48 Massage Therapy articles.

Have you ever worked with a client that sucked the energy out of you? Most therapists have, whether they realize it or not. These especially needy clients often don't even realize that they are "attacking" their therapists.

As a massage therapist and business owner I think itis important to stay up to date on the type of therapies being offered by mycompetitors. It is easy enough to do aninternet search to check out therapy menus or CE offerings, but my favorite wayto accomplish this goal is to book an appointment. Now I love my regular therapist, but withoutquestion I gain a competitive edge by educating myself in regard to what myfellow therapists are doing in session.

You can imagine any experience that has to do with massage, spas and skin care, my friends are anxious to share with me and more often than not, get my advice or input. The other day a friend told me a story that reminded how stressful a first time massage can be. In this case, a friend of my friend – a woman in her 40s – went for her first massage, which was a gift from her children.

Last week’s AMTA National Convention in Portland, Oregon was as eventful as promised. It is always great to meet all the massage therapists who come from far and wide to network and learn new skills. If you were in attendance you may have seen a few of the massage demos I offered at the BIOTONE booth including Joint Mobilization, Tools Assisted Therapy, Fascial Matrix and Wraps for Chronic Pain Clients.

After 20 years as a massage therapist I am still reminded on a regular basis that there is always something new to learn and discover. As a form and function therapist, you can imagine how many hours I have studied anatomy and kinesiology. I am happy to report that I am still having my premises challenged and refined. I recently had a concrete lesson in energetic Kinesiology and I want to share it with you.

I was excited to attend The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education’s 2nd annual conference in Charleston, SC last month because I knew it would be an inspiring and valuable experience. I certainly was not disappointed. The conference was attended by massage therapy authors, CE providers, school owners, instructors, exhibitors (BIOTONE included) and several stake holder organizations (NCBTMB, FSMTB, etc). This dynamic group of 125 participants all came together to discuss “Bringing Teaching to the Next Level” for massage therapy.

I talk a lot about the need to have goals. Successful businesses don’t just happen. You need to carefully think about what you want to achieve and set a course of action to get there. But no matter what goals you set, the marketplace changes and you need to respond accordingly.

Here are three current consumer trends that should be foremost in your business building radar:

• Clients in the current economic climate are more interested than ever in value.
• Baby boomers are not only planning on not dying, they want to look and feel good not doing it.
• People prefer treatments that are an investment in prevention and health.