I recently gave a Hot Stone massage to a woman who was redeeming a gift certificate. She has received it from a family member for Christmas.
As we were doing her intake, she admitted she was nervous about the treatment, and wasn’t sure she wanted an hour and a half, as it seemed like a long time. After some further discussion, she also admitted she was not fond of massage on the whole and that she wasn’t much of a hot bath, sauna, or other heat treatment person.
I let her know that she didn’t have to have the treatment if she didn’t want to. She said she still wanted to try it, because it was a gift and she couldn’t know if she would enjoy Hot Stone massage unless she tried it. I then let her know that if part way through she decided the stones were just not her thing, we could switch to another sort of massage therapy, and I would not be offended in the least. She was thankful I had said that, and said that had been on her mind. I then explained how the entire treatment would proceed, and that she could let me know if anything is uncomfortable at any time.
One-and-a-half hours later, she came out of the treatment room and sleepily said it was a wonderful treatment and she was so glad she tried it. She was sure to take some clinic pamphlets with her and was curious about the other sorts of treatments available at the clinic.
Why am I posting this? I want to remember that massage, and how the client reacted, and how at the end of the day communication with your client is nearly as important as the treatment itself.