Thoughts From a Therapist

Los Angeles is a good place to be for a massage therapist.  People are concious of their body and health and see the benefits of getting regular massages. They also have the financial resources needed for regular massages and in this city it’s ‘allowed’ to spend lots of money on yourself and your body.

Same thing for people in Europe, with one exception. I’ve spend two weeks with friends and family in Holland. Many of them work out to stay healthy, are concious about food and drinks and most of them earn a nice salary. But none of them gets regular massages. ‘Why not?’ I ask them. ‘They just don’t think about it’, they say. But they all love massage and sigh by the thought of getting one regularly.

One of the reasons people in Holland don’t get regular massages is the always present cultural thought: ‘Don’t spend too much money and especially not on yourself.’ Yes, Dutch people get a massage occasionally (once or twice a year), but can’t justify regular massages for themselves.

I wonder how this is in other parts of the US? Do people get regular massages in your city/state? Is it ‘allowed’? Is massage seen as a luxury or as a necessity to keep the body and mind healthy?

Warmly,

Martine

I came across this article on the website of my local news paper.

Do you experience massage therapy a good career in regards to job security? What is your opinion?

Warmly,

Martine

Although it is done to better ensure safety in case of a fire, it’ll be a good development for the massage business. Massage needs to be done behind closed doors, but any massage done behind locked doors is shady.

Read this article in the Santa Monica Daily Press.

Warmly,

Martine

Blogging is not an easy thing. As a massage therapist I find it hard to keep up with all the social media possibilities. I believe I’m a people person and I don’t have much with computers. So far, they’ve been more of a necessity to me. But I love sharing information with others, reading about and learning from others and researching information. For that, the social media options are a God’s send.

I started Twittering recently, created a facebook account, a new blog on my website and I intend to revive this blog. I feel very ‘modern’. I hope I can keep up with it all.

Do you have a blog? Does it work for you and your business?

Warmly,

Martine

I’ve always been an active person. I did lots of sports when I grew up and also later on. Things changed when I had my kids. It became harder to find the time (and the will power) to get myself out of the door and working out after a busy day of work and raising kids; I preferred relaxing on the couch instead. Fortunately I don’t have a tendency to gain (much) weight if I don’t work out, so I thought I was pretty ok not working out for a while. Priorities had shifted, happens a lot to young parents, no big deal, I thought.

Business was going ok to good. I worked for mobile spas here in LA, got a lot of work and requests from them, and I had a few private clients on my own. Not bad at all. But, when the mobile spas weren’t busy, I wasn’t busy either. I didn’t had that many clients of my own to fall back on. Also, if I had an argument with the owner of the mobile spa, the phone stopped ringing. If we worked it out and were friends again, the phone started ringing again.

One day I realized that I had made myself very dependant on these people for work. I hadn’t put much effort in finding and building clientele on my own, because it was easy to sit on the couch waiting for the phone to ring. I had become lazy. Mentally and physically. What came first? Had I become mentally lazy, because I hadn’t been working out any more? Or, did I stop working out because I had become mentally lazy? I don’t know. But I did know that I had to change something; I had become lazy and given up control, and I had to get back behind the wheel.

First thing I did……….I started running again. I always loved running. It’s such an easy thing to do. You put on your shoes, get out the door and start right right away. No need to go anywhere. But, the best thing that I like about running is that it clears my head. I get the best insights and ideas while I’m running. I might be stuck on a particular problem or thought, and find the solution during a good run. It literally gets things moving for me.

As soon as I started running again I wondered why had I given up on it? Running is so “me”. The first few runs, I didn’t get very far, but within two weeks I could run a nice distance without being exhausted the rest of the day. It actually made me feel fit and strong. Again, I don’t know what came first, but I felt really fit and strong physically as well as mentally. And best of all…………..I became focused. I focused on what I really wanted with my work and I realized that I wanted to grow my own clientele and business. I actually had a very clear idea of what my business would look like and what my ideal clients would be. Working for others took away focus and energy from that goal, so I quit working for the mobile spas and started my own business. My clientele grew 75% in only a few months. I feel fit, strong and focused, but best of all…..I feel happier. I’m convinced running has a lot to do with it. Nowadays my mantra is; Wanna grow your business? Start/keep working out!

Warmly,

Martine

Welcome to my blog “Thoughts from a therapist”! This is my first post and I intend that many more will follow. I’ve called this blog “thoughts from a therapist” as I would like to share with you insights, thoughts, questions and answers that come up in my work as a massage therapist.

A bit about myself. I’ve been a massage therapist for over 8 years. I’ve trained in Amsterdam, Holland, where I’m from, and in the US, where I’ve been living now for 4 years. My background is nursing (RN) and Psychology, but massage is where my real passion is. Massage is such a positive thing to do and it can make a true difference in someones life. I believe the world would be a more peaceful place and people would be much happier, if everyone would get massages.

I’ve had a private practice in Amsterdam. People would come to my office for a session. Since I moved to Los Angeles 4 years ago, I’ve discovered mobile massage services. I go all over LA with my table or chair and I’ve completely fallen in love with this kind of service. For a client, it adds an extra aspect of relaxation to a session, as they don’t have to go through traffic before and after the appointment. For me, I love the fact of not having any overhead costs and the freedom that comes with it. I love all the different places that I go to and yes, sometimes traffic is bad, but with some good music in my car to listen to, it’s all pretty ok. Providing mobile work in Amsterdam was never an option, there’s just no way to get around with your car and table, so now this is one of the advantages of living in LA.

In future blogs I’d love to share many topics with you that involve being a massage therapist and running a business, from specific massage techniques to being an entrepreneur. I invite you to share your thoughts regarding massage and being in the massage profession as well. I hope we can learn a lot from each other.

Information about my work can be found on www.360massage.com and www.myminimassage.com.

All the best to you,

Martine