Did you know that the design on the exterior of this bathtub was used to exfoliate an athlete’s skin in ancient times? Or that caring for and improving an athlete’s skin could likely increase their performance? Pictured below is a fine example of a bathtub from the 3rd century with scales on the outside that can be used to exfoliate an athlete's skin.
The tautness of work class athlete skin could make the difference between speed and stretch.
Exfoliating dead skin cells which are automatically shed at around 1,000,000+ dead skin cells per hour can also provide micro reductions in a client’s body weight as well. Shedding dead skin can also help us feel fresh and anew, especially when an athlete may feel tired, fatigued and worn out. Any competitive advantage you can legally provide your client is always a blessing, and exfoliating a client’s skin is one of those simple yet effective practices.
Body scrubs feel better and are more effected when they are executed properly. Adding a facial steamer to a body scrub service can also stimulate circulation which can also assist in an athlete’s healing and recovery. To perform a steamed body scrub:
Add steam to the area that’s being scrubbed with a facial steamer (those are the spa machines that stand about 3 to 5 feet high on wheels).
Keep the steamer arm about 14 to 18 inches from skin/scrub area.
Watch for skin redness and adjust accordingly.
If the skin becomes red or feels a little too hot to the client, the steamer may be too close to the skin or the scrubbing is too hard (especially with sensitive skins).
Move the steamer around to the different areas of the body being scrubbed.
Facial steamer equipment may provide more steam than 10 to 20 minutes, so turn the steamer off while not scrubbing to ensure there is enough steam for the full body.
Some steamers allow aromatherapy or essential oils to be added. If you can add aromatherapy to your steamer, I suggest using something “minty” to refresh your athlete and energize the overall air.
After all scrub product is removed, massage the skin with moisturizer to keep it hydrated, healthy and flexible.
Spa type oriented services are not just for a posh clientele. Get your spa game on for athletes to give them a competitive advantage too!
If you’d like to enjoy massage therapy at its finest, then look no further than Dior Spa Cheval Blanc in Paris, France. Dior is a major luxury lifestyle brand which is deeply rooted in its fragrance and cosmetic lines. Those lines have been transferred into professional spa services at the upscale Cheval Blanc Hotel in Paris, amongst other high-end destinations, which now include New York!
The spa is decorated in a light colored modern interior with extra thick and impressively esthetic doors for soundproofing. Upon entering the spa for your massage appointment, you will be greeted by a smiling attendant who will invite you to sit in a decent sized reception area where they will serve you a light peach refreshment and cool fragranced hand towel.
The receptionist is the one who will review any medical conditions or contraindications with you prior to your service, so that the therapist is prepared before they even meet you. Once you’ve completed some brief questions, your massage therapist will then greet you, and invite you to one of their private massage suites. The suites contain two separate rooms:
A shower/changing area:
Joining the treatment room and changing room/shower into one suite/entrance has both benefits and disadvantages. The benefits are, high profile clients can easily relax in this extremely private environment which they do not have to share with anyone, or worry about a common locker area picture being taken while they’re in various states of undress, etc. The downside for the business is, you’ll have to schedule additional non-revenue time for the suite for changing, showering, etc. My 30-minute massage reserved the suite for 60-minutes, so that I would have time to change and shower, etc. Spas with common area showers and changing rooms would easily be able to more efficiently schedule a 30-minute massage in 45-minutes, and then all the client to shower and/or change in the common/shared locker room instead of massage suite where you would no longer have access to the treatment table while the client is doing things that they could probably do elsewhere, with less privacy.
At the Cheval Blanc, the spa was SOLD OUT the day I sought services, so charging $330+ euros for a 90-minute treatment isn’t an issue. They’re sold out at that price which means they could likely increase their prices during peak times, and maintain a healthy clientele. However, if they wanted to maximize their income, then relegating the changing/shower area to a common area to allow maximum revenue use of the treatment room would be advised. It’s possible they could have less clientele if they chose that type of standard operation, because some clients might be scheduling here for those private suites and exclusivity; although, the celebrities and royalty legitimately seeking that type of privacy out of necessity is probably not enough to offset the increased income the establishment would achieve if they separate their shower/changing rooms from the treatment stations. Usually celebrities and royalty that are highly photographed and at risk of having their privacy invaded in public would have their spa services provided in their hotel suites, or they might rent a second hotel room to receive massage and spa services. Rarely would we ever encounter what Dior has offered which is a fairly exclusive and unique setup.
The service and massage treatment room:
Both are elegantly appointed with the finest touches, including bottled water, slippers, robe, toiletries, spa products and of course, more fragrance.
Everything between the two rooms of the massage suite, reception area, bathroom and beyond is branded. Dior and Cheval Blanc are never out of sight. The brand’s constant presence reminds you of where you are which is in their lap of luxury.
The therapist invited me to change into a robe and slippers in the changing room, and then had me enter the massage treatment room where she provided three different scents to choose from for the massage medium. I chose the scent that was the strongest and most exotice. The scents were contained on patterned fabric in three different glass jars with lids. She removed the lid of each, one at a time, and had me smell them to choose.
I only had a 30-minute massage appointment because that is all they had - the spa was fully booked. So I was lucky to even get that! I had tried to book online and call but there was nothing available. So to get the appointment, I actually went to the spa, and told the receptionist that I am massage therapist myself, and I’m trying all the various high-end spas in Paris, and I’d like to try theirs, so she squeezed me in. I’m not sure they even offer 30-minute massage appointments to the public. That might just be an add-on service to their other body treatment specialities and services.
When she asked me what type of pressure I wished for and where to focus, I shared again that I’m a massage therapist and was just there to try it all out, so to do whatever she wanted. She said the receptionist had already told her and it made her very happy. She asked me if there was any area I wanted to avoid (there wasn’t), and then asked if it was okay to massage my face, scalp, abdomen, etc. - and I told her it was all good with medium pressure.
Once we determined the style, pressure and fragrance of the massage, she then asked me for my choice of music. I told her to play whatever she liked best because I knew the happier she was, the better my massage was likely to be, which allowed us to share a little laughter together. Then she left the room so I could disrobe and lie on the table in the pronated position. I took this picture of the massage tools in the treatment room shown below - they're quite impress and on display for sale in the retail area too!
