Achieving excellence isn’t for everyone. Living the extreme of this or that is not a rewarding existence. A life in flux is not fun and changing for the sake of change is chaos. Our society loves to belittle the idea of being normal, it vilifies those who want a simple life, and labels the act of metamorphosis as a virtue.
Being normal is beautiful, natural, and probably more peaceful than being an unusual cat. A meaningful existence is more than pain and sacrifice. We don’t have to constantly push ourselves to change, nor do we need to uproot every tree in our society. “Normal doesn’t change the world.” This is a cry I often hear, and it is the most misguided. Normal people change the world every day. Ordinary mothers and fathers forge and form new people, they create communities, build customs and cultures. The greatest change that occurs in our reality comes from those who seem less than exceptional, this is because looks are deceiving. Being normal is a wonderful gift, it allows you to live with a lot less strife, and it grants you the journey of an ordinary life.
Sometimes you may feel like the days are dull, and you may have missed out on some amazing secret hidden goal. But the influence you have is great indeed, it has granted your spirit the ability to feel free, to dance and enjoy simplicity.
Avoid giving into the cries of society when they scream for you to change to their whims. You don’t need to be them; you can be you. You can be your own glue; you can choose to adhere to the values important to you. You don’t have to be a titan of this or that. Simply put, you can be an ordinary cat.
The Skill Level of Our Massages
What kind of pitfalls should we expect to encounter in the first years of our professional development? The first and most ferocious is the monstrous maw of the meat grinder, the second is overcoming the challenges of mediocrity, followed by chasing excellence, and avoiding injury and burnout.
Every competent therapist has a place in our industry. If you are an ordinary massage therapist embrace it. Everyone can’t be exceptional; this is the nature of existence. If you want to break the boundaries, you have set for yourself I can guide you away from normal to embark on an expedition of excellence. However, you should change because you want to, engaging in unnecessary pain is lame, do it for your own personal gain.
I rate massage therapists using a ten scale of performance. Those who fall within the one to two range should not be practicing as professionals. Three to five represents the range of competent massage therapists and the bulk of our industry. At six you have transcended mediocrity and are at the cusp of excellence. Once you have achieved seven you are an amazing massage therapist. Between six and seven is a chasm of skill few can cross. Eight and every step above increases with leaps of magnitude from one number to the next. I am not the best, but I want to help you become better than me. It is my goal to teach you things that will help set you free and live a life of glee.
The Deceptive Nature of Massage Skill
There are many instances when an amazing massage therapist is great on the inside but has yet to discover their beautiful talents and skills. These spectacular souls need someone to guide, cultivate, and inspire them to overcome their perceived limitations, and illusory inabilities.
When a massage therapist lacks confidence or is afraid, they will never reach their greatest potential. As experienced professionals it is our responsibility to help them overcome their shadows by illuminating a beautiful path for them to follow. We must be their lantern bearers by holding a light above their head so they may avoid the pits and traps at their feet.
When we show them the way they will discover their inner light. With this divine radiance they will glow and shine, and one day become mentors and guides as they replace woe with wonder.
The Camps of Three to Five
Typical massage therapists often fall into four camps. Rote, Potpourri, Sloppy, and Ineffective personal Boundaries.
- Rote: Practitioners who fall into this category use mechanical or habitually repetitive techniques throughout each session. Their massages are often the same for everyone because they use a one size fits all approach to massage. Sometimes exceptional massage therapist burnout and become Rote therapists as they churn out session after session like they were on an assembly line.
- Potpourri: Practitioners who fall into this category construct massage experiences haphazardly using every technique they can think of. Though some of their movements may be purposeful, most are without rhyme or reason.
- Sloppy: Practitioners who fall into this category have a low attention to detail. Their hands are rough, often their nails are unclipped or painted. Their quality of touch is half committed, they pause their massages when they are talking to the client, their fingers may slide under the sheet, or their drape may be loose or uncomfortable. Sloppy massage therapists often use too much lubricant and lack the awareness to use a towel remove it during a session. There are many factors that contribute to a sloppy massage, but in summary a sloppy practitioner lacks precision, and attention to detail.
- Teleporters: Therapists who teleport hop from one area to the next when transitioning from a technique or area of focus. Teleporting is when a massage therapist jumps from one area to another creating an abrupt shift in the flow of a session. It breaks the continuity of a massage and reduces the client’s pleasure. Satisfying techniques are lines and shapes that paint a storyline for your client to follow.
- Ineffective Personal Boundaries: The therapist may initiate conversations with the client without prompt, engage in cross-chatter, Wong, mutter to themselves, make self-deprecating comments, ends sessions too early or late. Therapists with ineffective personal boundaries may overshare, discuss inappropriate topics, complain about their work conditions, disregard the requests of client, work areas of the client’s body that have not be requested or place their own personal philosophies of massage over the clearly stated needs of the guest.
