CE INSTITUTE LLC BLOG

By Selena Belisle, Founder/Instructor, CE Institute LLC

Have you had days where you were not paid in full despite being fully booked? Why does that happen?  Sometimes massage therapists and establishments are not properly prepared to avoid last-minute cancellations or non-payment for scheduled services.

Let’s review how we can ensure better practice and more stable income with proper massage therapy preparation:

ADVANCED CLIENT INTAKE PROCESS

Why would you wait for a client to arrive at your office to determine if they are contraindicated for the appointment?  You should not.  Unlike doctor’s offices that commonly double book appointments every 20 minutes, massage therapists generally book one client per hour.  Massage therapists usually do not work on more than 5 clients per day, while doctors might see dozens of patients in the same time span.  If a doctor misses a client or two for any reason, they’ll still see dozens of others while a massage therapist could lose 20% to 40% of their income in one day if they lost one or two client appointments. This is why it is important to make sure your client is not medically contraindicated prior to arriving to your workspace.

There are different health intake processes that can now be provided online, before your client every steps foot into your practice.  This can help rule out contraindications if the client cannot receive the appointment they have scheduled.  Now you will have time to provide informed consent with the client, mention the contraindication and provide other treatment options. If the client does not want to proceed with an alternative appointment option, it can also provide a massage therapist or bodyworker the time to schedule another client for that appointment in advance with this effective type of pre-screening.

If you do not want to use an online or computerized client health take, you could also call your client and rule out contraindications over the phone, before they come to your office. This is particularly important for pregnant women and clients in pain.  While no one appreciates being inconvenienced due to lack of preparedness, having someone trek to your office while in pain or pregnant only to be turned away is unacceptable and often avoidable when appropriate prescreening is performed.

ALTERNATIVE MASSAGE & BODYWORK APPOINTMENTS OPTIONS

How many types of styles of massage and bodywork have you learned or practiced? Some health contraindications for massage are caused by cardiovascular issues, where an increase of full body circulation would be inappropriate. But that same client might still qualify for other forms of bodywork.  Clients who are contraindicated for massage due to circulation issues may still be able to receive the following massage or bodywork appointment:

• Foot, Hand or Ear Reflexology
• Sweet Session™
• Reiki
• Craniosacral Therapy
• Indian Head or Foot Massage
• Energy Sessions
• Other Bodywork That Does NOT Increase Circulation

Determining how to proceed with each individual client is a decision to be made between the therapist and client, based on their individual needs, goals, contraindications and more.

To avoid burning out and remain diversified, we recommend massage therapists become proficient in at least five different massage and/or bodywork modalities. Diversified training allows a massage therapist to keep their practice interesting and provide alternative treatments for clients who might want to try something different, or for when they’re contraindicated for their originally scheduled service.

MASSAGE SUPPLIES, SUPPLIES, SUPPLIES!

It is always good business to have plentiful supplies on hand. This ensures quality of service is maintained.  How would you like to start your day knowing that you only have 8 ounces of massage medium remaining for 5 clients. Could you stretch 8 ounces of oil to perform 5 full body massages? Or would you have to cancel someone? Or suggest a different appointment that does not use massage medium?

The same goes for linens. Have you worked in a practice where they’ve flipped the sheets?  Perhaps a massage therapist is turning the sheets over between clients because they do not have enough freshly laundered linens for all of their scheduled clients on that day. Flipping sheets is unethical and unsanitary.

It is simple good business to keep extra supplies on-hand. An extra gallon of unscented (nut-free) oil at a massage establishment should always be stored as a sacrosanct back-up massage medium, because:

It can be used to help disperse an unknown aromatherapy or essential oil allergy,

You will always have a back-up on hand for clients who are allergic to nuts,

You will never run out of massage medium that could create appointment cancellations.

Once the gallon of back-up oil is opened, it must be replaced and labelled as the sacrosanct back-up.  Syphoning off just a small portion of oil your back-up gallon and then returning it as your back-up option is not appropriate.  This could:

Allow someone to continue syphoning from it until it is also gone.

Allow the oil to spoil faster or become rancid at a speedier pace once it’s opened.

Can be mixed in with other open products and now your back-up gallon is missing or gone.

Try to create redundancies in the practice, where massage and bodywork appointments can continue even if something breaks or goes missing.  Make a list of all the assets and supplies  you require to practice and then create a duplicate or back-up plan for everything. This way your practice is less likely to be interrupted or stop due to a lack of supplies.