As typical of high end European spas, they offer a 40” extra wide spa table with a hole in it instead of a face cradle. This hole was different though. It was extra small. My entire face did not fit in it. My eyes were closed and on the table itself because the hole was only large enough for my mouth and nose and nothing more. There was an elegant setup where a branded Dior towel was visible through the table hold but you couldn’t view this with your eyes being closed and lying on the table itself.
The massage started typically as all other high end spas, with hot towels to the feet and compressions through the sheet, and then the real luxury began. The massage. She undraped my back from the head of the table, and then covered me with fragranced lubricant. Then a fusion of lomi lomi magic began. Her massage strokes were long and continuous to the point that they felt neverending. She started at the upper trapezius with a full hand and firm palm and worked inferiorly, introducing her forearms as she continued towards the ileums and beyond into the upper gluteus muscles. She then kept contact with her forearms in the reverse direction superiorly back towards my upper trapezius and repeated different variations of this. She moved to the side of the table and performed more lomi fusion strokes in the shape of boxes over my back. The massage on the back alone was complete, engulfing and superior. She worked both arms while pronated and she finished the back massage with repeated massage strokes that started around my sacrum and continued superior up my back, neck and over my scalp to the crown of my head.
She then worked both posterior legs individually, appropriately undraping each area as she worked on it, and redraping it when she finished. The posterior leg work included knee flexion range of motion (ROM), where she flexed my knee and placed a fabric barrier between my lower leg and her shoulder to work my hamstrings and more. It was an experienced, detailed and wholesome extremity massage, similar to how we teach some of our posterior leg work in our lomi lomi massage training here at the school.
I then rolled over into supinated position where she worked my anterior legs and arms individually, not missing a square inch of the extremities. Almost every massage stroke was repeated at least twice, with every toe, finger and joint in between caressed with skilled therapy.
The massage therapist then draped my chest to perform an abdominal massage. After the abdominal massage was complete, which included strokes through the obliques to the low back, she then turned her forearm parallel to my sternum, and stroked inferiorly to superiorly over my sternum to my cervical area back to my abdomen. It was expertly executed and divine.
She finished her thirty minute full body massage with facial and scalp work. The work over my head was brief due to the limited time we had, but perfect. She used extraordinary pressure to trace my mandible and zygomatic bones and it felt wonderful. It was fairly extreme pressure but not too much at the same time. The contact of her hands was always full, similar to how lomi lomi massage should be executed. Lomi is rarely about digging or pointing. Lomi lomi massage is more about long strokes that feel like they never end which was terrifically mastered by this Dior massage therapist. I never expected her to attempt a full body massage in just 30-minutes, but she did it, and it didn’t feel rushed either. It was perfect.
After I got up and got dressed, the massage therapist led me back to the reception area where she had a jasmine infusion tea with cookie waiting and a small gift in a canvas bag as well. It was a really nice ending to such an incredible massage experience.
The reception area has an impressive array of retail items, that range from massage crystals to cosmetics to clothing and fragrances. There’s plenty of eye candy shopping to view before or after your spa appointment. I especially loved the baby Dior retail line (pictured above) which allows mommy and baby to share her favorite brand with products that are formulated without alcohol and other harmful ingredients. The crystals used in the Dior body treatment and massage services were also in the retail area for sale too (pictured below).
Far from stand alone establishments like most spa, bodywork or massage therapy practices, Guerlain spa services are primarily offered in the world’s most prestigious locations, such as the Michelin Star Relais Christine Hotel in Paris, France. Like many other top resorts, hotels or destinations, spa treatment areas are often relegated to highly modified basements given this type of treatment of business is usually an add-on operation long after the business was established. Spa and massage services became more prevalent, popular and in demand around the 1980s. Today, a top hotel or destination would be considered incomplete without these services.
I scheduled my spa massage therapy appointment in-person at the Relais Christine because I wanted to see it first, and I was having problems scheduling certain services as well. Upon entering the spa service area in the basement, I knew I wanted to experience my Gurlain service there.
The carpet itself is extremely busy, however, it wonderfully compliments the interior design of the basement, providing an exotic warm special. Wholly together it creates a combined elegance once would hope to see of the House of Gurlain. They have wonderful welcome beverages such as homemade ginger lemonade, spa snacks and more. In fact their spa sessions end with an individually wrapped Angelina chocolate which is a sure treat!
The service provider helped me choose a Sunday service special that included brunch with a 90 minute massage therapy appointment. I had told her I was interested in scheduling the 90 minute massage that spent 30 minutes on the face and 60 minutes on the body which didn’t seem to available at her location on the website, and she expediently offered to provide some additional facial service during the Sunday 90-minute special which was a welcomed offer and customization.
The massage appointment itself started in the supinated position. After I had mounted the table and covered myself with the sheets, the massage therapist re-entered and covered my eyes with a cloth. Then she said she was going to provide 4 different scents for me to choose from, to use for my massage medium. While I’ve rarely ever seen Guerlain promote itself in the overly crowded Aromatherapy industry, they are using plant extracts to formulate their fragrances, so their products are considered to be aromatherapy practices by definition.
She explained the ingredients of every aromatic concoction which included a variety of scents to inspire warming, refreshing, relaxing, energizing, comforting sensations. The scents were gently and slightly provided next to my nose so that I could smell each with the various explanations of their ingredients and purpose. I chose the fourth and final scent offered which she said was considered their strongest aroma with neroli and other fragrance, although I did not find it strong in the least. She also used a hot towel to cleanse and compress my feet prior to hands-on massage.
The hands-on application then began with warm oil, so oil warmers were in use which separates some of the higher-end establishments with this type of premium equipment and service. The therapist started with enveloping strokes of the decollate and back being worked together simultaneously while standing on the sides of the treatment table, which was the extra large 40” wide version.
After opening the massage with some beautiful anterior and posterior upper torso massage, the therapist then had me roll over into pronated position, and I had to place my face in the hole of the table instead of a face crest. The therapist then appropriately placed a bolster under my ankles to support my low back while in pronated position. One superior touch that Gurlain spa provided was a floral bouquet in a bowl placed on the floor, underneath the top of the table where I could view the flowers instead of the floor when/if I opened my eyes. Below is a picture of what the flowers looked like in relation to the massage therapy table:
The therapist continued her massage with confident firm strokes and was excellent at using both the heel of her hand and forearms to apply pressure without pain. Her massage was engulfing as she worked opposing areas that included working the back and hamstrings simultaneously or the hip and opposing shoulder simultaneously. She also massaged my arms while I was lying in pronated position. She moved my arms off the table to coordinate the range of motion (ROM) of my shoulder joint with more coordinated massage strokes of the back.
