Happy Halloween

Brutus

Meet Brutus.  This handsome fellow was rescued by Friends of Jessamine County Animals, Inc.  We found each other a couple of weeks ago and life has not been the same for any of us.  Brutus loves to cuddle and can melt your heart when he looks up at you with those soulful eyes.  He has been coming to work with us occasionally and other than the time he jumped up on the massage table to snuggle with my client, he has been a welcome addition to Healing Hands.

Fall in Kentucky

Happy Halloween

I read my first Stephen King book, Salem's Lot,  when I was 14 years old and it scared me so badly that I begged my sister to sleep with me.  For those familiar with the story......my bedroom window was ground level and I just knew one of those vampires would be floating outside waiting for an invitation.

Why I Love Being a Massage Therapist

When I am asked what I like most about being a massage therapist,  I usually answer that I enjoy making people feel better.  While this is true,  the following are a few other reasons I love my job.

 1.  I get to see some really cool tattoos that most people never get a glimpse of.  Yesterday I got to elbow drop Jesus.....not my fault he was inked over a tight shoulder blade.

 2.  I get to play This Lil Piggy with adults.  Of course I never say the words out loud.

 3.  I get to practice pro wrestling holds and occasionally my clients yell out in submission.

4.  I get to go all  Bruce Lee and karate chop the heck out of people.

 5.  I get to see who does or does not shave their legs during cold months.  Not judging!  I refer to my own lack of shaving as growing my winter coat.          
       
 6.  I get to mess people's hair up and sometimes I get really motivated and I get to pull their hair.

 7.  Sometimes I hear snap, crackle and pops but it is coming from the body on my massage table.

 8.  When I get a pervert on my massage table I can push on places that cause so much pain it instantly     takes his mind out of the gutter.  Sexual harassment takes on a whole new meaning.   
         
 9.   I get to work in a dark room with soothing music and a heated table.....can you say nap enticement?

10.  I never get dry skin on my arms and hands as I get properly lubed up while I work.  

The Universe Gives You What You Need

When I enrolled in massage therapy school I had it in my mind that upon graduation,  I wanted to make prenatal massage the focus of my practice.  I wrote a lovely entrance letter stating why I wanted to attend the Lexington Healing Arts Academy and what I hoped to achieve with my education.  Little did I know that after many months of training my whole plan was going to get scrapped.  In my clinic rotation I found that I began to wince every time I was told that I had a prenatal massage client booked.  In fact I often asked other students if they wanted to trade clients so I could duck out of working with pregnant clients.  I felt I was truly in my element when I was doing deep tissue work and therapeutic massage, and although I realized that prenatal massage certainly had health benefits for mother and baby, it was not a massage that I was particularly comfortable doing.

The only other massage that I found equally cringe-worthy was geriatric massage.  Being the deep tissue therapist that I was, I was afraid I would snap the elderly clients into pieces.  I confided to one of my instructors how I felt about working with geriatric clients and she told me that she used to feel the same way but she had since come to specialize with elderly clients and loved it.  She told me that the universe would give me what I needed.  I remembered thinking this would-be hippie was nuttier than Aunt Mattie's fruit cake and that she had not made me feel one bit better.

My first month in student clinic (where students get true hands-on work experience with limited supervision) I was booked consistently with what seemed like every little old lady in Lexington.  My very first client was a lovely retired nurse who chatted with me during her massage and by the end of the hour I found that I genuinely liked working with her.  She felt the same and re-booked with me every week for the next three months of my clinic rotation. My next shift had another over 70's lady who informed me that she had been here the week before and "that other little gal just patted me" and she wanted to stress the fact that she wanted a "real massage".  I honored her wishes and she re-booked with me multiple times as well.  Thanks to these ladies my fear of geriatric massage started to diminish and by the end of my clinic time I found that I really enjoyed working with older clients.

Today, I look forward to seeing my older clients because they have the most amazing stories and I feel honored when they share their life stories with me.  I have heard first-hand recollections about meeting presidents Johnson and Reagan, tales of their involvement in civil rights movement, their ideas of marriage and having a family and how they changed their way of thinking over the years, how they had changed their political party affiliations when they realized they no longer agreed with what their old party stood for, and countless other experiences that are equally fascinating. 

So in retrospect, I must admit my massage therapy instructor's advice was sound.  The universe gave me just what I needed and I now share those words of wisdom with other massage therapists.  Of course when I say the words I secretly hope that I don't come across like Yoda meets Abbie Hoffman.....

National Massage Therapy Awareness Week

This week is National Massage Therapy Awareness Week and how better to celebrate this occasion than getting a massage?  Mention you saw this on my blog and get $10 off any 90-minute massage that you book this week.

Post-Workout Refueler Energy Smoothie

This is an excellent refueling smoothie perfect for restoring energy after any activity. Almonds' protein helps build and repair muscle. Plus, the potassium (twice as much as you get in two bananas) balances your electrolytes and fluids.

Ingredients:

2 medium oranges (10 ounces total), peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup whole, raw almonds
1 small sweet potato (about 4 ounces), scrubbed and coarsely chopped
1 medium apple (8 ounces), cored and cubed
1/2 cup water

Directions:
1. In a blender, combine oranges, almonds, sweet potato, apple, and water
2. Blend, scraping down sides occasionally, until smooth.
3. Strain juice and, if desired, thin with additional water. Refrigerate up to 2 days (shake before serving). Enjoy!

My Thoughts Exactly

The only good thing about the wait is that I get to read all the magazines without paying for them!

Heard This Week on the Massage Table

Last week as I was escorting my 70 years plus client back to the treatment room she asked me to not use pressure quite as deep as I did for her last massage because "it hurt a little bit".  I asked her if she hurt after her massage and she answered "No! I felt like a million bucks!".  So then I asked her if she was sore the next day and she again answered "No."  I then asked her to explain when exactly she was hurting.  She told me it was just when I was actually doing the massage.  So I asked her if the pain she experienced was deep or just slightly uncomfortable. My client told me that it was just slightly uncomfortable.  So I re-verified that she felt great after her massage and the only pain she felt was when I was working on one of her sore spots.  After she had agreed with me I told her that it seemed like I was at just the right depth and I further explained that sometimes a therapeutic massage could reach the point of what I called a "good hurt", which it certainly sounded like was the case with her last massage.  Showing her years of wisdom she said "So basically I just need to shut up and take it, right?" 


Client:   "Isn't Alli the stuff that gives you exploding diarrhea?"
Me:  "Well, you definitely can't trust a fart."


Me:  "Do you know how much I appreciate your being so diligent in showing up for your appointments?"
Client:  "Do you know how much I appreciate YOU keeping our appointments?"



Me:  "Wow your feet are not in a happy place!"
Client:  "Well I was in New York and I had a Sex in the City moment so I stupidly tried to walk in 4 inch heels while I was sight-seeing and shopping."



Client:  "I told her what I thought about that blankety blank crap...only I didn't say blankety blank."