WAITLIST

• Find a way to keep one.
• Collect a waiting potential client’s name, email address and phone #. Request all contact methods to reach them if you can squeeze them in.
• Ask what type of appointment they could accept and document it. This plants a seed in allowing the client to digest that even if their desired service is not available, it might be possible to receive something different.
• Payment method and plan: we recommend collecting a payment method for waiting clients with a plan if it’s acceptable to book and deposit any new openings. This will help ensure their commitment on the wait list to actual show for an appointment if or when you’re able to add them to the schedule.

OLD SCHOOL BACK UP OF THE DIGITAL AGE

Most bodywork, health and massage establishments now allow online scheduling.  But what would happen if you lost internet service?  Or, how would you know who’s showing for what type of service at what time if your online software company used went offline?  We recommend daily closing tasks to include taking a screenshot of the next day’s appointments.  While this screenshot may become outdated as time goes on, it’s better than having no idea of what your workday will look like without! Be sure to copy or save the screenshot to your desktop instead of another place online, because you still want to be able to access it is you lose your internet connection.

The following two pictures are of back-up traffic lights in London England.  I've never seen these in the United States before.  They are mobile traffic lights that can be rolled to any area needed.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all had back-up items we could use at anytime to replace our initial need or requirement like these traffic lights?

MASSAGE THERAPY PREPAREDNESS CONCLUSION

There are many things you can do to better prepare your practice for quality service. If you have to cancel an appointment for any reason, look at the reason why. Was it avoidable? If it was avoidable, how could you better prepare yourself to prevent the cancellation from reoccurring.  There are many back-up plans that can be made in advance with a little time, preparedness and thought.

It's interesting that CNN published an article today title ‘Haute Couture’ facials and re-energizing mattresses: Inside Dior’s first permanent spa in the US, because I just had a massage at a Dior spa in Paris, and it was definitely something to write about!

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. 

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!  

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/

Before the COVID and especially now post-pandemic, it's more important than ever to use online tools for day-to-day business operations. Online operations allow spas and massage therapy establishments to reach a greater population and streamline business operations too.

ONLINE SCHEDULING

Customer convenience may improve if/when online scheduling is offered, especially for spa or massage establishments that do not have a large admin staff to  expediently answer every inquiry.  The keyword here is “easy”.  Online scheduling should be clear, have minimal steps with essential information, including prices of available services with cancellation or business policies clearly defined prior to payment.  

Ensure Online Scheduling is Secured and Functional

Even at the most prestigious spa establishments in the world, including the spas at George V in Paris and Claridge’s in London, I found security site errors when trying to use their online services.  In fact Claridge’s REQUIRED online reservation deposits to secure an appointment; however, I received a secure/connection error when trying to pay it.  It can be offputing, annoying or even concerning to receive the following error messages in the screenshots below while providing personal details and credit card information online.  When setting up your online scheduling and payment options at your spa or massage establishment, try to find compliant software that’s properly programmed and up-to-date to avoid customers encountering these types of errors:

Online Scheduling is A Great Time to Offer Add-ons

When programming online scheduling for your spa or massage therapy establishment, we recommend offering add-on services too.  Add-on services can:

• Enhance the appointment and make a greater or more enjoyable experience for the client

• Add income to the establishment and practitioners

• Diversify the practitioner’s work to help avoid burnout

• Turn over supplies to help keep them from expiring on your shelves

• Maximize of fill your calendar space/time that might not fit a longer or regular service time

Add-on services make great business, and should always be offered whenever available.  Here are some screenshots of add-on services that I was brilliantly offered for spa and massage appointments in London and Paris:

Improve Your Customer’s Experience with Virtual Outreach

Requesting client preferences during virtual online scheduling or the customer intake process is a brilliant approach to enhance their experience.  Here are some examples of appropriate questions to ask your client online during these processes for better business practices, which includes scents and music choices:

Please make sure that the information sought to enhance your client’s visit is appropriate for their appointment; otherwise, this could lead to disappointment.  Those are questions that were asked of me for a manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) appointment; however, MLD is applied dry, without oils, so asking which scent of oil I would prefer is irrelevant, and could create a customer expectation that can sorely lead to disappointment when they learn that they will not receive any aromatherapy during their MLD.  Offering choices or enhancements that cannot be provided is bad operations that could be avoided with appropriate choices/disclaimers or better online programming.

