • If the photographer asks for photo credit / website link and YOU DO THAT, yes.
  • Did you screenshot it and figure you could just tell people where it came from? No.

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Ashiatsu barefoot massage, Massage, Pro tips by 07/05/2017 0Comments
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Deeper barefoot massage using one foot

If you use your feet like your hands to massage, with intention, then your ashiatsu massage will not only be more therapeutic, but you’ll find your session time fly by faster. Getting specific in your barefoot massage and paying attention to details will make your ashiatsu session stand out from others’.

When I worked at a chiropractor’s office years ago, there were 2 other ashiatsu barefoot therapists there.  Doc told me once that my barefoot massage was way deeper than the others’ – and it had nothing to do with our strength or size.

How could that be?

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Ashiatsu barefoot massage, Pro tips, Tuesday Toesday, Why FasciAshi? by 07/04/2017 0Comments
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Tuesday Toesday – are your heels soft for barefoot massage?

Up until 2002, I was one of those people who walked around barefoot whenever possible. While my feet were prettier looking than Frodo’s, no one would have wanted for me to use them to massage them. My entire life I had struggled with dry, cracked heels that were painful in the winter time and were mildly better in the summer.

That changed when I decided to learn barefoot massage. I got my first pedicure ever. There’s only so much you can do with Hobbit feet, though, I guess. I started wearing shoes instead of sandals and regularly scrubbed my feet with a foot file, testing the softness with my hands.

Miracle of miracles, this all helped to make my feet soft enough for barefoot massage, or so I thought.

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Ashiatsu barefoot massage, Massage, Pro tips by 07/02/2017 0Comments
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Create your own massage pathway

According to the AMTA industry fact sheet, it is estimated that there are 325,000 to 375,000 massage therapists and massage school students in the United States.*

So, how do we set ourselves apart and stand out from the sea of LMT’s in the field? It’s becoming more and more crucial to do so, as there are not only more massage therapists but also massage chains and franchises popping up everywhere.

If you’re an independent LMT like myself, it’s impossible to compete with a $39 massage from a franchise. Instead of contending with rock bottom rates, try and differentiate in distinct ways.

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Ashiatsu barefoot massage, Pro tips, Tuesday Toesday, Why FasciAshi? by 06/20/2017 0Comments
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Tuesday Toesday – using a meditation pillow

Having an electric massage table solves a lot of problems for barefoot massage therapists, one of which is the ability to use only one stool instead of two. You simply raise or lower the table according to your needs. When using a portable massage table, ashiatsu therapists typically need 2 stools–that is, until now, for we’ve got a meditation pillow to…

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