What Makes a Successful Massage Therapist?

Guest Blog Post by Hillary Arrieta LMT

What makes a successful massage therapist? What does success mean to you in regards to your professional life? I asked myself these questions when I began building my practice. It took me a while to come up with a good formula but I think I'm getting closer to nailing it down.

For me, success meant that I was giving the best service I could give, every time I touched a client. It also meant that I was as busy as I wanted to be and that I was also making a living wage.
All of these things have come true for me over the last four years since I started out on my self employment journey!

When I looked around at other successful massage therapists and heart-centered business owners, I saw certain characteristics that they had in common. Here's my short list of a few traits that help make a massage therapist successful in my eyes.

1. They have a positive attitude.
Above all else, staying positive and centered is one of the key ways to become successful. Being in business is hard. There will be days that will test you so having a positive attitude is important. Knowing when to go with the flow and when/how to make changes for the better can help you evolve as a therapist.

2. They give five star customer service.
Your clients deserve the best customer service. This right here can make or break your practice.  I was just reading an article about how more and more Americans are feeling disenfranchised by large corporations who don't care about their customers. When you take the time to care about your clients, they really notice.

Most people need to feel heard and valued. Making a policy agreement is a really smart way to serve your clients. When you lay out a specific process on how your business is managed and you share it with your clients, it establishes clear boundaries. No one feels unsure of things because everything has been presented and agreed upon. You become more confident in following through on business matters, as well.  Also, being organized can help establish trust and allow clients to really relax into their massage, getting the full benefits for your work.

3. They add value to their services.
Just giving someone a bare bones massage is not going to cut it these days. What else can you add to your sessions that adds value? You want to make your clients feel like they are getting a one of a kind service that they can't get anywhere else.

What can you add to put a special mark on your sessions? Hot towels, a unique modality,  a cozy table - these are all suggestions but be creative. Massage is a sensory experience. Even if you're doing a clinical style, you will need to make sure your clients enjoy their time working with you. Take time to assess the environment that you work in and make some changes that are more conducive to your clients ideal experience.

4. They stay aware of the trends and changes in the profession.
The massage industry is always changing. Staying active and up to date on research and changes in the state laws as well as changes in licensing requirements helps you stay relevant. If you're still repeating the same things that you were taught 20 years ago in massage school, chances are that those things are no longer true.

5. They promote and market their practice.
Learning marketing skills is very important for any business to thrive.  Knowing who you serve, attaining new clients that fit in that demographic, and cultivating loyalty from current clients should be a top priority. In the age of information and technology, we have so much right at our fingertips!

There are online business schools and programs geared towards people who have special skills, but may not be business oriented. Pencil in time each week to look at the health of your business and make a list of things you need to do or learn in order to get your practice to where you want it to be. Then seek out that information and implement it ASAP.

6. They keep track of time, money, and set goals.
This is a big part of a successful massage practice. One of my business mentors says that if you're not getting paid, you have a hobby not a business. This is very true. Time is money for us. Don't give away your time. It sends the message that your time isn't valuable and that you also think that your clients time isn't valuable either. Going over on an appointment can make them late for other obligations, which creates more feelings of stress instead of relaxation and well-being.

Also, Knowing where the money is coming from will help you identify what works in your practice. On the flip side, seeing where money is not flowing in to your practice can help you make strategic decisions on what needs to change or be cut out. This can ultimately help you make goals that keep your practice evolving and moving forward for years to come.

What traits make a successful massage therapist in your eyes?
Share in the comments!
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Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices.

I own Gaia Bodywork in Richardson, TX. and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Barefoot Bar Therapy and iRest® Yoga Nidra.


Gaia Bodywork PLLC offers the Best Massage in Richardson, Texas for pain and stress management.


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Put Some Steam On it [Portlandia Inspired]

For today's blog post, I thought I'd write about what I'm doing in my own massage practice these days. For several years now, I have been specializing in ashiatsu deepfeet therapy. I also practice massage cupping, hot stone massage, and ashi-thai.