Failure to Accommodate with Online Appointment Scheduling

I tried visiting this Tibetan spa in Paris (pictured below) on FOUR separate dates.  It semed whenever I arrived they were closed, including one Sunday there were gates over windows. Due to language barriers, I only tried for a walk-in appointment given it was only 15 minutes from my hotel, and across the street from Notre Dame and the Seine river which is always a nice walk.  On my FORTH attempt to visit, I went during normal daytime/weekday business hours only to find their door locked, again!   The business didn’t have its metal cage over the windows so I knew they were open for business versus how I had seen the business closed during other nonoperational times, so I rang the doorbell twice and waited about 10 minutes at the door, but no one answered.  Then I saw the option to book appointments online, and I thought, if this spa is so busy that they can operate in such a prime location for such minimal hours, then I MUST see and experience their services!  So I tried to use their QR code to schedule an appointment online rather than attempt to schedule with walk-in service, and would you believe that in the heart of Paris I received an error message that said it could not accommodate customers from my area (I was using a cell phone from the United States).  

Paris has an estimated population of about 2 million people with an estimated annual tourist population of 30 million.  So when working in such a highly touristed area, wouldn’t it be wise to use an online app or software that accommodates your largest market which in this case would be out of country tourists?  If you’re in a similar, highly touristed area such as LA, New York, Boston, Miami, etc., where you have a lot of international tourists or even students for customers, you should use online software that not only accommodates international customers, but it should also translate into various languages as well.

In the images immediately below, you will see this Tibetan establishment’s app failure where I repeatedly visited without success. Needless to say, I did not go back and they lost a potential customer and services payment too.

Better Business Practices

Treatment contraindications should be discovered BEFORE your client reaches your establishment.  Learning the client is contraindicated for their scheduled service after the client has arrived is a waste of both your and the customer’s time.  You’re also probably not going to be paid when you cannot provide a service due to an unknown contraindication that prevents you from working.  Screening for contraindications prior to the client arriving is essential to good business for both you and your client. Screening for contraindications and precautions can also be achieved online, but make sure you have secure online practices to do so to avoid a HIPAA violation. 

Another recommendation would be to provide clear policies and business requirements to patronize the establishment, BEFORE the client pays for service.  Many spas, especially those that include massage therapy are including no harassment policies as part of their business practices.  I was required to agree to this no-harassment policy to receive my MLD appointment at George V in Paris:

There are many other recommendations that can be made for online operations for both spa and massage therapy businesses.  These are just a few.  If you haven’t already implemented some of these practices, please think about how or if they would work for you.

by Selena Belisle, Founder/Instructor, CE Institute LLC

Are you sick of hearing the same massage music over and over again?  Do you remember when you first heard it though? Wasn't it the most amazing thing you had ever heard? 

When I entered the world of massage, I was only a teenager. I had a fairly chaotic life all the way up to winning my first world title in arm wrestling in the Athens Greece Olympic stadium, and then moved to a new state by myself at 19 years old, so I could train with other members of Team USA.  I was young, alone, fearless in a world moving very fast, so being in a dark room with ethereal music plus stillness, comfort and care was a great attraction for me. There were some days that I wanted to stay in that massage room and never leave it! While the specifics of my story are different to others, I believe many massage therapists find appeal in the massage industry because of the wonderful peace, calmness and comfort that our work world can provide.

Fast forward after many years of practice, and most of us could probably hum any Enya or Clannad song ever released, without the music playing.  That’s because massage therapists usually listen to the same songs repeatedly to no end.  The music, our surroundings and the massage itself can become extremely redundant over time, especially if you're practicing the same modality instead of holding a well diversified practice.

So how can we break up the monotony of our massage therapy practice? Especially when facing burnout?  One of the answers is to change HOW we hear our music.

I recently went to see the Lion King theatre production at the Lyceum Theatre in London, England.  Many songs from the Lion King soundtrack are used in online radio stations for massage or spa practice. And now, whenever I hear one of those songs, I don't think about how boring it is to hear that same sound for about the 5,000th time.  I instead reflect on my time in London with a smile, and that wonderful theatre show and the story they sang and told with it.  

Now it's important that your focus remains on your client at all times during your massage or bodywork treatment.  But it is okay to fondly and momentarily reflect on your positive new experiences with your work music.  Allowing yourself to feel something new and different can break up your daily routine and reinspire new feels with your career.

A lot of the music we hear at work was born from movie soundtracks, or later added to them. Being able to add new experiences with any aspect of your work, including exploring the roots of various songs to see and hear them in a new light is a great way to create a new joyful experience out of something old and tired.

So if you're looking for new ways to inspire or reinvigorate your massage therapy career, and you don't want to diversify your hands-on skills, redecorate your workplace or other things that may switch-it-up for you, then try to find new ways to appreciate the music you listen to all day. Take a mental vacation and go enjoy a movie, concert or theatre show where you can might be able to hear that same music - differently - with an alternative and hopefully happy application of it, similar to watching the Lion King theatre production.

