Working at Jennifer Brand is more than a job, it is an opportunity to explore a career in the wellness industry. We are client and therapist centric company. Our goal is to serve a purpose more meaningful than making money. We exist to help make the world a better place, enrich the lives of others, and help you achieve your dreams.
Due our unique philosophy, working at Jennifer Brand will be unlike anything you have experienced. We actually care about you. You are more than a massage therapist, you are a person with hopes, aspirations and feelings. As a member of our team, you will finally know how it feels to stretch out your wings, fly high into the sky, and live a harmonious life.
The Onboarding Process
The process of onboarding onto a new team should be fun, simple and easy. It needs be rewarding and teach you things you may not have known. We have all worked for companies who go through the same cheat sheets explaining all sorts of common-sense stuff. Rather than focusing on the same boring stuff everyone else does we focus on teaching useful information that will benefit your career.
It is our goal to make everything you learn at our spa valuable to you in application and toward your licensure. Soon every step of our onboarding process will count toward your continued education hours.
Professional Development
People join the Jennifer Brand team because they want to explore their craft and practice among professionals. Every member of our team is the golden standard of excellence, and we are dedicated to transforming the massage industry one massage therapist at a time. We believe there is more to massage than a series of pokes, prods, and squeezes. It is more than a luxury; it is the most powerful wellness tool in the world.
From the earliest moments of our existence massage has served an invaluable role in our life. It is the truest celebration of our humanity and the gateway to peace and harmony. Massage is one of the greatest gifts mankind has ever been granted. Its application helps us experience the joy of fulfilling our purpose, ease away aches and pains, and spread goodness for the sake of harmony and hope.
In this section we will explore:
- The destructive role cross chatter plays in a couples massage
- How to cultivate a harmonious massage atmosphere
- The ways you can get involved with building your own client base
- The value of networking and how the values of IKAGG Connect can transform your career
- How to advance your skill set through career specialization and how it may help you avoid burnout
- Ways to improve the customer service experience you provide to your clientele
- How to practice humility
- What Wonging is and how to avoid it
- An introduction to Robert’s rules and its role in the future of the massage industry
- Confidence building information that will inspire you to pass the MBLEX
- The value of massage support groups
- An exploration of why we became massage therapists
- The smoke and mirrors of sign on bonuses
- And more…
- Massage Body MechanicsAre you a new massage therapist? Are you about to graduate massage school? Do you feel confident in your ability to perform massage without injuring yourself? While in school students are supposed to be taught techniques and academic approaches designed to help minimize injury and maximize the length of their career. These skills serve as… Read more: Massage Body Mechanics
- Scope of Practice
I hear a lot of people talk about Massage Therapy’s scope of practice, but I rarely meet someone who has read the statutes of our profession. If you have never read them, I don’t blame you, they are hard to find. This leads me into another issue I have with our massage education system, we… Read more: Scope of Practice - Cross Chatter
What is cross chatter? Cross chatter is the act of talking to another therapist’s client in a couple’s massage. It is a form of Wong that disrupts the atmosphere of the massage, increases tensions between staff, and reduces the overall experience for clientele. As a massage therapist we must refrain from cross chatter throughout a… Read more: Cross Chatter - Massage Atmosphere
There are many factors that influence the vibe of the massage atmosphere. In massage school this topic is touched upon, but rarely are we taught the various nuances it entails. One of the first lessons I learned as an entrepreneur was that in business there are a thousand details. You can miss a handful of… Read more: Massage Atmosphere - Building a Client Base
We want to help you build your own client base. A successful massage career requires a steady and regular flow of clientele each week. To help facilitate your growth we have implemented several strategies to inspire you to get involved with your own success. Many wellness practitioners sit on their hands, waiting to be fed by… Read more: Building a Client Base - IKAGG Connect
Sometimes we find gems in fascinating places and IKAGG Connect is a diamond in the rough. What relevance does a networking group have for a page dedicated to massage therapists and wellness professionals? The answer is simple, their philosophy is the key to discovering your dreams. If you attend any of their networking meetings, you… Read more: IKAGG Connect - Career Specialization
Career specialization As we enter the world of wellness we typically start as a generalist, but eventually we stumble upon a purposeful path, and while on this road we discover our specialization. Once we find it people will flock to us to find it. In most facilities these opportunities are rarely cultivated. We get stuck… Read more: Career Specialization - Wonging