Her massage strokes were expertly coordinated as she whisked about, without ever breaking contact, even as she continually applied oils to new areas. She traced bony landmarks such as the vertebral border of the scapula and did not miss other areas like working directly over the gluteus minimus.
When she finished with the back, she did not skip a beat by covering the back with one hand while the other continued contact down my right leg. After she covered the back with one hand she used that same hand to further expose that right leg and then continued contact and massage while dispersing additional oil to this new area. She worked the posterior legs one at a time and then had me roll over into supinated position.
As promised, she customized my 90-minute massage by adding a few mini facial steps, which included cleansing, toning, eye and facial serum applications, facial massage plus moisturizer. Adding esthetic facial steps in place of massage time is a wonderful opportunity to showcase products and hopefully make a sale at the conclusion of service. I would also say that aesthetic facial steps are less physically challenging that providing massage, and anytime a practitioner can do easier work they should! Massage therapy practice is mentally and physically stressful work, so anytime a therapist can provide easier work at the client’s request or enjoyment, they should! It’s a win-win for all! Please keep in mind that most European massage therapists are dually trained to practice esthetic and massage services if they work in a spa environment. Practicing massage therapy in other countries beyond the US usually requires much more extensive training than what individual states require in America. Massage therapists should not practice esthetics or any other service unless properly trained and licensed to stay within their scope of practice.
The facial massage itself was complex as expected of any experienced facialist working with an upscale retail line, which in this case was Gurlain. She included bone tracing, finger pad tapotement, grasping, kneading, sweeping effleurage with those opposing area strokes again, such as pulling up the side of the face while simultaneously massaging and depressing the shoulder on the same side. She did not include scalp massage nor offered it, which was acceptable given my hair was clearly professionally blown out and styled, and scalp massage would likely leave my hair in disarray. Furthermore, they did not have salon services on-site which could remedy any type of hairstyle. However, we feel it is always best business practices to offer services such as scalp massage and allow a client to decide if they want it, instead of deciding for them, regardless of your reason why you think it shouldn’t be provided. As long as a service can be reasonably provided and is not contraindicated, it should be offered to clients.
After the facial service, the massage continued to both arms and legs, one at a time. The therapist regularly provided compressive strokes through the top cover prior to exposing the underlying extremity. Each extremity was thoroughly addressed in both supinated and pronated table positions. She even found an old ankle injury that most therapists do not recognize, and provided specific/extra therapeutic work on it too. Foot massage was provided on one foot at a time with focal work on the dorsal side. The plantar side of the foot was avoided, likely to not make it too greasy or slippery, given the spa is in the basement with a long set of stairs to exit.
When finishing the massage, she undraped both lower extremities and performed long sweeping and bony tracing strokes of the tibia simultaneously. She then washed her hands (after working the leg and foot area), and proceeded with similar strokes to the opening of her massage on both my anterior and posterior upper torso with a new aromatic massage medium that felt like lemongrass gel. It had a refreshing scent that was both awakening and enjoyable. The therapist then told me the service was finished and she would step out of the room so I could get up. I exited the room to find a refreshing beverage and Angelina chocolate to conclude the service.
The spa is equipped with a whirlpool, sauna and shower facilities. I brought my bathing suit and hopped in the whirlpool; however, it was a little cool for my preference, so I moved on to the shower area where I got to experience the Guirlain shower gel and body lotion which was divine. The spa establishment itself is intricately laced with retail product testers for personal use which helps promote those extra retail sales which are a real financial bonus to the service appointments!
My spa day started with Relais Christine Hotel’s Breakfast Buffet which was separated into 3 different stations of pastries, fresh fruit and a hot section. All of it was included and I certainly tried it all too. The hot dauphine potatoes, fresh fruit and strawberry flavored madelines were wonderful and better than I could have hoped for. They also had fresh pressed orange juice and made-to-order specialty coffees included with the brunch as part of their special spa package.
Overall, this half day spa service experience with breakfast and hydrotherapy was well worth the $250 euros. I thoroughly enjoyed the splendid surroundings, treatment and incredible staff of Relais Christine.
One of the only critical feedbacks I could provide for this appointment was the treatment table was a little high to mount and dismount. I forgot to look to see if this was a stationary table, but there would be an expectation for high-end adjustable electric tables at a Michelin Star hotel spa, that should be adjusted in height for table mount and dismount. Other than that, this spa service truly matches the hotel's Michelin star.
I went to the Institut Baim Siam on Saint-Germain Boulevard in Paris, France for a traditional Thai massage. Paris is covered with Thai massage establishments similar to this one, and this one had fairly good reviews, so I was able to do a walk-in on my second visit. On my first visit the door was locked. The therapist work dully as a receptionist, so everyone must have been in appointments. A busy establishment can usually be a sign of good services.
I asked for a 30-minute Thai massage and 30-minute foot massage for a total one hour service. She kept asking me if I wanted an oil massage, and I repeatedly said no, that I wanted Thai. She seemed very surprised that someone would walk off the street and ask for a Thai massage, but that’s what I did. I was then asked to change my shoes for their natural material flip flops and gladly obliged.
She brought me downstairs and asked to change into pants that were the exact same draw string that I was already wearing, because I knew I was going for a Thai massage. When I lifted my shirt and showed her I was wearing the exact same pants in a very similar color to what she was holding, she burst out laughing and we had a nice bonding moment.
She then asked me to remove my top, and had lied on the table in pronated position. After I laid down, another massage therapist entered and asked me to remove my bra as well. I was lying on table paper on a 40” wide table and then most of my posterior body was covered with some type of towel that didn’t really feel like a towel. I’ve never felt anything like what I was covered with before. The image below shows one of two massage treatment rooms in the basement which are separated by curtains.
The Thai massage started with pressure points up the feet, then she hopped onto the table between my legs and continued applying alternative pressure on my posterior legs from inferior to superior. The pressure was too much and she did not respond to French or English requesting less, so I asked her in English, what language do you speak, and she said Thai. So I grabbed my phone and googled an English to Thai translation for less pressure and played the audio for it, and she laughed and used less pressure.
