Wanting to move away for listing seperate massage therapies

[YahooUser]

Hello,

I posted this question on another forum but have had no comments yet. Hopefully I can stimulate some discussion on this side of the pond.

I'm redesigning some promotional business postcards. I really would like to move away from listing all my therapies as it starts to read like a restaurant menu.

At the moment my list is;

Deep Tissue Massage
Therapeutic Massage
Remedial Massage
Aromatherapy Massage
Pregnancy Massage

I guess the more distinct therapies I do are,

Hydrotherm Massage
Hot Stone Massage
Chavutti Thirumal (Indian Rope Massage)
Refelxology

I am bored of the lsit but then I want potential clients to know what I do.
In truth any massage session will incorporate an element of at least 3 of the therapies that I do. Of course each treatment is tailored to what the client needs in terms of just relaxation or specific focus on pain relief. Part of me wants to list it so people know what I do but the other part of me thinks it makes me look no different from other massage therapists. Also if I don't list it then people may assume there are types of massage that I don't/can't do. I know the way I massage has changed a lot over the years due to doing lots of advanced massage courses so in most treatments I'll also use elements of Thai massage, stretching, Myofascial release techiques etc.

At therapy expo when I spoke to some massage therapists and asked what they do. They then rattled off the full list. I thought blah, blah, blah but then I am guilty of the same thing myself.

I want to be bold and just say - tell me what you need from your massage and I'll use the massage techniques that are right for you.

Have any of you moved away from listing your all your massage therapies?

Am I alone in my way of thinking?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[STEVEN]

Wanting to move away for listing seperate massage therapies

At first I saw 'business card' and I thought 'How the heck do you get them all on that?' !!!

I don't blame you, I'd want to list them too. Just saying 'Massage' doesn't begin to cover what you can do. What I'd do is list the modalities - Services available in: *Deep Tissue*Remedial*Therapeutic*Aromatherapy* etc, leaving out the word massage on each one. Then perhaps note that sessions can be a combination of above to best serve the client.

Massage
* Deep Tissue * Remedial * Therapeutic * Aromatherapy * Prenatal *
* Hydrotherm * Hot Stone * Chavutti Thirumal (Indian Rope Massage) * Reflexology *

Ask how we can combine these services into
a unique massage tailored to your individual needs!

UKGal
111 Maple St.
Anywhere UK
111-222-3333

(forgive the centering, I know it's not exact)

 

[marshell]

Wanting to move away for listing seperate massage therapies

Depending on who you ask, "Deep Tissue" and "Remedial" and "Therapeutic" can be used as interchangeable adjectives. You may have specific ideas of what each one means, but laypeople aren't likely to have any idea of the difference, nor care. So you can pretty much cover the bases with "Therapeutic" and leave it at that. Aromatherapy, prenatal, reflexology, and the rest are clearly distinct options, even if people don't know the differences between them.

On a more fundamental level, it sounds like you simply want people to see your post card, know you do "serious" work, and not overwhelm them with a long list of unfamiliar jargon. Sounds like a good idea to me. If people really want to know, they can ask. On the other hand, it's good to give them something to ask about. Noting those modalities somewhere (perhaps in small type along the bottom of your card) may help peak some interest. You might pull in some people seeking something unusual, and having a long list may give a perception of greater expertise.

If you have one, provide a web site so people can go online to learn more about these modalities, your background, hours, etc. The best mailings generate a trackable response. 2% or higher response rates are GREAT. Whether they call, e-mail, or visit your web site, make sure those things are set up to support the message you are trying to deliver. You can increase your response rates by giving them an incentive to take action.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Wanting to move away for listing seperate massage therapies

I agree - experienced therapists rarely use just ONE modality in a given session.

I was doing a acupressure session the other day and ended up using some CST techniques and dialoguing...plus some intuitive stuff.
What am I supposed to call THAT if I put it on a menu?

Where you can shine is by putting an extensive bio on your website.
If you feel it looks good then list your training on a seperate page.

In a spa where I work I convinced the owner to remove "deep tissue massage" from the menu and just replace it with "therapeutic massage".
In may include ANY modality that the advanced therapists are proficient in depending on the needs of the client...which may include some deep tissue/myofascial techniques.

Clients still like to use the word "deep tissue" as if it really means something....99 times out of a 100 they just want firm pressure.

(And how is "pre-natal massage" a modality?)

