Half hour back massage

[b1rak]

Hi

When I qualify in June I would like to be able to offer a good back massage as many of the people I have been practicing on over the last few months have said that they would really like this.

The body massage routine we have been taught allows20 mins for the back.There is very little working on nodules involved and we haven't had muchinstruction on working on the neck and shoulders.

Subsequently, Idon't really know what to add into the routine to make up the extra time and give a treatment a client would be happy with (when wetreat clients in college they are mostly only interested in you getting to their nodules!)

Does anyone have any suggestions or do you know of any books or courses I could get further instruction from. Many thanks.

Sandra
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[Anna Gamage]

Hi,

There's nothing better than trying out local salons etc, and have a massage yourself. Although you don't completely relax, feel what they do, and what you enjoy. Make a mental not of this, and go away and practice it! Everyone adds in their own little bits to a massage, and that's what makes it personal to you.

Good luck,

Tj

 

[Turdo, Hand Held.]

Hi Sandra,

It is such a shame that the neck has been taken out, so to speak. Many people suffer from headaches and the most awful pain because of that area.

I was very lucky to have a massage teacher (although we hated him at the time for being so strict) that gave us the full routine, including neck and shoulders, even though ITEC did not examine it for the course. Subsequently, I have found myself a niche where I specialise in mild neck and shoulder problems and have regular clients plus a network of osteopaths and a physio to refer clients to when needed. In order to add it to my insurance, all I had to do was to be trained in it, which I was. So you are totally right in wanting to add it to your routine. Once people find out how good a neck and shoulder massage you give, you will have clients and referrals that you can depend on.

The best thing to do imho is to be formally trained in neck & shoulder massage. I would look around now for someone that does a weekend add-on course for neck and shoulder massage or neck, shoulder, buttocks, or specific injuries relating to the neck and shoulder. Embody have quite a few of these listed. They tend to be small companies rather than colleges and are well worth travelling to if you can't find one near you. As soon as you know you have passed, you can attend the add-on course. So you are ideally looking for a weekend add-on around September, and if you are confident of passing, you may as well book it now to reserve your place and give yourself a good headstart.

I hope this helps

 

[Pompal 09.]

Hi sarah,
good luck with your exams in June. I took mine in feb and very pleased to say I passed.
I am just starting up mobileand I had my first client for a back massage who suffers from bad tension in her neck, my intension was to give half an hour back, neck & shoulder massage, but i must admit I had trouble filling the time,so I did the best I could by making up some tecniques concentrating on the neck & shoulder area, using sliding thumb frictions circular hand movements over the shoulders and lots of kneading! My client was very happy with themassage & wants to make another appointment. feew! what a releif glad she was pleased.
But you are right we dont really get taught many tecniques for the shoulder & neck area, my next step is to do a 2 day advanced massage course. or look around for amassagecoursethat concentrates on the neck & shoulders, so many people suffer most in these areas, it would be nice to be able to provide some good massage tecniques & clients will be indebted to you for it.

all the best
Jill D.

 

[Tough Kitteh]

I think I will try to find an advancedshort course for neck and shoulder too as this seems to be thearea where most people hold tension. Even in college when we see clients they always ask for work on the shoulders because they want some relief from aches and pains there. Thanks everyone for your input.

Jill,its great to hear that your client was pleased with the back massage. You had the same problem that I was worried about, what movements to do to fill in the time. She obviously enjoyed the massage you gave and looks to become one of your regular clients, which is brilliant, andshe will probably recommend you to people she knows too. Good luck in your mobile business.

Sandra
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[krk]

Hi Sandra

I'd recommend the Sean Riehl video 'Deep Tissue and Neuromuscular Therapy'. And I'd also recommend the CPD courses run by Jing Advanced Massage([link=http://www.jingmassage.com]www.jingmassage.com[/link])

Regards

Alan

 

[shane_dagurl]

This would seem the classic case where doing a few massage therapy swaps with some experienced fellow practitioners from your local area would be an excellent way to gain some additional knowledge.

There is a therapy exchange forum here on HP you can use to post.