The alternating pressure with her palms continued into my hips, and then when she got to my back, she performed circular friction with her thumbs on my erector spinae from inferior to superior. She pulled on and kneaded my upper trapezius and it all felt divine.
Once she finished kneading my back, she then applied oil and performed a Swedish style back massage which was a surprise. I was only expecting a Thai massage until she got to my feet, but I went along with it because it felt really good and she had beautiful hands and good training.
After she finished my oil back massage she then went back to the inferior end of the table and started legs stretches, following by placing one leg at a time in various positions for more kneading of the leg with her palm. This felt wonderful as she stretched my adductors and other muscles with simultaneous kneading through the draw string pants.
Once she had me roll-over from prone to supinated position, I realized we were doing an hour long table massage without the 30-minute foot appointment I had requested, which was fine by me because the massage was extremely interesting and enjoyable. The massage therapist continued to place my legs in various positions as she continued her experienced compression which all felt good and non-invasive.
Then she undraped my chest to expose my abdomen and performed an oil massage over my tummy. She reached through obliques, used appropriate pressure and it was another wonderful experience to receive this with my Thai massage appointment. The abdomen is usually included with traditional Thai massage bodywork.
She then left the room and thoroughly washed her hands. She returned with herbal cottons which she then applied to my face. The first herbal cotton was placed over my eyes, then she placed another over my jowl area, and then started chest compressions using her palms again. Another herbal cotton was then placed over my lower face and she started squeezing my mandible under the cotton. She then moved to my forehead and did some pressure point work. After she removed all the cotton which was now cool, she started a facial massage without lubricant, which was fine, because my skin was still wet from the herbal cotton.
The facial massage felt wonderful and she finished with an incredible mind-blowing scalp massage before finishing the treatment. The scalp massage wasn’t sophisticated but she kept rhythmically repeating the same incredible engulfing stroke over and over again. She had both hands over my entire head with her fingertips reaching all the way down to my ears and would pull up with the stroke, and relax back down in the same starting position and repeated it over and over again. It was really wonderful. The picture at the top of this article is one of their treatment rooms upstairs which looks a little bit better than what I occupied in the basement.
When I came upstairs, I was presented with a snack, bottle of water and paper cup which was a really nice way to finish the Thai massage appointment. The snack was some form of delicious, airy, salty wafer from Thailand.
I asked if I could get a 30-minute foot massage at this Thai spa and they obliged. It appeared they had all the equipment they needed to perform the foot massage in their lobby/reception area. She had me sick back and placed both feet on the ottoman which she had just placed a towel over. She started with one foot by oiling it, then adding cream and what seemed like a menthol gel (pictured below) together. So there were three massage mediums used all at once. The oil provides the high viscosity slip, the cream provides a moisturizing effect and the menthol provides an additional cooling and energizing effect. She worked one foot at a time while leaving the other covered with a towel, similar to how we would work in Reflexology treatments. She was methodical in stretching the foot and using her knuckles for foot massage as well.
Once she finished with one foot and lower leg, she would provide compressions on it through a black towel. Notice how she always has two hands on the client. While compression is being made with the hand working superiorly, the inferior hand remains with firm contact which makes the massage feel wonderful and wholly engulfing. We call the second hand that remains in constant contact the "mother" hand.
Once she finished both feet, she then provided dual foot stretches and compressions on both.
Pictured below is the gel that was mixed with the cream for the 30-minute foot massage appointment at the Thai spa:
After my foot massage ended, the massage therapist had me sit on the ottoman where she was massaging my feet, and finished with a couple minutes of upper back massage, primarily squeezing, kneading and massaging my upper trapezius.
In the end, I was very happy with this massage therapist's technical skill; however, the work surroundings justified the lower prices of their services. When we went downstairs to the basement for my massage (pictured above), it was dark, cluttered and just felt a little dirty. I lied on a table partially covered with paper and the towels or blankets I was covered with felt pilled, scratchy and/or gritty.
If they are laundering their supplies between clients, the cloth type material is far past what should be considered normal use because now they just feel quite soiled. The same with the towels that were used with my foot massage upstairs. Aside from the environment and my therapist’s inability to speak in any language other than her own Native tongue while working in another country, it was all good. Please note that I was not provided the service I had requested in both French and English, which was only a 30-minute Thai massage plus a 30-minute foot. I received a 60-minute full body thai massage instead, then had to add the 30-minute foot after the fact. Regardless, it was still a good experience despite these setbacks.
I probably would not go back due to sanitation concerns, communication issues and poor quality of the supplies used. The therapist repeatedly "double" dipped her hand into the cream after massaging my feet with oil, and despite the quality of her massage, that’s unfortuantely not something I would want to be on the receiving end of on a regular basis.
As massage therapy and spa appointments become more prevalent in an overall approach to today’s wellness, we’re finding ourselves carving out spaces for treatment all over the place. Some establishments are relegated to the basement, yet turn into 5 star establishments. Others might be using the closet space as an add-on service to a pre-existing medical practice. Some will have the luxury of building their massage or spa establishment from scratch. Regardless of how your practice came to existence, most of us are all seeking the same thing which is EXTRA SPACE.
In the United States, whenever we seek to renovate or build business space, we must do things such as make sure our bathroom facilities are ADA compliant. Handicap bathrooms can take up a tremendous amount of space, and can leave less room for other needs. However, once you have your handicap bathroom(s) in place, you’ll likely find yourself in need of additional bathrooms. Running late because a therapist or client is waiting for a bathroom is preventable when additional bathrooms are available.
In Paris, where there’s extremely limited space beyond comprehension with businesses and living areas piled atop one another, I found a new toilet/sink combination that I have never seen before which is shown in this article. If you’re renovating or building new space, we hope showing this combo toilet/sink combo might inspire space savings ideas to enhance your practice. We would recommend relegating this type of space saving idea for staff use only, but having this available just for staff when compared to nothing at all is a great option!
Tucked away in the Passage Choisseul in the Heart of Paris lies a tiny 4-story spa called Zen Bar. I found this place because it was highly rated on Trip Advisor. Zen Bar advertises to “treat yourself in an instant”, so I was excited to try. Who doesn’t want an instant treat? They appear to offer a lot of automated massage services, so I wanted to see how they were providing this to the public in such a busy city.
