1. Lengthen your massage career.
How long did it take you to discover that the average career span of a massage therapist is 3-5 years (or 5-7, depending on the source)?
They certainly didn’t tell me (Mary-Claire) about that in massage school.
I think I found out somewhere along the way. Maybe it was when I started having tendonitis in my right elbow and pain in my left pisiform.
After a while, I would drive home from work and grasp my steering wheel at a traffic stop, stretching my forearm flexors and pounding on my extensors.
Had I not learned barefoot massage in 2002, my career would have been over. I might have lasted until 2003, but I certainly wouldn’t be going for 22+ years.
If you do barefoot massage correctly (yes, you can do it wrong and injure yourself!), you’ll have unlimited years to work in your field
2. Clients love it
I have never had a client ask me to get off the table and switch to hands-on the 1st time I’ve given them barefoot massage.
But you have to have the right client on the table.
First, there are people who hate feet. It’s not your feet, but everyone’s. Don’t try to convince them to try barefoot massage. It’s a lost cause.
Next, you have the client who needs the work, but they’re reluctant, because it’s “weird”. BUT they’re desperate for results and are afraid that surgery will come next. So they’ll try it.
Lastly, you have the people who think barefoot massage is going to be the most amazing thing ever. They walked on their parent’s back, they have their kids walk on their back, or maybe they’ve gotten another form of barefoot massage somewhere else.
I have found that clients who try ashiatsu barefoot massage NEVER go back to “regular” hands-on massage if they can help it.
(Of course, you need to practice and be good at your barefoot massage craft.)
Most of my clients have also reported that the results of barefoot massage last longer than traditional deep tissue.
PLUS ashiatsu barefoot feels wwwwaaaaayyyy better than pointy thumbs and pokey elbows!
3. You’ll differentiate yourself from other massage therapists
✔️How many massage therapists are there in your city?
✔️How many do deep tissue?
✔️What percentage do barefoot massage?
I am one of the few in a large city (Cincinnati) who specializes in barefoot massage. I have trained others, but they have moved or didn’t get comfortable with it or closed their business (or whatever).
Regular clients drive up to 45 minutes to see me.
In fact, I drive 45 minutes to see MY barefoot massage therapist. Why? Because there’s no one else around, and it’s what I want.
What are 3 reasons massage therapists learn barefoot massage?
- Lengthen / save your career
- Clients love it
- You’ll differentiate yourself from other massage therapists
What’s stopping you from learning?
Or if you’ve already learned, do you specialize! Let us know.
Interested in learning more about barefoot massage?
Visit us at www.barefootmassagecenter.com
We have tons of Tip and Tricks on YouTube!
And check out our Facebook page
Don’t forget Instagram!
Mary-Claire Fredette has been licensed as a massage therapist in Ohio since the last century.
Seriously.
She learned barefoot massage in 2002 and hasn’t looked back, beginning teaching in 2004.
You can find her classes in her natural light studio in Cincinnati.
She co-founded the Center for Barefoot Massage with husband Paul and the barefoot massage idea-preneur Jeni Spring in 2017..