Take a moment to think about why it is you use a specific kind of massage cream. This may sound like a silly exercise, but actually pausing to be mindful of such details within your massage therapy or bodywork practice is one of the best ways to ensure you are providing clients with a wonderful experience every time they stroll through the door.
Without taking the time and setting the intention to be mindful, the day-to-day working life of a professional massage therapist or bodyworker could all too easily grow stale, sending the hands-on practitioner into a rut and decreasing the value of the services each client receives in the session room.
In other words, it pays to set up these small exercises in mindfulness and attention to detail, perhaps scheduling them into your day once every few months. We will use the example of your massage cream to illuminate how helpful this effort can be, because massage cream can be one of those items that is all too easily forgotten about once a massage therapist or bodyworker gets used to using a certain brand.
So take out a sheet of paper and scribble down everything that comes to mind when you think about why you use a certain kind of massage cream, or several massage creams if you have more than one type in your session room. Once you have written down all your thoughts about this subject, read what you wrote about your massage cream.
Quite a few massage therapists and bodyworkers may find there was not much to write down during this exercise. Perhaps the
massage cream is simply thought of as a vehicle for the application of your particular modality or mix of techniques. However, it is important to realize that although this is the main role a massage cream should play, it is also the bare minimum of what a massage cream can do for you and your clients.
Of course, it is a must to have a massage cream that allows you to perform your particular style of hands-on massage therapy or bodywork to the best of your ability. If you feel you are using a massage cream that allows you to reach this maximum potential, then you may be good to go with the product that's already in your session room.
If you sometimes have trouble with certain strokes due to too much or too little friction or glide, and find yourself needing to constantly apply more massage cream or even wipe excess massage cream off, then you should know you are not using the optimal massage cream for the modality and techniques you practice.
Beyond the key requirement of helping you to apply your hands-on therapy in the best possible manner, your massage cream could bring other benefits to the table. When you look at what you wrote down, about why you use a certain massage cream, see if there are any notes about calming effects, pain relief, aromatherapy or moisturizing.
If any of these extra perks sound like they could add value to your sessions, then you may want to search for a massage cream that can deliver these benefits, in addition to acting as the optimal lubricant.
--Brandi Schlossberg
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