Category Archives: Massage

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Are you working to your detriment?

Most of us went into the field of massage because we wanted to help people.

Maybe we already were giving out shoulder rubs on everyone we could get our hands-on. Perhaps we just knew that we weren’t meant to be a counselor (ahem, Mary-Claire here, speaking from experience).

But we had the heart to serve, to help others, to make them leave our offices happier than they were when they came in.

Into massage school we ran, eager to have the license to practice.

Did they tell you that the average career span of a massage therapist is 3-5 years (or 5-7 years, depending on the source)?

Or did you find out later?

Why do you think that is?

While there are a number of factors in play, one of the big reason is injury, pain, and burnout.

Simply stated, we work to our detriment.

What does that mean, exactly?

Most of us do/did our best to provide the massage experience that the legit client wanted.

More pressure? Sure!

Deeper in that spot! No problem.

Can you hang out here for a while? My pleasure.

In the meantime, our backs started to act up. Or maybe we discovered a little tendonitis or tenosynovitis.

We start cracking our knuckles a little more, pounding on our forearms while we sit at a traffic stop, gripping the steering wheel so we can have the added stretch of a bent wrist.

I have a client who was a massage therapist for many years, longer than I have been (and it’s 22+ years for me).

While she had learned barefoot massage years ago, she never got really comfortable with it, was clunky, and the clients didn’t love it.

So she continued to do what she’d been doing-providing her clients with awesome deep tissue massage via her hands.

Until she couldn’t.

She couldn’t push past the pain anymore. Actually, she had to see a doctor because she couldn’t grip things anymore and was starting to drop the items she held in her hands.

Permanent damage, friends.

Permanent damage was caused by overworking herself to make her clients happy.

This is preventable.

If you’re going to offer deep tissue massage as a career, please get good at barefoot massage.

And it’s not going to happen if you take an online class. It may not happen if you only take 1 live class.

You may need to retake your 1st class (especially if it takes a while to get the bars up).

And you will certainly be better with each continuing ed class you take.

Is there anything preventing you from a long lasting deep tissue massage career?

The ball’s in your court.


Interested in learning more about barefoot massage?

Visit us at www.barefootmassagecenter.com

We have tons of Tip and Tricks on YouTube!

And check out our Facebook page

Don’t forget Instagram!

Mary-Claire Fredette has been licensed as a massage therapist in Ohio since the last century.

Seriously.

She learned barefoot massage in 2002 and hasn’t looked back, beginning teaching in 2004.

You can find her classes in her natural light studio in Cincinnati.

She co-founded the Center for Barefoot Massage with husband Paul and the barefoot massage idea-preneur Jeni Spring in 2017.

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Massage Creeper article on Bored Panda

As massage therapists, we’ve got a pretty good thing going on in general. Clients come in tight or sore, and we make them feel better by the time they walk out the door. Barefoot massage is deep but comfortable and can put muscles back in place where they belong. Hands-on massage therapists provide pain relief as well, and relaxation.

For that, people are grateful.

But sometimes we get “Creepers”- typically men (not always, I’m sure) who ask things like if they can inspect our feet to make sure they are pretty enough for ashiatsu. In the 20 years that I’ve been doing massage, no one has asked to inspect my hands.

Or perhaps they ask what we are wearing or if we are the person in the photo on our website or ad. Once someone asked me in person how much I weighed.

Most massage therapists have dealt with this in one way or another, unfortunately. I was fortunate that our instructors talked about this in massage school. In our FasciAshi Fundamentals class, our instructors talk about what’s legit and what’s too creepy in regards to our massage with feet.

Some inquiries are no doubt legitimate or have been asked out of curiosity, but there are ridiculously blatant ones as well.

Head on over to Bored Panda, where we’ve got our “Dear Massage Creeper” article live. It’s a letter many massage therapists are currently rejoicing over and are wanting to share with others.

What kind of weird or creepy things have happened to you in regards to massage? Also, if you have tips to share in how to handle weirdos, please do!

Leave a comment below then share this with a friend.

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Spotlight on Fijian Barefoot Massage

You may have noticed that the Center for Barefoot Massage recently added a few new classes this year. One that I’m really excited about teaching is Fijian Barefoot Massage. This style is such a great addition to our company and having the original creator, Lolita Knight’s blessing to teach her original work and carry on her legacy has been a true honor for us. The Center for Barefoot Massage has done this technique right by putting more theory and intention behind the original format, which makes for an exciting and engaging class.

You may be asking two very important questions.

One, what IS it and two, how is it different from what I’m already doing with Ashiatsu and FasciAshi? (Bonus: how is it different than Hot Ashi?! Read this.)

Fijian massage is a deep tissue barefoot style of massage that’s done with the client fully clothed on a mat on the floor. It uses movements and techniques that are specific to its unique style. The original creator of this massage, Lolita Knight took influence from her massage experiences while visiting Fiji.

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Antibiotics, viruses and barefoot massage – part 1

Nobody wants to work on sick clients. In fact, we’re not legally allowed to in Ohio. Especially this time of year, when we are in close proximity with multiple clients in often small, heated rooms, it’s important to understand who you can work on in regards to common illnesses. Today, I’m going to talk about the difference between viruses and when antibiotics are used.

Part 1 focuses on 4 common viruses, how long they’re contagious, and the symptoms. At the end of the post, I’ve got a list of what to do if a sick person has come into the office. Part 2, coming next Friday, concentrates on antibiotics, their use, and contraindications.

Will antibiotics help?

Antibiotics will not improve viral infections–we just need to “ride them out”.  Antibiotics are prescribed for the treatment of a bacterial infection, but they are NOT effective against viral infections.

