Blog

Destination vacations are planned in order to luxuriate and enjoy personal time. There’s no better way to spend an hour luxuriating than in the hands of a trained massage therapist. The next time you plan a trip abroad, consider the average price of a massage in your destination nation.

Okay, so you probably already know what static and working weight are, but they are so important to your success that I thought it best to reiterate them today. Drop testing, on the other hand, might be new to you. So, I say we explore them all. What can it hurt, right?

Static Weight

Static weight is the amount of total weight a table can hold safely in a stationary position.

Working Weight

Working weight is the total dynamic (meaning in motion) weight that can be safely placed on your massage equipment. In other words, the amount of weight that can be withstood safely as you massage your client. Generally, working weight is one-fourth of static weight.

Drop Testing

Heard of drop testing before but not sure exactly what it is? You aren’t alone. Drop testing measures the amount of weight that can be safely “dropped” onto the center of your table from approximately 6-8 inches. This is meant to simulate – among other things – the force of a client hopping onto your massage table at the begging of a treatment.

Are these things important? You bet they are. The importance of static weight is probably pretty self-explanatory. Working weight, of course, affects the types of modalities you can offer. If your table doesn’t have a high working weight, some forms of massage might not be feasible for you. Drop testing – well, that’s just a safety issue and I recommend you pay attention to it.

So, the next time you decide to buy a new massage table, ask about these things. They impact both your ability to do your job and the safety of your clients. To my mind, that is important stuff!

I was at a luncheon recently and a friend asked me my favorite thing about my job. I gave it quite a bit of thought before answering. Is it the people I love best? The fact that I work for a company that believes in environmental sustainability? Do I love getting to write about massage, health, and wellness all day? Yes, I love all of those things – and, of course, many more – but I kept coming back to this one really cool aspect of my job that is different from any other job I’ve ever had. And so, while I love a whole slew of things about my job (let’s hope my boss is reading this!), it is this one thing that I can’t help but brag about. So, what is this thing? My desk.

We have probably all met massage therapists and spa professionals who dislike selling retail. They feel like sales isn’t necessarily the profession that they chose when they enrolled in school. And, really, who can blame them for feeling that way? To a certain extent, they are right. However, massage therapists and other spa professionals did knowingly enter the health and wellness industry. With that said, I’d like to encourage these professionals to look at retail in a new light. To my mind, retail isn’t just a way to increase your bottom line, it is a method by which you improve each client’s experience between visits.

I write about massage table quality pretty regularly. I won’t bore you with all of those details – you can look up any one of many blogs I – amongst many others – have written on the subject. Today, I want to address one simple thing: warranties. You see, I’m of the mind that a good warranty is one of the absolute most important qualities your massage table can have. After all, even precision craftsmanship and durable materials can fail. While it is a rare occurrence, I want to know that the company who builds my product will stand behind it. So, let’s explore what makes a really good warranty:

You’ve probably been hibernating if you haven’t noticed all of the recent buzz about new “alternative” spa treatments. Among these notable treatments are several that include alternative types of music (i.e. pop and heavy metal). To be clear, these styles of music aren’t “alternative” per se (it’s 2012 after all), but they certainly aren’t often associated with massage.

Yup, you read the title correctly. According to “U.S. News and World Report,” the job of the massage therapist is currently in demand, credited as being one of the top ten jobs in the country. Are we pleased? You bet we are. So pleased, in fact, that I couldn’t help myself and felt the need to send a congratulatory “shout out” to all of you massage therapists out there. You’ve chosen a profession that not only shows projected growth over the next ten years, but you’ve chosen one that impacts health in a measurable way. Clearly, you’ve chosen wisely!