In the beginning of my massage career, I had attended a spa therapies class at Aveda through my employer. That is where I first encountered the Steamy Wonder and have wanted one ever since! I didn't really think it would be easily incorporated into a dry room setting, (the only way I saw it in training was in a spa wet room), so I just kind of forgot about it.

And then a couple of months ago I met a therapist who uses the steam tent in her massage practice every day. After picking her brain a bit, I decided to take the plunge myself and get myself a Steamy Wonder.

I have been having so much fun with this!

Closeup pics of the pulley system before steam tent is attached.

Steam tent on my table and stored up by ceiling by pulley system.

For starters, I had a pulley system installed in my ceiling so I could easily store it out of the way. Because I have my ashiatsu bars directly above my table, I had the pulley system installed just to the side of my table.

After a few practice sessions, I was ready to offer it to clients. It's really simple and easy to use and takes no time at all to be comfortable enough with it to add it to your menu. I've started by offering a complimentary 20 minute steam add-on to my client's regular massage sessions.

So far, I would say about 2 out of every 3 people are LOVING the steam treatment. I have been doing some scalp massage while they are steaming, and afterward I wipe them off with hot towels with lemongrass essential oil before moving on to the massage. What's been amazing to me is how their muscles have softened before I even start to work with them. The steam literally melts tension so that by the time I get to doing the massage, they are already like butter on the table.

Not only does it make my job easier, but I feel like I'm actually giving them even more benefit to the massage with the addition of steam.

While I find myself wanting to "put some steam on it" for every session, it's still a bit too early to tell just how much steam I'll be doing overall as add-ons.  Once I've had it implemented for a bit longer I will update with a post detailing how it's going.  (I'm sure it will go over much better than the ending of the "put a bird on it" skit from Portlandia.)

I've included some pics of the pulley system going in, as well as pics of my beautiful new steam tent :-)
Have you ever used steam in your massage treatments? What have you found the benefits to be?

*A special thanks goes out to Mary who reignited my excitement about the Steamy Wonder and got me thinking again about the possibilities!

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 14 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com 

Cold Weather Add-Ons

Well, we're officially in the Winter season in the U.S. ... although it's raining here in Michigan today, when it's normally snowing by now.  But, it's still chilly!  

So it's a perfect time to consider some ways to keep your clients cozy on the massage table.

Here's just a few ideas:

• Table warmer.
  I LOVE my table warmer from Earthlite.
  (And so do my clients! They comment on my heated table all the time.)
• Flannel sheets.
• Add in hot towels.
  One of my favorite MT's begins the session by placing a dry towel under my feet, and then wrapping each foot in a hot towel.  She leaves my feet wrapped until half-way through the session when she's ready to work on my feet.  Nice and cozy during the session, and added bonus of having the client's feet fresh and clean when you're ready to massage them.
• Add in hot stones.
  Amazing what a few strategically placed hot stones can do for warmth and relaxation.
• Heated herbal rice/flax seed packs.
  My favorites are from Mother Earth Pillows.  I like to use the large rectangle pillow on the back with some compression before starting the session.  Then I'll move the pillow to their feet while I massage their back.  It's a great way to add in some cozy!
• Paraffin dip for the hands and feet.
  This can be a great add-on service that you can charge more for.
• Add in a steam treatment before the massage.
  The Steamy Wonder is a great way to add value to your services and charge more.  It's a decent investment, but can be worth it if you use it often.  This is on my wishlist.  *hint*hint*

While some of the above ideas require some initial investment, many of them can be easily implemented into your current sessions without much money or time.

What ways do you like to keep your clients cozy during their massages?

Tweetable: Consider some ways to keep clients cozy on the #massage table.

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.

www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Customer service photo: freedigitalphotos.net

Just Be Yourself

Just a short and sweet post today.

I recently got some advice from my Dad that I thought was pretty valuable:  Be yourself.

(And this is coming from someone with an old-school handlebar mustache.  As you can see, my Dad is awesome!)

For one, if you are anything but authentic, the people you are trying to impress will see right through you ... eventually.  And for two, if it isn't the real you they are impressed with, what's the point?