Viral infections, and how long to keep people off your massage table.

Our 1st track class!

Keep an eye out for all the details of our 1st track class coming out VERRRY soon! ?? (As in, within a day.)

?You must be certified! So if you haven’t done that yet, get your game on.

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Warm pillow for client comfort

In this Tuesday Toesday tip, we’ll show you how to add in a delightfully warm pillow to enhance your barefoot or hands-on massage. It’s perfect for the winter or even if you keep air conditioning running in your massage room year ’round.

Items needed (in addition to your massage table and all that jazz):

❀ an inexpensive heating pad. I actually like them better than the expensive, flexible ones for this trick.
❀ a standard pillowcase to cover the heating pad. Small is good.
❀ a king pillow (not a bolster) with a pillowcase on it. King is better than standard as even your sprawling clients will have support under their legs.
❀ a massage table heating pad, turned on

(The “how-to” video’s at the bottom of this post.)

Cover the heating pad with the standard case. You could use the one that comes with it, but you only get one and it will need to be washed if you stand on it. Fold the corners over like you’re wrapping a present so you know where the heating pad actually is (this prevents you from placing the pillow on what appears to be the heating pad but is actually just the pillowcase).

Place the heating pad on a stable surface-I use a stool with a folded blanket on top to protect the wood. I have also used a heat-resistant cutting board. It’s misplaced in a “safe place” right now, though.

You could use a chair or a table with something to protect it from the heat on it or even on top of a large hot towel cabi. Whatever you use, make sure the surface won’t get ruined with a hot heating pad on it.

Turn on the heating pad. I turn in on HIGH. When using one that has an actual temperature gauge, I set it to the 140°F’s to 150°F (60°C to 65.5°C. Make it too hot, and you’ll start dancing the Hot Foot Jig.

Place the pillow (in the pillowcase) on top of the heating pad. As it lies there, it’ll get super warm wherever the pillow is touching the heating pad.

When your client’s on the table, flip the pillow over so the heated side is UP, and slide it under your client’s legs. It’ll be super warm and feel amazing.

If you’re doing barefoot massage, put the heating pad on the floor and stand on it after you’ve cleaned your feet (I stand on it when I’m lubricating my client’s back). Your feet will be super cozy and warm when you start your barefoot massage. (You can see HERE how I keep my feet warm on even those days when I’m chilled to the bone.)

They can’t believe that you have even more magic feet than your amazing moves have shown thus far.

Do your massage thing.

When it’s time to flip the client over, pull out the pillow.

TURN IT OVER so the side that WAS down is now UP. Place it under your client’s legs.

More oohing and ahhing will commence.

You’re welcome. 😉

Who needs to have an awesome tip like this? Share this quick and easy, inexpensive tip to help them improve their massage!

 

 

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Stretch Therapy meets Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage

Our FasciAshi Range of Motion (ROM) class is where stretch therapy meets ashiatsu massage. There is a growing presence of ‘stretch providers’ in the massage therapy, yoga and personal trainer industries, possibly due to the evolving understanding of the properties of fascia. The public is noticing more and more that a movement practice of some kind is essential to a healthy body – and some are turning to their massage therapists for help.

The human population is becoming more and more sedentary.

The leading cause of disability is musculoskeletal pain, and over 80% of acute and chronic injuries are caused by the body not moving properly. (I should know, I just spent a day on the couch writing this blog post!!) One goal of stretch therapy and movement re-education is to make the client more aware of their habits of movement and more comfortable in his or her body with less compensation.

We all need varying movement to maintain healthy tissue hydration, regeneration, and repair. Motion is lotion, no matter what lifestyle you live. The smooth moves we teach in the FasciAshi ROM class could be just the thing that your clients are ACHING to try!

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5 Reasons to Learn FasciAshi Barefoot Massage

5-reasons-to-learn-fasciashi

Why should you start to consider using your FEET to massage with? I can think of a million reasons, but I boiled it down to just enough to count on one foot. 5 reasons to learn FasciAshi Barefoot Massage. Just five. Read on to see if we can further romance you into learning our favorite way to do deep tissue, myofascial release and trigger point work with our FasciAshi style of barefoot massage therapy.

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What makes you a remarkable massage therapist?

Why would we ask you what makes you a remarkable massage therapist? The word “remarkable” comes from France in the early 17th century: remarquable, from remarquer means to “take note of”. In other words, what makes you different from other massage therapists?

If you are not remarkable in some way, why should clients pay to have you massage them?

Have you given it a thought?

From a marketing standpoint, we need to know what makes us different from another massage therapist. If we don’t know how we stand out above the competition, we have no inclination of why people would prefer our services.

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Big vs Small Ashiatsu Therapist – Who’s Deeper?

Ashiatsu is my favorite style of deeper massage to receive, hands-down. Or feet-down, however you want to say it. As a solo practitioner, I don’t have easy access to good quality barefoot therapists close to me. Our instructors who have a team of ashi therapists have set themselves up well for both business purposes and for being able to conveniently receive ashiatsu. (Yes, they are smart ladies in many ways.)

Sadly, there are times when I don’t have half a day to block myself off for my 2-hour barefoot massage sessions. The ashiatsu massage therapists currently I see are about 50 minutes away.

When I can’t receive my barefoot bar massage therapy, my second choice is to get my hands-on deep tissue massage from a man. My other choice is from a tall, well insulated woman. (Stay with me here–there’s a point to the big vs smaller hands-on therapist!)

I like getting hands on massage from men and big, solid, farm-type women for two specific reasons: