Why do I dread the benefits of massage?
I am sure you have a list of them on your website or on your flyers and brouchures. Here is a list on my site www.thebodyworker.com
Does anyone really know if they are true? Have they been proven scientifically?
And better yet – Does anyone really care about them? What does it mean to someone who is looking for massage that their circulation will be increased?
The so called benefits of massage don’t really mean much or matter for that matter.
What does matter is getting to the heart of what the real benefits of massage are and communicating that information to your potential clients. Just put yourself in your client’s shoes. I actually recommend that you do actually go out and try to find a massage therapist for yourself or even better for your mother.  Would you go to someone who only has the long list of the benefits of massage listed on their site or would you go to someone who really can explain what it is that they will be getting?
To get to the real benefits of massage – just start asking after each benefit - “So What?” and keep asking it until you cry or it doesn’t make any sense. They you will know what you have.
October 21st, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Thank you for questioning the benefits of massage as they have been listed for so many years. Your discomfort with these lists is warranted. They have been passed from teacher to student for years without any scientific scrutiny. These outdated lists point to the lack of critical thinking in our profession. For example, if massage increases circulation then why do people get cooler during the course of a massage? Is decrease in pulse rate and blood pressure consistent with increased circulation?
And then there is the dreaded “massage flushes toxins, ie. lactic acid, out of the body.” This myth has long been debunked by science, but massage therapists still insist it is true, because “it is what my teacher said in massage class.”
Of course we can attest to the benefits of massage. We enjoy it – both giving and receiving. But we do need to explore and develop better explanations, in the light of scientific reality and common sense. And of course there’s nothing wrong with saying: “Massage – try it. You might like it.”