If your clients know you as bubbly and super sweet, then why would you try and be snarky with your marketing just because it's working for someone else?  Is that really who YOU are?  Your marketing is an opportunity to share a glimpse of your personality with clients and potential clients.  Of course, it should portray professionalism.  But it should also feel real.  Especially in such a personal service such as massage.  If you have to try and be something or someone you're not, you're doing it wrong.

How do you put your personality into your marketing efforts?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.

                                                           authentic photo: freedigitalphotos.net

Cool Tool: Replace Your Phone Number With Your Name

freedigitalphotos.net

Sprint just launched a cool service to allow you to replace your phone number with your name.  How great would it be to just tell clients to call **YourMassageBusiness?  Pretty neat!

Have you done this or are you considering doing this?  What do you think?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com  

Selling With Heart

This post a while back from Living Earth Crafts of Taking the 'Sales' out of Retail was a great reminder for me.  As a massage therapist, I got in to this line of work to help people, and in general I am turned off from "selling" and I don't think of myself as a salesperson. 

This line in particular struck me as crucial: try making it less about sales and more about the client’s health.

The fact is, clients see us as experts and are looking to us for help.  If we keep this in mind, selling actually transforms to simply helping our clients (which is what we're trying to do in the first place, right?).



Here's a few tips to help:

• Be passionate about what you're selling.
  Only carry products you truly believe in.  Have your heart in it.
• Be knowledgeable about the product.
• Show your client how this product can help them.
• Be honest.

Here's a few products that I have available for purchase for my clients because I believe in them:

• Mother Earth Pillows
  Seriously. I just love these. And so do my clients.
• Sombra Cool Therapy
  I actually had a sample jar from a convention that I started using in sessions, and clients loved it so much they asked me where they could buy it.  So that was just a natural progression to having it available for them!
• CranioCradle
  For clients who I think could benefit from this - I send it home with them to try and tell them they can pay for it at their next session or bring it back if they didn't like it.  No one has ever brought it back.
• Theracane
  These are great to have handy at the studio for myself, too!

*BTW, I'm not an affiliate for any of the above companies.   I will not benefit at all if you purchase from them, I'm simply sharing because they are products I carry in my massage studio and feel good about selling them!

What products do you love and have available for your clients to purchase?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

                                                           shopping cart photo: freedigitalphotos.net

Client Acquisition [Infographic]

As a follow-up to this recent business tip article on massagemag.com, here's a nice little infographic to illustrate just why an existing client is easier to reactivate than acquiring a new client.

According to this, it's 6 to 7 times more costly to acquire a new client than to retain an existing one!

What do you think?  How much focus do you put on retaining clients versus gaining new clients?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Series: How To Set Your Massage Referral Program On Fire / Part 4

In last Monday's post, we discussed tip #3 of rewarding the referrer.  So moving right along in our series...

Referral Fire Starter Tip #4: Give Great Service

It almost goes without saying – but I’m going to say it anyway. The number-one way to ensure quality referrals is to give great service in the first place. The happier your clients are, the more likely they’ll be to refer their friends and colleagues in your direction. Here are some past posts for some ideas on making sure your current clients are as pleased as possible:

• 10 simple ways to wow your clients.
• Powerful ways to show appreciation to your clients.
• Set yourself apart from the competition.
• 7 habits of highly successful massage therapists.

When you implement these ideas, you’ll see your client satisfaction and natural referrals increase. And when you combine great customer service with some of the other tips in this series, you’ll really experience the snowball effect that will lead only one place – to more clients and more money. 

1. Provide an easy way for clients to schedule an appointment with you. Whether it’s a phone number or an email address, have your contact information and make it easy to find on your website. You DO have a website, right?  Offering online scheduling is an awesome convenience to your clients that will help set you apart and stand out in their minds.
2. Set expectations. If you’re a solo therapist and only check email between 9-10 AM, you need to let your clients know that you won’t be on call 24/7. Likewise, if you only answer your phone at certain times, letting clients know beforehand will head off any concerns about non-responsiveness. You can post your “office hours” on your website, or create an outgoing message or autoresponder that lets people know when to expect a response from you (a word of warning: In today’s “microwave” world, anything more than 24 hours is considered long).
3. Underpromise and overdeliver.  Underpromising and overdelivering is a quick path to clients’ hearts.  
4. Take the extra step. Do whatever it takes to make the client happy – then go one more step.  Provide exemplary service and find ways to thrill your clients. They’ll pay back your efforts in loyalty – and referrals!