 

[robertoalinexs]

Wanting to move away for listing seperate massage therapies

I also feel the same way. I do have the modalities listed on my website (with descriptions) and on my brochure (without descriptions), but rarely do I use just one. Usually, I am using a little of all of them or some of them in a session. On my business card I don't have any modalities listed and I tell the potential client when I meet them that each session is customized especially for their needs when they come in. People don't really know what all those modalities mean anyway, unless they've been seeing a therapist whose been using just one specific thing with them. So, I charge for the time, not for the modality.

Although you want to move away from focusing on having the list of modalities, you might still want to keep a small description on your site. Some people hear of an unusual therapy (such as what you have on your menu) and seeing it offered invites them to ask questions about it which can lead to an appointment to try it out. When people ask me what I do, I don't check off the list of modalities, unless I'm talking with another mt and they've specifically asked about training I've had. Otherwise, mostly I say something like, my specialty is working with client who are experiencing stress and/or work related injuries-- basically I focus on what my work does for the client as opposed to what the work itself really is.

 

[TDWP]

Wanting to move away for listing seperate massage therapies

Thanks for your comments so far. I am leaning towards tranquilspirit2006 suggested type of layout.

Yes JasonE - you hit the nail on the head about wanting to show that I am a serious therapist and not wanting to overwhelming clients with jargon. I have a holding page for my website as it's still being built, I will describe the therapies I do in more detail as I know having more content can help with internet searches. I have also started a blog about myself and my massage business so here I have talked more about some of the distinct therapies that I do. I am thinking of ways to encourage people to take action when they see my website (when it fully functioning).

Like squash_blsm some of my massage sessions change part way. Yes for deep tissue most people want firmer pressure and I have found that they normally have pain issues which also need addressing.

I'm feeling a lot clearer about how I want to word some of my information now - so thanks for your input.

 

[Parviz E]

Wanting to move away for listing seperate massage therapies

You got some great feedback!

My biggest thought when I see a long list on someone's bio, is this: Oh so what? They took a weekend class in shiatsu/reflexology/ect and now act like they specialize?? HA!

I only list on my business card what I have extensive training in. On my website, I get more into descriptions and the amount of training. Some things I don't even mention because I don't feel the hours I took to learn it are sufficient to call myself a practitioner of it.

What is this rope massage???? Interesting!

 

[Nicole C]

Wanting to move away for listing seperate massage therapies

ukgal99,

I haven't had an opportunity to read the other replies, but what I do is the following:

• Home page of website: In paragraph form, talk about the office, what we offer and who we treat. It's about 5 short paragraphs. The next to last paragraph lays out the "types" of massage work I perform. The other pages include information About Us, What To Expect, Referrals, FAQ, Payment Methods, Contact, etc. The quote below is from our first page (I've PM'd my website link to you, for further evaluation/ideas):
  

  Whatever your needs, you can be assured we know a range of massage therapy techniques which include Relaxation Massage, Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue, and Therapeutic Massage, Sports Massage, Range of Motion Therapy plus Specialized TMJ, Neck and Back Work. We will combine our knowledge of techniques in order to customize a massage treatment especially for you.

• Business card: Advanced Massage Therapy & ----> plus name, and under that in italics and smaller font Massage Therapist & , address, phone number and website.
  
  • For example, your card could say (of course this format does not let me put it in a way that it would be nice looking on a business card, so you have to work with that on you own! ):
    
    Advanced Massage Therapy & Chavutti Bodywork
    
    ukgal99
    Massage Therapist
    Reflexologist
    
    address
    address line 2
    phone
    website

Hope that helps and I promise to read this entire thread later and add any thoughts if they come to mind.


11/14/09: edited for typo

 

[lillian]

Wanting to move away for listing seperate massage therapies

What is this rope massage???? Interesting!

softy515,

There is a link to this work in the following thread http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=6429&hilit=chavutti which will help you get started until ukgal99 gets back.

And, I think we have a few other threads mentioning it as well.

BTW, ukgal99, I hope you can add your :2cents: to those threads!

 

[Legend]

Wanting to move away for listing seperate massage therapies

Thanks again fo the continued discussion, it's so good to be able to get different idea and it is all appreciated.

Softly515- Chavutti Thirumal (Indian Rope) Massage translates to massage by foot pressure. I believe Ahshiatsu is a variration/adaption of it. With Chavutti the client lies unclothed on the floor. The therapist uses one foot at a time to massage the body whilst hoding on to a rope suspended below the ceiling for balance. I understand what you mean about short courses and becoming an expert.

Pueppi - thanks for the suggestions for the website layout. What I've been working on so far is along those lines. I have been thinking about calling myslef an Advanced massage therapist plus adding the Chavutti modality to this will work perfectly.

 

[syco2236]

Wanting to move away for listing seperate massage therapies

Any new ideas?