Tip #5: The Secret toWarm Hands
That first touch is so important, and if you have warm hands, your clients will sigh in contentment. This is true for all clients – whether they run hot or cold. No one likes cold hands.
Here’s my secret. When you wash your hands prior to a massage, take an extra minute and do the following:
- The water should be hot – not so hot it hurts, but hot enough that your hands have to get used to the temperature.
- Run your wrists under a steady stream of hot water (opens up the blood vessels, increasing circulation to the hands). Keep your wrists there until they adjust to the water temperature, and your perception changes from feeling the water as hot, to feeling it as warm.
- Cup your hands under the water next, allowing the water to fill your palms and overflow.
- Finish by holding your fingertips under the water.
- Voila! You have warm and clean hands!
Other ideas:
- If you begin a massage session with the application of a heating pad, you can warm your hands on the heating pad before applying the pad to the client’s body.
- Keep a small crock-pot with hot stones in the bathroom. After washing your hands, take one of the stones to carry with you to the treatment room. Wrap your hands around the stone to hold in the heat until the moment you start the massage.
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TIP #90: The Tiny Treatment Room
Whether you’re working for someone else, working from home or renting an office on your own, sometimes the treatment room is smaller than ideal. Here are some tips to make the most of the space:
- Place the table diagonally in the room, giving you the most space to work on either side. This also gives you extra room in 2 of the corners to put things like a chair, lamp, or cabinet.
- Attach narrow shelves to the wall. These can hold things like your CD player, tissues, oils, etc.
- Store as much as possible under your table (spare sheets, pillows, blankets, etc.)
- Have a fan to circulate air in the room. Small rooms can get stuffy otherwise. In the summer, you can face the fan toward the massage table. In the winter, aim it at the wall or ceiling.
- Hang a large, scenic photograph for decoration on one of the longer walls. This will give the illusion of having a window and makes the room feel larger, energetically. (It needs to be a photo. A painting or drawing doesn’t have the same effect).
- A full-length mirror on the door can also give the room a feeling of greater space.
- Use a folding stool for yourself, which you can then tuck out of the way when not in use.
- See if you can store any supplies outside the treatment room – in the lobby, hallway, or another part of the office.
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