Consider how you can incorporate these items into your daily massage practice.
1. Maximizing Online Presence
With the majority of clients seeking therapists via online sources, an online presence is vital for massage businesses and sole proprietors to succeed in today’s digital world. Your local massage insurance organization likely has resources available to develop a website. There are numerous apps such as Soothe and Zeel in which potential clients can seek a local therapist. Be sure to download these types of apps onto your devices and refine your website to reflect the best version of your practice.
2. Boosting Product Sales
Product sales can be a great way to further generate secondary income. Be sure to examine wholesale prices and profit margins before committing to any product to purchase and sell. If you possess a penchant to create, use that talent to your advantage! Create your own brand of a product and begin selling your brand at your location. Generate a buzz with your current clients and friends. Let them become your brand’s cheerleaders. Only time will tell how far reaching your brand will become! Just be sure to check into local and state laws regarding selling retail items.
3. Certifications to Augment Massage Practice
With restrictions placed in most states due to COVID-19, finding alternative means of generating income has become imperative for many massage therapists. There are many great options for certifications that augment massage practice such as yoga training, Pilates training, online health coaching, nutrition coaching and doula services. Consider who you wish to serve as you discover the alternate certification right for you. There are certifications now available for any niche market.
4. Self-care Tools
With the physical demands of our industry, owning self-care tools is imperative. There are many types of self-care tools beneficial as reducing the “wear and tear” upon our bodies.
- The classic Thera-Cane tool with its curved design allows one to address knots in our backs that a corner of a wall cannot address.
- Foot rollers can stimulate foot muscles and break up tight plantar fascia after standing all day. Thumb savers, compression bandages, and guards of varying sizes can be worn to prevent overuse injury to your thumbs, wrists, and elbows.
- Resistance bands can be used to either stretch or strengthen key muscle regions such as pectorals, triceps and glutes.
- Softer balls or gripping devices one can squeeze can strengthen hand and flexor muscles.
5. Stimulator Guns
Vibrational tools have exploded in the past year. These are useful massage tools for both self-care and usage upon clients. Stimulating devices will invigorate sore, fatigued muscles, increase circulation, and improve neurological function. More models of varying shapes and sizes allow for a wide variety of choices. Check out oscillating speeds and check in with clients on their comfort level regarding speed and pressure.
6. Trigger Point Tools
Some clients enjoy deep tissue massage to the extent it may compromise a massage therapist’s manual tools (hands, fingers, thumbs, forearms, elbows) to achieve desired client pressure. Instead of merely pushing harder, a therapist can use tools designed to address trigger points effectively upon the body. These may be made of wood, plastic, or metal. Never hurt yourself for a client; use a tool to apply deeper pressure! Varying sizes and shapes of tools make it easy to find an ideal fit for any client body type, shape, and tissue tonicity.
7. Stretching
More businesses focused on stretching are emerging. This specialty niche is advantageous for therapists who wish to work with athletes as well as clients who hold chronic pain.
Stretching brings many advantages to a therapist’s practice:
- No need for clients to disrobe.
- Improves client flexibility and range of motion, and ease of stretching efforts can take a load off the therapist’s body.
A therapist can charge just as much, if not more, for a stretching session.
8. Oncology Massage
With cancer care and treatments becoming more diverse, massage therapy can be a safe and effective portion of a cancer care regiment. Oncology massage can ease symptoms pertaining to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The holistic nature of massage therapy can aid all body systems adversely affected by cancer and related treatments. Be sure to take a formal course to understand the intricacies and considerations for working with oncology patients.
9. Reflexology
This powerful modality can be easily incorporated into general massage practice.
Stimulation of reflex areas within the hands and feet provides many therapeutic benefits including:
- relaxation
- improved organ function
- and improved sleep.
Simple to learn and apply, reflexology techniques can be easy for a therapist to utilize, thus saving their hands from wear and tear. Tools can be easily incorporated into sessions as well for deeper pressure application.
10. Muscles Review App
Reviewing anatomy is always a helpful activity in our field since we interact with every client’s body, especially the musculoskeletal system. Prepping prior to a session with a trusted app will help you remember the major muscles to address, including their functions and bony attachments. Addressing an entire muscle from origin or insertion makes any muscle treatment more effective, so being able to review this kinesiology content prior to a session is highly valuable.
Bonus: Join a Business Networking Group
Joining a business networking group will allow you the face-to-face time needed to sell your business and forge relationships with other business owners. Every metropolitan area has several such groups. Even smaller rural areas will have regional group meetings. You can always create your own network in your hometown. This network will yield referrals and allow you to educate the general public on the benefits of massage therapy.
Conclusion
Maintaining self-care tools, learning new modalities, and earning more certifications will help you grow and morph your massage therapy business in exciting new directions. Keeping up with these latest trends will keep you competitive in your market and bring joy to your practice with clients!
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