Upon entering the establishment, you’re offered refreshments and a service menu to choose from, and the receptionist explained that there was no massage therapist on duty that day, so my choices would be limited. They have maximized their income opportunities without staff, which includes retail products and paid refreshments.
The spa is made up of four separate floors. There is no elevator. Each floor looks like it could be around 13’ wide by 20’ long, so perhaps around 1,000 square feet for the total establishment's combined four floors. On the main entrance in a small reception area with a couch, chairs, retail, lockers and mechanical foot massagers. The basement has a bathroom with tanks for a fish foot spa, plus nail polish and service stations for manicures and pedicures. The second floor (known as the 1st floor in Paris) is equipped with 3 mechanical massage chairs which they also refer to as zero gravity. And on the 4th floor are three mechanical massage beds which they claim provide shiatsu with heated stones.
Pictured immediately below this paragraph is the foot spa offered with fish to “clean" or exfoliate the feet. The fish supposedly eat away dead skin; however, we do not advise adding this to your establishment given it can be seen as animal cruelty. Some have claimed that the fish are starved and not fed so that they will nibble on the feet or anything added to the tank. There's also a claim that one fish spa experience caused a woman to amputate her toe. And you could also have problems with PETA or other activists for offering such a service. I was offered the fish spa and refused for anthropomorphism reasons.
All of the offered services are less expensive than the cost of service with a real massage therapist and live, hands-on application. The lower cost is because Zen Spa’s equipment is providing the massage appointments and services instead of a human being.
After I chose the shiatsu massage with heated stones which is one of the mechanical appointments I was offered, she then had me remove my shoes and asked that I place all of my personal belongings in a locker which she locked, and then gave me a pair of elastic gritty botties to place over my socks so that I could walk without slipping. I first used the bathroom downstairs in the basement, which was smart of the receptionist to offer given my treatment station was on the 3rd floor, four flights of stairs away from their restroom facility.
After using the bathroom, she then escorted me up the winding staircase to the 3rd floor where there were 3 mechanical beds behind curtains with a corporate massage chair in the middle of the three staged curtain areas. She had me lie down on the mechanical massage table and gave me headphones for music. The headphones had disposable covering over them and the table was covered with a disposable cover, so it appeared they had good sanitary measures. She also offered me a choice of music with the headphones too which is great customization for any massage appointment.
The shiatsu heated stone mechanical massage was poor at best for an experienced massage therapist. I did not feel individual stones at all, and there was no heat. Instead, there was this hard roller that slowly moved up and down my body vertically. It felt like someone who was making pie crust with a rolling pin was rolling up and down my posterior backside instead, from the top of my cervical to my heels. At one point, multiple rollers lifted my buttocks and heels at the same time which provided extreme hyperextension of my knees, and I couldn’t help but think someone with a previous knee injury might find that really uncomfortable. I walked away reminded about how important it is to have a human provide manual massage therapy services instead of a machine that could possibly harm someone when they do not appropriately apply pressure or put a client in the wrong position due to some type of timing issue with different client’s body types and sizes. Pictured below are two of the three shiatsua table stations on the third floor. The room was very dark hence better relaxation but poorer photo quality.
Overall, someone who’s unfamiliar with the wonder of licensed massage therapy services might be satisfied with that mechanical table, especially if they do not like the touch of another human being. However, if you’re used to regular massages with a professional massage therapist, then this was not a great substitute. The zero gravity massage chairs might be a better option than the mechanical massage table.
There’s some concern in the massage industry where some businesses are advertising massage or bodywork services without explicitly stating it will be executed by a machine. Pressotherapy is commonly advertised as lymphatic massage, lymphatic drainage or lymphatic drainage massage; but, what it really is are enveloped balloons fitted around extremities that inflate and deflate with air pressure. Now we have another establishment claiming shiatsu is being practiced by this roller table, which couldn’t be anything further from real shiatsu application by a licensed bodyworker.
The receptionist told me when my session ended, to simply come downstairs to where more mechanical massage would be provided for free. There are foot massagers on the first floor that are offered complimentary with their other services, where you can enjoy refreshments at the same time. I ordered a strawberry drink while enjoying my foot massage which was quite good. The mechanical foot massager compressed, vibrated and rolled the soft tissue of my feed in a wonderful way that felt really good. You put your feet in the foot machine with those gritty booties on which keeps solid sanitation. That part of their mechanical service was unexpected and excellent.
I believe this mechanical spa will be the way of our future, where machines are available when staff are not, although there should be a better balance between the two. I think machine services are wonderful to supplement regular appointments, and great to use when a therapist is running behind or doesn’t have enough time for longer service when a client wants more. Using them exclusively is a little impersonal, but can also be highly effective like how this establishment is operating here with just one staff member coordinating clients on four separate floors into machines.
There was a mother daughter due on the first floor who had other mechanical services prior to enjoying the final mechanical foot massage with refreshments on the first floor. They stayed there for almost an hour thoroughly enjoying it all. Minor children may do better in a mechanical service environment where the services are shorter, and there’s no touch from another human involved which alleviates many liability issues too. While the table massage itself left a lot to be desired, there are definite market opportunities and fun to be had here.
On a final point, I will say that the aqua massage tables might be my favorite mechanical massage, which spray high water pressure through jets onto a canvas that covers you while you lie horizontally inside their machine. They’re more modern, adjustable, sanitizable, look better and more. Unfortunately all mechanical massage tables are extremely heavy with the aqua jets perhaps being the heaviest, which is why they’re likely not used on the 3rd floor of this extremely old Parisian building. Hoisting a heavy mechanical table to the 3rd floor on a winding staircase with no elevator must be challenging at best, which is too bad because the best of all is probably the heaviest of all which is likely prohibiting its use.
Hydrotherapies have been through an amazing evolution from the ancient Roman baths to today’s most updated practices and experiences. Some cruise ships have cashed-in on that ancient hydrotherapy tradition, and have become the new kings and queens of spa hydrotherapy services.Many of the newer larger ships provide surreal thermal and hydrotherapy experiences as shown in the video below.
Hydrotherapy stations often allow do-it-yourself (DIY) services, where a customer will continue a massage or spa experience on their own through various uses of thermal and hydrotherapies.
Hydrotherapy stations usually cost more to install upfront when compared to a massage therapy treatment room. However, their ability to operate without additional staff expense. can also offset the initial expense.DIY single-use thermal and hydrotherapy stations are also more desirable during a pandemic event such as COVID-19. It is best whenever a client can enjoy therapeutic services without exposing themselves to another who may be infected and vice versa for the massage therapist or spa provider too.