Be respectful to others by refraining from Wonging. What is Wonging? Wonging is the act of pushing your way into a conversation you did not create. It is a behavior that disrupts the natural flow of a conversation often resulting in unnatural and uncomfortable silence. A conversation should feel organic, and in a customer service… Read more: Wonging - Roberts Rules
Roberts Rules In addition to offering insurance, professional organizations are supposed to serve as the cultural backbone of our industry. They exist to offer guidance, mentorship, education, and various resources to help you succeed. For the most part the professional organizations in Missouri do very little in regard to fostering community and growth. We can… Read more: Roberts Rules - MBLEX
You will conquer the MBLEX as you have overcome all obstacles you have faced before. You are powerful, bold, and a force no one can ignore. Many of us fret over the fear of something more than of the object itself. We have all fallen prey to anxiety over seemingly innocuous things. When I was… Read more: MBLEX - Massage Support Group
As guides, teachers, and servants we need a place to replenish our purpose, and rediscover peace, and the place we can achieve this is within a massage support group. If you are searching for a place to cultivate our community, encourage joy, and spread hope, join us on our journey to reharmonize your humanity. Resurrect… Read more: Massage Support Group - Massage Therapists
WHY DID WE BECOME MASSAGE THERAPISTS? Why did we become massage therapists? We all have an answer. Some of these stories are beautiful and bold, others lack a soul, and many are the same as our profession is old. We have big dreams and want to achieve great things, but each day our goals seem… Read more: Massage Therapists - The Smoke and Mirrors of Sign of Bonuses
Sign on Bonuses The massage industry, especially the mega chains play games with therapists. They offer scholarships that bind recent graduates to their company for years limiting their income potential, and lure in hopeful souls with sign on bonuses. We believe these tactics are unethical and contribute to an unacceptable level of dissatisfaction throughout the… Read more: The Smoke and Mirrors of Sign of Bonuses
Massage Theory and Practice
To take our career to the next level we must search for knowledge, converse with other therapists, and practice. Simply performing massage will raise us toward the sky, but if we want to achieve greater heights, we must learn to fly. Once we begin to actively engage our skills, imagination, and willingness to see the world through someone else’s eyes we will soar through the sky.
Working at Jennifer Brand will help you delve deeper into your talents. We will teach you to investigate the words of those who came before, and help you unearth transformative techniques. It is our goal to serve as your lantern bearer, so you may see how amazing your massage career can be.
This section explores our core principles and philosophies. You will learn about:
- The three virtues of massage: Empathy, Creativity, and Humility
- Session Elements and Principles
- The exploration of excellence and the hardships associated with it
- Massage Myths
- The truth about facia
- Science-based approaches to Deep Tissue massage
- The importance of research
- How to work smarter in your massage practice
- The importance of pressure expectations and how we can effectively meet them
- How to become more comfortable with draping in a massage session
- Information on skin types
- And more…
- Deep Tissue Massage
At Jennifer Brand we define Deep Tissue massage as: The skilled and safe application of pressure to release tension, increase range of motion, and relieve pain. - Techniques of Massage
Techniques serve as the bridge between the art and science of massage. They are the action of the various theories, philosophies, and schools of thought within our profession. No two techniques are the same even when taught by the same instructor. When we employ our techniques, we must have a plan of action. This action… Read more: Techniques of Massage - Art of Massage
Massage is an art and a science. If we seek to explore the talents we adore, we must delve into our creative side to discover how to provide our clients with a dreamland paradise every time. This FAQ covers the various terms that may be used as we embark on our personal expedition of excellence.… Read more: Art of Massage - Creativity, Empathy, and Humility
THE VIRTUES OF MASSAGE Creative expression requires the spark of imagination. It is an energy that pushes your pen against the paper to manifest the images of your mind’s eye. Art may be created without instruction, education, or guidance, but some require training, practice, and support. Massage is similar. Some may possess the natural aptitude… Read more: Creativity, Empathy, and Humility - Session Elements & Principles
I believe a massage may be judged by various elements and principles that define a quality of touch in a massage session. These categories are Harmony, Story of Lines and Shapes, and Materiality & Texture, Value. Harmony Harmony is represented by the overall composition of a massage; it reflects how each element and principle has… Read more: Session Elements & Principles - Technique Excellence
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… Read more: Technique Excellence - How does massage work?