In addition to these basic camps there is an additional snare massage therapists find themselves in. These are dual role massage owners. A dual role massage owner is a practitioner who runs the business and performs massage. Just like in the restaurant industry, “you can’t lead a business from the kitchen.” The same applies to the massage industry. A dual role massage owner’s performance is greatly reduced because they will never be 100% in the room. They will always have one foot in the hall, at the front desk, or in their office. An excellent massage session requires a therapist’s complete focused attention. If their mind and spirit is anywhere else other than in the room the quality of a massage will be greatly reduced. There are various ways a massage owner can navigate this troublesome scenario. They can hire a competent and charismatic front desk person, employ someone else to run their business, or retire as a massage therapist. Unfortunately, these options are expensive, and the typical dual role massage owner will be incapable of executing any of them. If this is not an option, as long as they are aware of their reduced ability, they may develop additional skills to overcome this obstacle.
Taking Your Massage to the Next Level
Anyone, even those without “the touch” can move from mediocrity to achieve the cusp of excellence. To do this we must explore why our applications may be rote, sloppy, or are the potpourri of massage. We achieve this by delving into how we create our own techniques, micro-formulas, tactics, and strategies. To do this requires earnestness.
What is earnestness in the application of massage?
We must have a sober drive constructed from reason, conviction, and sincerity. We must let go of the zeal that has driven us this far. Though it may have previously been fueled with selfless desire it is often monitored with poorly balanced judgement. This behavior leads to tyranny, social awkwardness, and alienation.
Those who fall within the four to five range are often obsessed with modalities with religious fervor. This sinks their feet into concrete and anchors them to the floor. As therapists we must be quick, adaptable, and able to move with the currents of life.
In addition to earnestness, we must also possess enthusiasm.
Enthusiasm operates under the guidance of reason and conscience, and it encourages liveliness. Step away from your zeal and pursue something real. Resurrect the enthusiasm you once experienced and allow it to guide your heart.
Strategies, Tactics, Micro-Formulas and Techniques
Reaching the cusp of excellence requires more than earnestness and enthusiasm. We must study our skills and explore the nuances of our most effective techniques. A massage therapist who is a six has creatively constructed techniques, micro-formulas, tactics, and strategies that meet their client’s needs.
Techniques
Every great artist has an awareness of their trade. They are great because they have a relationship with the tools used to make their masterpiece. The art of massage is broken into five basic techniques: Effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, friction, and vibration.
- Effleurage: These are smooth gliding techniques traditionally used to apply lubricant to a client’s body, but with greater exploration and development can be transformed into incredible applications of massage.
- Petrissage: When translated from French this term roughly means to knead. In the application of massage it is defined as kneading, squeezing, lifting, shaking, wringing, and rolling.
- Tapotement: Easily one of the most underused techniques used in our industry, tapotement is the rhythmic application of tapping, drumming, slapping, and hacking using the therapist’s hands or an apparatus.
- Friction: Friction is performed by massaging in circles or by utilizing cross-fiber friction.
- Vibration: This manifests when the therapist rapidly presses then releases pressure on a specific point. Vibration is often employed using electronic tools.
These five basic movements create the cornerstones of every massage. Just like any trade, if all we employ are basic techniques are experiences will remain lackluster. We must move beyond these movements if we want to create a masterpiece.
Throughout my career I have created hundreds of techniques, micro-formulas, and strategies. Though I have created them, the truth is they are all gifts meant to be shared. As massage therapists it is our role in life to give. If we horde the tools granted to us, they will be taken away. This doesn’t mean we will forget how to perform them, instead we will lose our heart to give love for the sake of goodness.
The best techniques are those created through exploration and practice. We don’t need to pay someone thousands of dollars to discover new ways to help our clientele. Rather than shelling out truckloads of cash we can dip our hand into the wellspring of imagination, analyze tried and true methods, and adjust them to give birth to new techniques. The key to an amazing massage is creativity. If we are unable to create our own techniques, we will never achieve our dreams.
Micro-Formulas
These are a series of techniques used in tandem to encourage a desired result. The steps and order of a micro-formula is important and changing them should always have a reason. A single micro-formula should never occupy a majority of the massage session. It needs to be short and sweet.
Micro-formulas can quickly become redundant and repetitive if poorly planned. When performing one micro-formula have the next one on your mind so you may effectively apply the tactic you are attempting to execute.
Strategies
These are medium to long term plans throughout a session, and sometimes they may be over the course of several sessions. Each strategy is built from one or more tactics. The strategies used should be selected based on the needs of each client as your attempt to fulfill their supporting and core goals.
Tactics
These are short to medium term plans throughout a session. Each tactic is comprised of two or more micro-formulas or techniques.
Goals
Similar to a business plan a massage should have goals. They are divided into three categories: Support, Core, and Powerful.
- Core Goals: The core goals of a session are what the client wants to achieve. These goals must be met if we expect the client to feel satisfied. If the client’s core goals are unreasonable it is our responsibility to inform them so more realistic expectations may be set.
- Supporting Goals: The supporting goals of a massage are the goals of specific tactics and techniques.
- Powerful Goals: This is an intangible goal of the massage therapist that congruently assists in achieving the core goal of the massage. It is the energy that permeates every session and encapsulates the therapist’s need to guide others toward peace. Every massage therapist should know what drives them to help others. They must have an intimate relationship with their own spirit and purpose. In business this manifest as grit, but in massage it is ardor. This is their enthusiasm, positive focus, and passion. Ardor is eager, warm, intense, and driven. A massage therapist without ardor is listless, bitter, and broken. Once their powerful goal has been consumed by the meat grinder their existence becomes sterile, stale, and boring. Ultimately it ends with them becoming a vampire of massage.
