The last thing you want is a bored therapist, pushing out the same exact treatment that they have done 4 times today, 25 times this week!
Have you ever arrived late to get a massage? It happens more often than you might think. You book the treatment in advance, you’re looking forward to it, need it, yearn for it and then you get stuck behind a bloody tractor on your way to the picturesque, remote spa location and now, you need that massage more than EVER!
If you were not stressed before, you certainly are now!
And you can’t just go straight into a massage treatment, you need to complete the consultation form and you probably left your glasses in the car. So now you’re embarrassed as well as late and squinting at the I-pad looking like a proper old luddite (this part might just be me)!
The tension in your shoulders makes them feel like they’re on fire and you look at the clock, and there it is, 15 minutes late for your 1-hour massage! The poor receptionist has explained to you that they are fully booked and there is no way that they can reschedule your appointment, so you are paying for an hour but getting 45 minutes.
It sucks and it’s all that damn tractor’s fault!
But you are willing to make the best of it and you dutifully head into your blissful massage.
Only it isn’t quite so blissful.
The therapist is super stressed because they are now having to fit a 1-hour massage routine into 45 minutes (which is really more like 40 minutes because you put too many layers on, and you need to get undressed first and it all takes so much time)!
So, you end up lying there while a very stressed therapist tries to rush through a strict massage routine that they have been told time and time again that they absolutely must adhere to. They whip around in a frenzy, a quick rub here and there, never getting into the muscles, there’s no time for that. The whole routine is rushed, superficial and leaves you feeling even more irate than you were at the tractor!
I suppose the only scenario worse than this one is being the guest directly after the one that was late! You’re getting a stressed, rushed therapist and it’s not even your fault!
The problem with a strict routine is that it is so easy for it to become robotic and passionless.
You don’t want to feel like you’re on a production line when you are trying to relax at the spa. The last thing you want is a bored therapist, pushing out the same exact treatment that they have done 4 times today, 25 times this week!
Strict massage routines are where creativity and passion go to die.
Whenever I’m looking for a good spa massage, the words that stand out most to me are, tailored, bespoke, customised… These words are music to my ears.
I want something that says, “screw the routine, I am going to massage YOU.”
Every person is different and every day that same person changes and so a ‘one size fits all’ model of massage therapy just isn’t going to work.
A massage treatment should be recipient focused and adjusted to that individual’s needs and preferences.
When you are first starting out as a massage therapist, a routine is a very useful tool to help you to get to grips with what you are doing and to learn the human body. But very soon, a routine becomes more of a hindrance and will lead to boredom and frustration for both therapist and recipient.