Many Spa guests or Massage clients have a clear idea of the treatment that they are looking for, but there are also those who expect the therapist to recommend them a specific massage or other type of Spa treatment. One of the most common questions that the Spa guests poses to the therapist is: What type of massage do you recommend me? As a massage or Spa therapist, we want to know what you normally answer them?
What do we base our Spa treatment recommendation on today?
Most of the times in a Spa, as a receptionist, we will base our treatment recommendations to the Spa guest according to staff availability (for example, if a therapist who is good at Balinese massage is available at that particular moment, then we would recommend Balinese Massage), or if this month´s target is to sell 30 Swedish massages, and we have only sold 12 so far, then we would recommend it, or if we get commission of the service we sell, then we will try to sell the most expensive massage…and so on.
If you are a freelance massage therapist or have your own massage center, most of the times you will recommend the technique that you like most, or the one that you believe to be the most effective, right….but do you normally repeat the same protocol and strokes on each of your clients?
The truth is that most of the times, we simply offer what is more convenient for the Spa or Massage Center, or what is more comfortable or enjoyable for ourself. Believe me, I travel 300 days per year, all around the world, giving lectures and trainings for the best Spas, and what I usually see is always between one of these options: Availability, Targets, Commission, Minimum Effort or Personal Taste…
Is this the best sevice that we can offer to our clients, is this the best for the Spa and Wellness Industry, is this the best for ourselves? No, definitively not…
In a short-time perspective, this could benefit the Spa or even ourselves, but in long-term this will really affect our credibility and effectiveness as a therapist, affecting our client satisfaction and loyalty.
How will we advise our Spa or Massage clients tomorrow?
So then, how should we answer the question: What type of massage do you recommend me? In order to know what is best for your client, you should talk with your client to know his/her personal needs and taste.
The first thing that you should know is the purpose of your clients visit and his/her preferences:
- Is he/she looking for a relaxing treatment?
- Is he/she a very athletic person who might benefit from Sports massage?
- Is he/she low on energy, or suffers from emotional imbalance? Then you might recommend an Energy Balancing Treatment.
- Does he/she suffer from a specific pain, injury or discomfort? Then we go for the Therapeutic Massage.
- Or maybe your client does not know what he/she is looking for…?
If your client has a clear idea of what he/she wants, then we should give them what they are looking for, but if they have doubts, then the best way to analyze their personal needs, and to find out what is the best for them, is to make a Welcome Questionnaire or a short diagnosis.
This questionnaire or diagnosis, should analyze all levels of the human being:
- Physical Body
- Mind
- Energy / emotions
- Social and natural environment
I normally ask more than 50 different questions, but I also analize the color of the skin, the eyes, the tongue, the pulse, etc. This way, I can find out exactly what they need: what type of massage I should offer, as well as the pressure, rhythm and number of repetitions to apply, the type of oil…and if I use herbs what type of herbs should I use at each particular case, tailoring each treatment as per my clients´ needs.
At the end of the treatment I always give my clients a lifestyle guide, talking about diet, exercise, sleep, social relations, control of emotions, etc. This will motivate my clients to continue with the treatment at home, as part of their healing process, as a proactive part of their wellbeing, and they will feel more confident with the effectiveness of the treatment, and of course get better results as the “massage” they received, is much more than a simple repetition of massage strokes. They will obviously also be more motivated to return for more treatments and lifestyle guidance.
What do you normally answer when your clients ask you about what is the best massage for them? Do you follow any type of protocol to find out what is the best for them? If yes, please share your personal method with us, so we all could learn from each others best practices…
Have a lovely week ahead, and if you feel passionate about massage then you should be part of the Massage Around the World community, join us by CLICKING HERE.
Wishing you a meaningful day ahead,
Cesar Tejedor