While you could try to find new music to play at work which is always advisable, it isn't a bad idea to view the old music in a new light, especially if your clients love the music too.  

We know now that COVID-19 was airborne, spread through droplets, aerosol and through contaminated surfaces.  So, the best course of action to protect yourself from this airborne contagion was to avoid others who could be infected.  We called this social distancing, where the virtual workplace became prevalent, and physical hands-on practices like hands-on medical treatment, massage therapy and spa services were not included.  These hands-on client practices were practically abandoned if you wanted to truly keep yourself safe.

There were many things that could be done to create a safe work environment, through improving your air quality at work, where outdoor workspace might be considered the best option of all.  The best, safest and most reasonably available overall air quality during an airborne pandemic (that we know of to date in this highly evolving time), can be achieved by practicing your hands-on services, where there is an unlimited amount of air ventilation.  Outdoor practice allows infected individuals to exhale their contaminants into unlimited amounts of air, which will disperse the contagions and lessen the viral load exposure to others in the area.

A cabana, rooftop, balcony or working underneath an outdoor trellis could be a better option than most indoor treatment rooms during an airborne viral pandemic. To achieve outdoor workspace for spa, massage and medical practice, you should ensure that your treatment space has privacy and is protected from direct sunlight to avoid sunburn. Use outdoor fans to cool yourself and your client if needed. When setting up fans, you would want to make sure that the air or wind is not blowing directly onto you. 

The next picture is an example of an existing trellis at the Michelin Star Relais Christine Hotel in Paris, France.  It is unfortunately at the entrance of the hotel in public view of all the hotel guests; however, this is an excellent example of creating outdoor treatment space to use during an airborne contagion concern.  Growing additional plant material including vines could help reduce the visible exposure of the spa or massage therapy treatment that could be provided inside of it.

The trellis in the back of the picture shown below would be a more ideal position for a spa station, medical treatment or massage table to protect yourself and your client from the sun and other natural disruptions such as birds doing their business, etc.  Planting natural climbing vines and plants along the trellis will take time to grow, so it would be best to start preparing any available workspace you have for this outdoor practice option.

Massage therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists and other rehabilitative professions should start preparing plans now. Think about how would you work in another airborne pandemic? 

In this video below, we’ll show a trellis that's already setup in England that could support outdoor massage, spa and medical practice where it would likely be safer from airborne contaminants than attempting to practice inside where air quality would likely be poorer. If you have available or similar space to this, it's time to plan on how you would or could use it to create safer practices for all.

Would you like to add another dimension of healing to your spa, medical or massage therapy practice?  Chances are, you’re already playing enjoyable music which helps set the tone or mood within your business.  Providing music can soothe the mind and tension, especially when service providers are running behind or there’s a period of wait time between appointments and for all other reasons that physically host a customer within your establishment.

Our customers are usually pretty busy, and sometimes they’re even in pain while waiting, which is not a great way to start at your medical or massage practice.  They do not have extra time to sit around and wait for others.  Have you thought about how you can ease a client’s stress or wait time with acoustic pleasures?  

Below is a video of an extremely large sculptured waterfall in front of The Church of Saint-Sulpice in the heart of Paris, France.  It’s bustling with tourists, children, traffic, dogs, trains and the general noise of a major European city.  But what do you hear next to this water feature?  Do you hear the city racket or noise?  Or is that water fountain something that would provide acoustic pleasure or peace? 

Many people are attracted to, sit and stand around this water feature in front of Saint Sulpice's church here in Paris.  And while it’s visually spectacular, the sound itself is also soothing and comforting.  Ask yourself, what image would you like to project with your business or practice?  Would you like to provide something that feels comforting or peaceful to all senses for your client?

On the downside, some may say the sound of running water may make them feel like they have to go to the bathroom, and that is true.  So if you have limited bathroom facilities within your practice, then this might not be the right investment for you.  However, if that’s not a concern, then set up a water bubble where clients can replenish themselves, then let the amazing soundful natural enjoyment begin.

Many of us play music within our own establishments.  However, hopefully now you can consider a waterfall, fountain or some other device that allows for the sound of the flowing of water, that’s if you don’t already have one!  There are many different sizes, price points and types of commercial waterfalls and fountains. Some are very small and can sit on a massage reception area desk or coffee table.  Some are very thin and can hang on the walls in a treatment room, hallway or office.  Some are larger and are made for centerpieces.  The choices are fairly endless.

Sometimes at trade shows, you’ll find a booth by a wholesaler who exclusively sells these to your market.  Why?  Because it’s a great investment to treat your clients to something that’s easily enjoyable with minimal effort.