Benefits of thermal and hydrotherapies are innumerous.They can be relaxing and provide stress relief. Establishments can provide DIY scrub products to a client that can be added to specialty shower services. Hot and cold baths, showers or rooms can also provide circulatory benefits. Clients can use heat or cold therapies alone, or contrast the thermal therapies for detoxification effects. Combined, the therapeutic effects of hydrothermal therapies are extensive. Many clients leave thermal and hydrotherapy areas feeling better with less tension, smoother skin and overall satisfaction.
Hydrotherapy and thermal therapy suites can be offered to clients in a number of ways:
Various shower facilities, including waterfalls, jets, handheld hoses, breezes, bucket dumps and more
Whirlpools and spas
Saunas
Steam rooms
Relaxation areas
Salt rooms
Turkish baths
Cold plunges
Other various baths
The various options or endless
Today, it seems like some establishments are turning to hydrotherapies and thermal therapies to replace the decades long practices of massage and bodywork therapies, which is acceptable and has some benefits when the hands-on appointments offered the added hydrothermal benefits.
by 3x WAF World Champion, Selena Belisle, Founder/Instructor CE Institute LLC
In this video below, I’ll share how to navigate working at a world class competition event like the Tour de France. There is no hands-on instruction provided in this sports massage training video.
For those unfamiliar with the Tour de France, the athlete wearing the yellow jersey is worn daily by the leader of an individual classification. The yellow jersey is then bestowed upon the overall winner of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées. In the picture included in this article above, you can see the Tadej Pogacar in the yellow jersey just right of the traffic light, cycling his way to his fourth Tour de France win on July 26, 2025.
Different sporting events have different nuances which massage therapists will eventually learn through training and experience. In the video below, we will share various elite sports massage therapists goals, suggestions and needs while reviewing potential traps, ethical considerations and pitfalls of the profession. We’ll also review common practices and requirements of working with world class athletes on a daily basis, including:
Examples of how sports massage therapists might work on world class athletes at the tour de France.
Pre-event sports massage theories.
Post-event sports massage theories.
Immediately after competition with extreme blood vessel vascularization.
Hours after daily competition.
How blood circulation is approached or considered in sports massage.
World class athlete superstitions.
Working as part of a team within a sports bubble as a massage therapist.
One essential sports massage therapist requirement for sports event work.
Building a personal mini-kit for a sports massage therapist to work sporting events.
The answer is NO. Massage therapists do not need to hire nor employ a receptionist for their clients, especially when working with other established businesses who can assist.
Back around 2003, I opened up a 3rd location to my Massage Works Inc. establishment at Gold’s gym. We simply had one treatment room at the gym for regular massage services, with a massage therapist who had appointments on-site and waited on-site in-between. These therapists who were sent to our third location at the gym were used to having between one to three reception staff on-site and always at our main location on Washington Street, where we operated 10 simultaneous treatment rooms of massage, chiropractic services, thermal therapies, acupuncture, endermologie, esthetics care, and various forms of bodywork, 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. So, some found it weird to be all by themselves with a single treatment room at the gym after working in such a busy clinic for the same employer, but it was doable. Often the massage therapist was available to greet their next massage client at the gym’s single treatment room establishment, and when they were not available to greet them, the gym staff would greet the client and ask them to sit and wait until the massage therapist was available.
Now some would see that gym scenario fairly typical or even low brow for operating standards. So when I just had a tremendous massage and spa experience at one of the top establishments in the world that also did not employ a dedicated receptionist, I decided it was time to write about it and share this acceptable business standard. This is when I sought service at the House of Guerlain which is one of the oldest and well known beauty brands in the world, originally established in 1828 in Paris, France.
Far from stand alone establishments like most spa, bodywork or massage therapy practices, Gurlain spa services are primarily offered in the world’s most prestigious locations, such as the Michelin Star Relais Christine Hotel in Paris, France. Like many other top resorts, hotels or destinations, spa treatment areas are often relegated to highly modified basements given this type of treatment of business is usually an add-on operation long after the business was established. Spa and massage services became more prevalent, popular and in demand around the 1980s. Today, a top hotel or destination would be considered incomplete without these services.
Sometimes when you have a smaller practice that’s relegated to a basement or single treatment room, there is not enough staff or income being generated to pay a receptionist, nevermind the lack of work they might have only receiving one customer per hour, etc. So it wouldn’t make sense to employ a receptionist for this type of operation both sensibly and financially. That brings me to the epic Gurlain spa at Relais Christine, where there are only two treatment rooms in a dedicated 1,500 square foot spa space in the hotel basement. They have one single treatment room and one couples treatment room, and sometimes only one practitioner total is working at the spa at a time. Yet it still manages to achieve jaw dropping greatness through its ambience with excellent high-end products and services. Below are pictures of the two treatment rooms available at Hotel Relais Christine's Guerlain Spa.
In the gym or "wellness" and high-end spa establishment mentioned above, both had staff that were designated for other operations filling in to help with reception duties for their respective clients. At Relais Christine, you have to walk past the front desk and hotel staff before getting to the stairs of the spa, and of course they will inquire if you need assistance if you do not ask for it yourself. At the Calmer Clinic in London, England, I encountered a receptionist on the first day I visited and no receptionist when I returned for my reflexology and Ayurvedic treatments. I simply entered and sat in the waiting area until my therapist received me. The world did not end because of an absent receptionist.
Now with massage, especially when working with the unknown public, it is considered safer to have a second person on-site (such as a receptionist) for obvious reasons. The client will know someone else is there, and that will hopefully help them behave properly. Having no receptionist or other visible person on-site where massage therapy is publicly offered could potentially leave a therapist in a higher vulnerable position for solicitation of sexual services which still occurs to this day. We want to note that most spas and establishments today require their clients to sign a no-harassment policy prior to the start of service, so if you work independently or without a receptionist, we suggest you set up practices that help ensure your safety and make better sense for you.