“How does massage work?” An article by Alice Sanvito, LMT My late Russian Massage teacher Zhenya Kurashova Wine asked this question at the beginning of my first class with her. We sat and looked at her blankly. No one raised their hand, no one offered an answer. What kind of a question was this, anyway?… Read more: How does massage work? - Keeping It Real: Busting Massage Myths
Our commitment to excellence and to a client-centered practice means that we make every effort to make sure the information we give clients is accurate and reliable. We spend hours every week reading research and discussing it with other well-informed professionals. We read extensively to understand how pain works, how the body works, and what… Read more: Keeping It Real: Busting Massage Myths - If We Cannot Stretch Fascia, What Are We Doing?
When Ida Rolf began putting her hands and elbows on people’s skin and applying pressure, creating a slow, sustained stretch, she imagined that she was stretching fascial sheets. Generations of manual therapists have followed her thinking, accepting this explanation to account for the changes felt in tissue tension beneath their hands and the sensations experienced… Read more: If We Cannot Stretch Fascia, What Are We Doing? - “Deep Tissue” Massage: How much pressure is too much?
A 38 year old woman suffers permanent shoulder drop after a “deep tissue” massage caused damage to a spinal accessory nerve. A 59 year old man suffers a deep hematoma, numbness, and swelling after being injured by a deep tissue massage to his hip. A client tells a massage therapist that he wants more pressure. She complies. He again asks for… Read more: “Deep Tissue” Massage: How much pressure is too much? - Massage Therapy Research and Education blog, by Dr. Christopher Moyer, Interviews Us!
Christopher Moyer, Ph.D., is a psychologist who has done research in massage therapy and meditation. He started a blog on research and massage therapy and I was honored that he asked to interview me for his blog. I first got to know Chris when I heard that he’d done a metaanalysis that overturned what a lot of us thought about… Read more: Massage Therapy Research and Education blog, by Dr. Christopher Moyer, Interviews Us! - Musicians – Small Muscle Athletes
I once read an article about musculoskeletal pain among professional musicians. A survey of several thousand symphony musicians revealed that approximately 80% of them suffered from either chronic or intermittent pain directly related to their profession. The highest incidence was reported among the violinists. This was not surprising since they not only hold their instrument… Read more: Musicians – Small Muscle Athletes - How Massage Therapists Can Work Smarter Instead of Harder
It’s no secret that being a massage therapist is physically demanding. Many therapists leave the field prematurely while others work in pain, leading to job dissatisfaction, resentment, and possible injury. Beginning therapists often ask what they can do about work-related pain and how to avoid it. They are often told to “work smarter, not harder,”… Read more: How Massage Therapists Can Work Smarter Instead of Harder - Pressure Expectations
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? - Draping
Draping a client is a lot less challenging than you may think. It is easy to get worked up over its perceived complexity. The trick to draping effectively is to relax and take your time. The first few hundred times you drape someone it feels pretty weird, and that makes sense. Think about it, how… Read more: Draping - Skin Type
Why would we ever concern ourselves with skin type as massage therapists? Though we aren’t treating our client’s skin we should have an awareness of what kind they may have. Our scope of practice specifically target soft tissue structures, shouldn’t have a comprehensive understanding of the organ we directly touch the most? So what are… Read more: Skin Type
