Has your upholstery been looking a bit drab as of late? Would you like to keep it looking like new? I don’t blame you. To help you reach this goal, I’ve put together a few simple upholstery care and maintenance tips. Before moving on, however, let me emphatically state that you should always follow the specific instructions that your massage table manufacturer publishes. Not doing so can (and often does) void your warranty. The suggestions outlined in this blog should prove generic enough to apply to most types of upholstery, but it is always best to check.

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Are you new to massage? Or, perhaps, you’ve been massaging for a while, but are yet to purchase your first massage table. Not sure what to look for? Fear not. In an effort to smooth along the process, I’ve put together a basic cheat sheet. So, let’s get started:

Quality, Durable Materials

If I have one tip on materials, it’s this: look for quality hardwoods. They are significantly more reliable and, thus, affect the strength Read more…

I overheard a conversation recently in which the merits of facecradles were discussed. While I, of course, knew that some facecradles were better than others and had a general idea as to the elements that make some more technologically innovative than others, I wasn’t prepared for the complexity of the discussion. So, what makes a good facecradle? Here’s what I walked away from the conversation with (the super condensed version, at least):

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I hear it all the time: My new massage table isn’t lying flat! It didn’t completely unfold. Is it defective? In a word: No. Well, at least not most of the time. There are, of course, incidents of defective tables out there, but I would argue that in almost all cases, a new table lifting slightly in the center is a result of one of two things: improper opening or a twisted cable.

Most tables have been in their folded position for quite some time before you unpack and open them. It shouldn’t be completely surprising, then, that they might have a propensity to stay in that position. That is why opening Read more…

How many of your clients know what color your massage table is? If you give it some serious thought, the number might be smaller than you think. In truth, I hadn’t given upholstery color much thought until several weeks ago when I overheard a phone conversation between a customer service representative and a prospective client. Read more…

I’m going to do the unthinkable in this blog post … I’m going to use a dirty word. Actually, I’m going to use two dirty words. I think you can handle it. So, here goes. Today, we are going to talk liability and risk. So, take a deep breath and let’s delve in.

I’ve heard a multitude of horror stories over the years. I won’t repeat them because, frankly, I’d rather not be a downer. The fact is that although flukes can and do occur, a large majority of the liability issues that arise are preventable. In an effort to help you avoid risks in your business, I’ve put a list of oh-so-crucial reminders together.
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A family friend of mine recently mentioned that her massage business was booming. She’s an independent massage therapist and travels locally doing both table massage (on her portable massage table) and chair massage (on her portable massage chair). She’s been doing massage for nearly 25 years and although she is close to retirement, she says the income is so good that she is loath to give massage up. That is where she lost me. That good? Really? I mean, I know she is talented, but how has her income improved that much? Only a few years ago she was struggling financially and had considered a second job. So, I asked her what she was doing. Her response: “Honey, I got wired.”

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Are you internship material?

An Internship certainly isn’t required to spark the beginnings of a successful career in massage, and let’s face it, it’s a tough decision to take a position that most likely offers little or no pay. However, internships can be a great way to gain some pretty valuable on-the-job experience that will help you determine which specialties you may want to focus upon in your career and which equipment will work best for your practice, while getting a hands-on, realistic view of life as a professional, practicing massage therapist.
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