If you’re going to operate an establishment with a waiting area and no reception staff, set it up in a way that would be user friendly for both you and your clients. That would include having chairs that have arms where a physically disabled client would be able to easier lower or raise themselves out of a chair. Providing reading materials and client health history intake forms to complete in your absence, so that they can make a better use of their time. Make sure there’s signage to the bathroom which they can also use before treatment, which could expedite your service once available as well. If you sell retail, have valuables or simply want to be smart about you and your property’s safety, install security cameras that record to a cloud or off-site location of the common areas. Be sure to publicly post that security cameras are in use in visible spaces, and do not include security cameras in private areas such as treatment rooms or bathrooms. While security cameras can be used in hydrotherapy areas such as pools, plunges, salt areas and more when properly posted, they should not be used where a client may be recorded exposed in various stages of nudity where others cannot see them, so a camera should not either.
When setting up your own spa services or massage practice, while it’s always nice to have a receptionist tend to your every need, do not think that is a prerequisite to a successful business. The examples above should effectively show that receptionists are not an essential requirement. Although it would be good to find work space in a shared environment such as the hotel or gym whether other staff are present and could momentarily help you receive your clients if you are not available to do so upon their arrival. Think about WeWork, where you pay for a single office but then have access to large conference rooms, kitchens, reception staff and the like. While it is more than acceptable to go it alone, there are also shared staff opportunities in like businesses that may make sense for you too.
To learn more about better business practices for both the spa and massage industry, please enroll in training at our school at: https://ceinstitute.com/
Gommage, gommage, gommage, oh my! I couldn’t find a single place that offered massage in Paris without having gommage aka known as a body scrub. Almost any Parisian massage establishment has gommage on their service menu. Providing body scrub service by a spa or massage establishment’s massage therapist or cosmetologist is just good business. It provides additional income for both establishment and practitioner through services, plus a possible product sale if a take-home version of the scrub is sold. It also offers a new experience for customers who may want something different and it breaks up the monotony of other services that the service provider may be practicing all day long too. Spa body scrubs are a win win win situation for all, that is unless you do not know how to properly provide one.
Some think that if they’re a massage therapist, they can simply do a body scrub too? How hard could it be? The answer is - it’s not hard, when you have the proper customized training, know how to properly adjust and use the various ablatives. If a massage therapist tries to apply a scrub like a massage medium - then you’ll encounter problems. Those two products are VERY different, not only in texture but also in how you apply or use them too. Scrubs are not massage mediums, and most feel terrible if you try to use it like a massage oil or lotion too.
Our feeling is body scrub manufacturers are sending sales reps without proper training to sell and train establishments on how to execute a body scrub in a dry or wet room. Obviously a sales rep that is unlicensed with no hands-on experience demonstrating spa products would be a poor choice for training, although we’ve seen this before and we suspect that type of practice is increasing too. If you would like to learn a new service with a new product, ask the sales rep to demonstrate the service ON you first, prior to investing in whatever they are selling. This helps practitioners/decision makers learn what it should feel like with good execution, and can also help identify bad products and poorly provided services too.
We’re providing a list of Do’s and Don’ts for Spa Body Scrubs after receiving several of these treatments that were less than satisfactory. In the following steamed scrub video, you’ll see the fast, brisk fairly light movements with water application used to scrub the skin and gently dissolve the scrub to keep the product lose, less scratchy, more tolerable and make it easier for washing off in a dry room setting:
Here are some tips and points about a recent spa body scrub service I received in Paris, with focus on what not to do, with most of these pics below depicting non-ideal service:
The practitioner provided paper panties to wear for the scrub and asked me to lie face down in the pronated position at the start of the session. She did not provide any draping to cover myself with (don’t). She left me full exposed during the entire full body scrub session on both my posterior and anterior body (don’t).
OnceI was lying in pronated position on the massage table, she entered the treatment room and started the service with quick brisk scrub strokes on the soles of my feet which was very ticklish (don’t). Most people would experience a ticklish feeling in the feet when lightly rubbing back and forth on them with something slightly scratchy. Unfortunately this is where the practitioner's light pressure stopped. It’s almost as if the practitioner was prepared for the client to not tolerate starting on the feet, but despite her apprehension, she did it anyway (don’t). If something’s repeatedly feeling wrong to you, or you’re repeatedly getting negative feedback or consequences from the client, you should perhaps rethink your work, and in this case, starting a different area other than the feet would have been more appropriate at the pressure and speed.
The practitioner kept scrubbing my calves with excessive pressure (don’t). She just kept going back to calves over and over again with excessive amounts of pressure. It might have been okay with one or two passes, but twelve or more very heavy pressure passes of scrub into my skin (instead of over it) became too much, and I finally had to tell her to lighten her pressure. I told her this so she wouldn’t draw blood! When it comes to scrubbing in large fleshy areas, a full hand with heavy palm contact isn’t the most appropriate to repeat over and over again when jagged sharp sugar and salt crystals are on the client’s skin.
After I told her that her pressure was too much, she lightened it for a few seconds and then immediately went back into her heavy handed pressure (don’t) I probably asked her to lighten her pressure at least 8 times in 20ish minute full body scrub. That’s not relaxing folks. That’s a poorly executed nuisance.
What the practitioner should have done knowing there was an issue with her pressure, was check in after applying scrub to each new area, such as the second leg, or when she moved to the back, etc. (Do). No client should have to ask for the same less pressure eight times in 20 minutes. That’s unacceptable.
After she completed both posterior legs, she moved on to my low back (don’t). The low is the most sensitive area of the back, so when starting bodywork such as scrubbing, hot stones, cupping, graston or much of anything that might be initially slightly shocking to a client, we recommend starting in the upper back area where the body is less sensitive. Her back scrub was okay, minus the unacceptable amount of pressure that continued, even when I asked her for less pressure, which were the words she offered when I told her the pressure was too much, so I do not believe there was a language barrier. I simply believe this massage therapist works with one pressure for all regardless of what she’s doing, and that’s after experiencing a full body scrub, massage and facial with her. All three services were the same exact pressure regardless of the service.
In the picture below, you can see the practitioner's hands have the palms in firm contact with the client's skin. This would be an example of an erroneous application and pressure. It's okay to use a flat hand to fly back and forth over the skin lightly with a scrub, but you should never try pressing or pushing a scrub into the client's soft tissue such as their back, which would be too abrasive and an inappropriate application:
She had me turn over and she started on the feet again. She did some really nice work, or scrubbing around the ankles and heels, then moved up the legs with a venous return approach (do). She also avoided the inner thigh which is generally too sensitive for body scrubbing (great job). She moved onto my arms but the pressure just didn’t let up. It’s like she only had one gear and doesn’t shift it for anyone. She did a great job making sure the hands, feet, fingers and toes were scrubbed (do), but unfortunately while scrubbing my fingers she pulled the scrub interiorly towards my fingertips (don’t), instead of keep her venous return approach of working towards the heart to help continually increase circulation.
