Spa Bodywork

Having completed this lesson, you will be able to: Define the term scope of practice. Match these common limits to scope of practice to their written descriptions: diagnose, prescribe, chiropractic adjustments (joint adjustments), mental health counseling, and others as described by the specific state. Identify three techniques included in the state scope of practice for massage. […]

Your actions following the massage help ensure the client has had a good experience: Transition out of the massage: After closing the massage, remove the bolsters and ask the client to get dressed. Provide disposable wet wipes and a dry hand towel for the client to clean up or explain that amenities such as saunas,

Knock and wait for the client’s response. Enter the treatment room and greet the client again. If the client is in the prone position and cannot see what you are doing, explain your actions or movements (e.g., “I’m just going to start the music and turn on this space heater so you don’t get cold.”).

When a client arrives for his or her first massage appointment at the spa, make every effort to make the person feel welcome. Orient the client to the new environment and recognize that a new client is making numerous boundary adjustments to participate in the massage session and is likely to feel some nervousness or

If you are a novice massage therapist who is still a student or entering your first massage-related job, you will want to master each individual technique before trying to combine techniques in a flowing, integrated professional massage. After mastering these core skills, you can consider how subtle factors such as intention, depth, stroke length, and

Sequencing Sequencing refers both to the sequence of strokes (the order in which strokes are applied to a given body area) and to the overall sequence of the massage (the order in which body areas are massaged). In Swedish massage, the strokes often follow a defined progression from effleurage to pétrissage, to friction, to vibration,

Throughout this book stress is mentioned or described in relationship to other topics in focus. Stress is likely to influence every client you work with to some degree, and can also be a factor in your health and happiness as a therapist. It is essential that every massage therapist understand stress in order to recognize

Having completed this lesson, you will be able to: Describe two strategies therapists can use for stress reduction.   Traffic jams, bills to pay, relationship problems, health concerns, eating on the run, work pressures, and other demands trigger the body’s flight or fight response and may lead to physical symptoms like headaches, teeth grinding, fatigue,

Chronic stress is a situation where persistent stressors repeatedly trigger the flight-or-fight response leading to the prolonged elevation of stress hormones, especially cortisol and epinephrine in the blood stream. These hormones, when not used in a real emergency wear down the body’s systems. For example, cortisol can cause the body to digest it’s own proteins,