Let’s talk about pressure expectations. Have you ever visited a spa, requested a deep tissue massage, only to be let down because the therapist failed to meet your expectations?
Sometimes people go in for a light touch and end up feeling like they were crushed by the massage. Many become too scared to try massage again, thinking their experience is how massage is supposed to feel. Massage should feel spectacular, it should free you from your aches and pains and harmonize your heart space. A spa should be your safe place to relax, heal and rejuvenate.
A client’s pressure expectations are an essential component to massage. If it isn’t right, then it’s all wrong. As a licensed massage therapist at Jennifer Brand spa, I know how important this is. Pressure is the key to an amazing massage.
Traditional Booking Terms
The massage and spa industry uses vague and misleading terms to describe their massage options. What is a relaxation massage? Shouldn’t all massages be relaxing? What is a deep tissue massage? For some therapists “deep tissue” is a philosophy, for others it is pressure. How are you supposed to know what you are booking if every massage therapist interprets it differently? How is a Swedish massage different from a relaxation massage? At some locations these terms are interchangeable, at others they are completely different.
The process of booking a massage should be fun and easy. We need to adapt to the customer’s expectations. As massage therapists we get caught up in what we want which leads to us forgetting about what the client has requested. I think this is why so many people are disappointed after a massage, the terms seem meaningless, and so experiencing what they want appears to be impossible.
Warming up the muscles
A lot of therapists use the term “warming up the muscles” when performing a massage. The purpose is to create a safe, relaxing space to ease a client into a peaceful state. The intent is to relax someone and their muscles, but this process shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
Once the warmup is over the therapist should be at the pressure intensity requested before the massage. A lot of times clients discover the pressure type they requested is too much and the therapist adjusts accordingly. As a massage therapist you can easily detect when a client is receiving too much pressure, especially if they are squirming, pulling away, or holding their breath.
Meeting Pressure Expectations
The longer it takes for a therapist to meet a requested pressure the more dissatisfied the client will become. If you haven’t reached their desired pressure expectation within the first ten minutes, they are going to be angry. They didn’t purchase a massage to receive what you want to give them; they came in to experience what they want. Put your ego on the shelf, pick up your humility and make them the center of the universe. When I talk to people about massage, I tell them that if the therapist hasn’t reached your desired pressure expectation within ten minutes, they never will. I advise them to stop the massage and request a refund on their remaining time. No one should have to waste their time and money on something that isn’t going to help them feel fantastic.