Pictured below shows how the palm is firmly planted on the client’s skin which is a repeated misapplication of scrub treatment again. Scrubs should primarily be moved about the client’s body with your fingerpads, and acceptable full hand scrubbing should only be applied when flying lightly over the skin as demonstrated in our youtube video. The only places it might be acceptable to increase scrub pressure with a palm, etc., would be when working on thicker skinned areas. Examples of thicker skinned areas are the heels of the feet which are also less sensitive to pressures and scrub.
She then moved onto my abdominal area which was very interesting. Normally we skip the anterior thoracic and abdominal cavities when it comes to spa scrubs, due to how sensitive these areas can be, and of course you would never scrub a woman’s breast. Luckily she was very gentle with her abdominal scrub (do), and it felt great too. That was wonderful. When applying body scrub to the abdomen, practitioners should work in the same clockwise direction as they would normally apply in abdominal massage. Different mechanical maneuvers and pressure would be applied to the abdominal area with body scrub product.
She continued her scrub up through the sternum and then over my right pectoralis minor to my shoulder; however, she only did this on the right side, and didn’t do the same on the left. Then she just finished and started to setup for a shower leaving me feeling a little off balanced by not completing the left side with the same (don’t).
She did not remove the scrub from my feet before asking me to dismount the table (don’t). I slipped not realizing how oily the scrub was. With the excessive pressure all I felt was scratchiness and raw, so finding there was a decent amount of oil on my feet was a shocking surprise. She also did not put a towel and there was no matt on the floor to dismount (don’t), so I slipped on a smooth vinylish floor.
This was a wetroom 3-step spa scrub where she performed the scrub, then I was to shower the scrub off while she changed the table, then I was to get back onto a clean table for a massage. She walked into the shower with my while I was only wearing paper panties (don’t) and did so with her shoes on (don’t), then showed me how to partially operate the shower and did not mention the knob she told me to turn the shower off would also poor water on me from a waterfall above if I turned it too far - massive don’t. Now my hair that I just styled the other day is unsalvageable - frown face.
Once I started rinsing the scrub off, I realized it was extremely dry. After applying the product and scrubbing a bit, the provider could have added some water to help make the scrub feel less scratchy and raw, and to help loosen the scrub so that it would be easier to remove. It usually feels best to start with a full salt or sugar scrub with a few strokes, and then start adding water to help the scrub dissolve so it’s easier to remove (do) regardless of who’s doing the removal.
I slipped again in the shower which wasn’t set up very well for someone who just had an oily scrub without removing the product from the feet first before entering this wet area. The most appropriate business practice here would be to provide some type of resusable/sanitizable wetroom footwear such as flip flops with a gripping sole so that the client can safely shower without slipping. Reusable flips flops might cost around $30 per pair but it could save you a $300,000+ lawsuit when a client slips and breaks a hip.
Once I finished showering, I dried myself off with a really nice large bath sheet that was provided, and walked back into the adjoining treatment room where it felt like my bare feet were sticking to the uncovered/dirty floor (don’t). The therapist then tossed the new one-size fits no one paper panties away before I had a chance to put them back on and told me to get back onto the table pronated/face down again fully naked. She then covered me with a dry towel but completely exposed my buttocks for the massage (don’t). There was no need for the excessive nudity other than to give her a real nice shine!
Her back massage was beautiful with alternating effleurages, friction, circular and other complex massage strokes (do). The pressure was fairly perfect and she finally checked in with me to make sure that was (do). When she had me turn over she then lifted the sheet in the air in a way that left me excessively nude again (don’t). This was totally unnecessary, unprofessional and unethical.
She finished with cervical and facial massage with continued skilled complexity (do), and it’s fairly obvious the therapist likely provides esthetic facial services with how wonderful her face, scalp and neck massage was. The creamed used with my facial massage had a faint hint of aromatherapy, which made the massage feel even more luxurious than the incredible contact, fullness and intricacy of the facial massage itself.
Overall the finishing body moisturizer/finishing massage was very good with a couple notable exceptions:
Always use cream or lotion to provide moisturizing massage after an oil based scrub. Applying an oil massage after applying the thick oil that’s traditionally used in a scrub is excessive, and can leave a client feeling sticky and sweaty. In this establishment, they used more oil for the finishing body massage application which was excessive, and would have been a better experience with cream or lotion.
Most gals love a good manicure and beautiful nails, however, I could repeatedly feel this massage therapist’s nails during her massage which was slightly distracting from her gorgeous strokes and soft tissue manipulation. Thankfully despite their length, they were well filed so it didn’t feel like she was cutting my skin, but it was a very unwelcome feeling.
No knee or ankles bolster was provided for pronated or supinated massage, and the excessive exposure through inappropriate and excessively nude draping techniques kind of spoiled her beautiful massage.
From a business, operational, liability standpoint, this spa scrub service is not worth the risk it is posing to the establishment due to poor practical standards. I noticed once I put my shoes on that the sound of them on the sticky floor was unacceptable. While the floor visibility appeared clean, it was likely no longer safe nor cleanable due to the oil buildup over time. The floor is not being protected from the excessive amounts of oil exposure, which could easily be solved by:
Not allowing practitioners to walk in the same area of product (treatment room, shower, etc.) and then continue their footwear into other parts of the spa, i.e. treatment room, hallway, stairs.
Provide appropriate boundaries and protections for flooring, such as using bath matts, towels, etc., which were not used nor provided to protect the floor of this establishment.
In the end, this wasn’t the worst spa scrub in the world, but it wasn’t great either. By adjusting the service with these minimal points, it might have been absolutely incredible, especially when the practitioner was brave enough to scrub the belly and finish her massage with her magnificent facial massage.
If you practice spa body scrubs, then you should receive one of these annually, hopefully from someone who’s using the same type of scrub as you are, so you can feel what it feels like when you’re using that product. Ask them to work in the same direction as you, with similar pressure and strokes, etc. Hopefully feeling this will allow you to understand what the service feels like to inspire continued excellence when you’re providing the same.
