Constructive Criticism

Recently I was forced to re-evaluate my massage performance when a long-time client expressed his wishes for changing his massage that day.  He told me that he loved my massages but that in the last six months it seemed like I was not giving him pressure that was deep enough and I had not been stretching him lately.  I listened to him and asked questions to make certain that I understood what it was that he was hoping to achieve from his massage sessions.  After I was sure that we were on the same page I told him that I was thrilled to change up his massage sessions and had secretly wanted to do the stretching and deeper pressure for a long time but had been hesitant to try this as he had expressed his displeasure when I had tried to incorporate these things into his massage treatments in the past.  My client wanted to impress on me that he was not looking for another massage therapist and hoped he had not upset me by telling me he wanted something different.  I assured him that only by his communicating with me would I truly be able to give him a massage that was to his liking.

Over the years I had fallen into a routine when it came to this fellow's massage sessions and although I thought I was honoring his wishes, clearly my interpretation was different from his.  My staying away from areas that caused him to flinch in pain or vocalize that what I was doing hurt, tricked me into thinking I was doing massage just like the doctor ordered, when in fact I was not.  While my client was disrobing, I took a moment to process all  this information and then I entered the treatment room with a renewed vision of how I was going to work with my client.  I worked deeper, added some gentle stretches, and I stripped out his hip adductors.  All of these things I had previously abandoned were getting the much needed attention again.  Then a remarkable thing happened.  My client told me he was glad he talked with me because I had just given him the best massage he had ever had.  When I left the clinic that afternoon I felt as if I had accomplished something positive. 

Now instead of feeling useless and bored by doing the same old same ole massage, I am actually looking forward to the next appointment and thinking of new ways to mix things up some more.