What do YOU expect?

[hotchic_foxy101]

Hi all

Thought I'd put a question out there that might give us some insight into how we can improve our business practices & customer service.

What are five (5) things you as a massage therapist MOST expect from a session when you are a paying client getting bodywork???

To get the ball rolling here's some areas to touch on;

Professionalism, ethics, hygiene, communication skills, techniques, decor, environment/ambience, value for money, service, practitioner experience, empathy, listening skills, assessment procedures etc etc.

For me I think they would be...

1. Getting what I asked for (presenting issue addressed)
2. Professionalism (of MT & other staff)
3. Good Hygiene practices
4. Value for money
5. Techniques suited to my conditon/needs

Geez...It wasn't as easy as I thought. t017

Any thoughts???

Cheers
Oz

 

[Everard G]

Great post!

1. Getting what I asked for (pressure AND area)
2. A WARM ROOM (this has been surprisingly hard to come by)
3. Decor/Enviroment/atmosphere (I REALLY enjoy a beautiful room)
4. Value for my money
5. Let me enjoy my massage (ie. STOP talking!)


These seem pretty basic to me......yet I am continually dissapointed when I receive massages. In 7 years I have not been to the same therapist twice.
I have found only ONE therapist that actually makes me want to go back to him again and I only recently found him - just a couple weeks ago. Now, If I can only get him to massage WHILE he is talking.... Oops sorry...I digress....

 

[Cardaba]

1. getting what I asked for (I sense a theme here lol)
2. quiet...talking to a minimum
3. GOOD sheets. I HATE thin, scratchy sheets!
4. no fingernails, gum-smacking
5. want to feel like I got my $'s worth

 

[Drayak]

1. I want a thorough massage. Even when I go for a full body Swedish, relaxation only, no requests for extra work on a specific area, 90 minute massage.....it's amazing what parts of the body the MT will gloss over or not even tough.

2. I do not want to get cold.

3. Superficial to deep.

4. I love to be stretched but frequently forget to ask. I do *not* hold it against the MT when he/she doesn't read my mind, but when that is just part of the massage....aaaaaah!

 

[Saber]

Not necessarily in this order:

1. Thoroughness (as RoS said)
2. Warmth
3. Sufficiently deep pressue. Asking me if pressure is okay. Willingness to work deeper
4. Ability to keep your mouth shut and not talk about yourself!
5. Proficiency in treatment being performed


It is amazing to me how many times I have NOT gotten these things, that seem so simple. However, I don't penalize the therapist if my feet are a little cold because I am an unusually cold person and even if the rest of me is comfortably warm, my feet are still cold.

Most often a therapist won't give deep enough pressure even when I ask ("I work superficial to deep" was one answer...but they never got to the deep part) and will chat, frequently about themselves. I don't mind a little talk, asking me how I'm doing, etc. But chatting about yourself is SO not okay.

I've also had one bad experience where I got a shirodhara at a spa and the oil was cold and dripping (like drip...drip...drip) and it ticked me off that they gave me a therapist who clearly was untrained in that treatment. Even when I told her it was kind of annoying, she tried to "fix" it and couldn't. ARG!

 

[Ashley J]

This thread is awesome

1. Getting what I asked for. (At least, oriented toward my goal. If I thought I needed rhomboid work because my shoulder blades are hurting and they do pec work which is actually the remedy for that problem, then that's fine )
2. Warm room! Plenty of blankets, maybe a table warmer is always nice
3. Soft sheets Flannels or jerseys ROCK.
4. Yep, let me enjoy my massage. If I'm in a talking mood I don't mind, cuz that's part of the therapy sometimes, but if I'm not, lemme be.
5. This's probably the most important to me: seek feedback, and be open to communication. Be the open ego-free type that seeks to work with me and my body, and elicits (and responds to!) communication, whether verbal or non-verbal.

Can I add a 6th?
6. Be professional. Turn off/vibrate the cell phone, DON'T answer it, be punctual, observe boundaries and standards.

I'm interested to hear what others have to say. So far I, too, am noticing a few themes.

Hugs,
~Jyoti

 

[big jack]

1) Responsiveness - a variation on getting what I asked for. Without blabbling too much, I want them to make sure I am getting what I want.

2) Tranquility/Serenity/Aesthetics - music, a non-squeaky table, a nice color scheme, not looking up at a water-stained ceiling panel - or worse - into a tacky/blinding light, no noisy neighbors, buzzing cell phones/hearing the receptionist through the walls

3) Variety - don't give me the same massage everytime

4) Professionalism - appearance, demeanor, technique

5) Stand Out - do something that makes me remember the experience. Paraffin booties, lavander compress, cucumber water.