Chair Massage is, from both a therapeutic and marketing standpoint, an essential modality for every massage therapist. In this chair massage class, you will learn a compact, well-choreographed style of bodywork from one of the finest chair massage instructors in the U.S., Cindy Anderson. Cindy studied chair massage in 1991 directly with Iris Lee, one of the two original instructors certified by David Palmer, the founder of chair massage.
Chair massage – done well – is one the very best ways to succeed in growing your practice. It is an incredible example of what’s called “risk reversal” in marketing. You may know you are a good therapist. But the client does not know that. When we ask people to see us, we are asking them to assume all the risk.
They risk –
-Taking their clothes off and being worked on under the sheet
-Going into a treatment room alone with someone they don’t know
-Spending usually an hour or more in the therapy session. You have generally to sign up for a whole session.
-Receive a session that may or may not expertly address their concerns.
-Paying anywhere from $40 to $150/hour – it can be quite an investment of money, time and energy.
On the contrary, with chair massage –
-They don’t take their clothes off.
-They are in a public place where they have less fear of the therapist possibly being inappropriate.
-They are committed usually to just 15-30 minutes. This way they get to meet the therapist and sample the work before they invest more time and more money.
-They often expect only relaxation, not, for instance, thorough orthopedic manual therapy. They have, usually, the expectation of relaxation, which are generally somewhat easier to fulfill. Done skillfully you can accomplish much of what many clients need and want in as little as 15 minutes.
-Paying just $1-1.50 per therapy hour – so usually not more than $45 for a half-hour.
Chair Massage as far as your marketing goes: many of the ways to market yourself cost money and/or time to get any result. With chair massage you essentially get PAID to market yourself and to spread the word about your practice.
The unique routine you will learn is Cindy’s evolution of the original chair massage protocol. It utilizes friction and melting techniques on acupressure points and key muscles accessible through seated massage. It is drawn from “Amma” traditional Japanese massage. This routine is also tremendously beneficial for you as a therapist as it ensures your own physical health by paying unusually close attention to proper body mechanics.
Upon completion, you will be able to give a thorough rejuvenating Chair Massage protocol including neck, back, shoulders, arms and hands. This training is fun and will add tremendously to your marketing and your practical skills.