What ways do you provide great service to your clients?

Series wrap up:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

                                                                                            freedigitalphotos.net

Credit vs. Debit Cards [Infographic]

A while back I wrote about Accepting Credit Cards to Increase Your Massage Business.
That post spurred an interesting discussion recently on our Facebook Page.

I find this topic very interesting.  I saw a big increase in my business when I started accepting credit cards.  And now, a large percentage of my clients (54.8%, to be exact) pay with plastic - whether it's credit or debit.  (Unfortunately, I don't have the % of credit vs debit).  But this number definitely makes it worth it to accept cards in my practice.

What are your thoughts?  Do you use a debit or credit card in your own life?  Do you prefer businesses that offer the convenience of accepting your cards?  Or do you prefer to stick to cash only?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling.
She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com

Fear of the Unknown (i.e. Technology)

This post a while back from Earthlite is a great testament to the power of using technology for your massage business.  If you've been hesitant to get wired to help your practice, I urge you to reconsider.

As a follow up to my post a while back about the benefits of online scheduling,
I'd like to address one issue I recently heard from a therapist on why she doesn't want to use online scheduling.
She wants to be in complete control of her schedule and doesn't feel she can do that using online scheduling.
Here are some features that many online schedulers include that do exactly that - give you control over your schedule:

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• Appointment "requests".
  An appointment request can be confirmed or declined by the therapist.  The appointment is not automatic but simply a request.
• Max days out clients are allowed to schedule.
  Ability to change the settings so your clients can only schedule appointments a certain time frame out - for example, clients cannot schedule until 4 days from now, etc. versus clients can schedule immediately.
• Optimized Scheduling - an optional feature that will only allow clients to schedule appointments that are immediately before or after existing appointments - eliminating gaps in your day.
• Customizable intervals for appointment start times (10, 15, 30, 45, etc) or choice of "stacked" times (1:00, 2:15, 3:30).
• Customizable break times in between appointments (15 min, 30 min, etc.)
• Syncing with other calendars - enabling you to view your calendar from anywhere.  Wouldn't it be nice to view your calendar on your phone instead of lugging your appointment book around with you everywhere?

I understand that online scheduling may not be for everyone.  But if you're afraid to try it for fear of losing control over your schedule, the above features are designed with you in mind - and can actually give you more control.

*Not all schedulers are the same.  Do your research and find what is going to be the best fit for your business.

Are you a therapist who was hesitant to switch to online scheduling, but are now happy you did?  What benefits have you noticed in your business?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com 

11 Ways Getting a Massage is Better Than Taking a Vacation

Bummed you didn't plan a vacation this summer?  Can't take the time to work in a getaway?  Consider these reasons why getting a massage is better than taking a vacation.  (And then schedule your massage).

1. No sunburn, tan lines, or skin damage.
2. You'll smell like heavenly essential oils afterward, instead of like salty sea water, pool chlorine, or stuffy airplane air.
3. It only takes an hour of your time & a short commute to get there.  No long flights involved (usually).
4. A massage won't break the bank.
5. You can squeeze a massage in during your lunch break or after work hours.  No requesting time off from work. (ok, this could be a con as well as a pro...)
6. Your shoulders and back will feel nice and loose versus how they will feel after hauling luggage through an airport.
7. No stress of planning what to do on your vacation.  Just lie back, close your eyes, and relax.
8. No hangovers.
9. No layovers.
10. You won't come back feeling like you "need a vacation from your vacation".
11. No groping from airport security.

What are some of the reasons you would add to this list?

Cindy Iwlew is co-founder of Bodywork Buddy Massage Software, a complete online management solution for independent massage therapists that includes online scheduling. 

She continues to operate her own private massage practice of 13 years.  www.BodyworkBuddy.com