For the professional massage therapist or bodyworker who is fortunate and persistent enough to find himself or herself in a career that spans many years, a certain observation may rise to the surface—as you evolve and grow, so does your practice of massage therapy or bodywork. Changes in your inner and outer world, even over shorter time spans, such as a few months or a year, can also influence and change the way you work in your massage therapy or bodywork practice.
One of the most common ways professional massage therapists and bodyworkers tend to change and evolve over time is by taking on new skills, techniques and modalities, and finding ways to weave these newer tools into their existing knowledge.
For example, the massage therapist who has been consistently practicing Swedish massage may decide, with time, that she is ready and enthusiastic about learning deep-tissue techniques. This does not mean the massage therapist will give up her roots in Swedish massage, but typically it means she will begin blending a bit of both of these valuable modalities into the work she does each day.
For massage therapists and bodyworkers who choose to diversify their practice menus in such ways as the one outlined above, the category of massage lubricants known as massage creams can come in quite handy. Massage creams are known for their versatility, which means one massage cream can often "go the distance" in terms of being
useful to a massage therapist or bodyworker who practices an array of diverse hands-on techniques.
The reason massage cream is so great for the massage therapist or bodyworker who tends to blend modalities is because massage cream itself is usually a blend of several different lubricant traits. With a massage cream, you can get some of the slick or glide of a massage oil, but you also get some of the friction or stick of a massage lotion. However, because massage creams are a blend of both, you do not have to deal with too much of one or the other, as you would if you were working strictly with an oil or strictly with a lotion.
This kind of versatility allows massage therapists and bodyworkers to use their chosen massage cream when they are applying lighter, longer, more gliding types of strokes, and also when they are working on deeper, more spot-oriented client issues. By using either a little bit more or a little bit less of the massage cream, the practitioner can either "turn up" or "turn down" the lubricating factor.
Stay mindful of how you and your practice are changing and evolving over time, especially as you become interested in taking on new techniques and modalities, and weaving them into your existing skill set. As your massage skills grow more diverse, check out massage creams that can offer you just the right balance of friction and glide, with the convenience of just one lubricant.
--Brandi Schlossberg
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