The other
day one of our Sage therapists called in from the road to say that she would be unable to make her scheduled appointment on time. She along with thousands of other motorists were crawling along on the BQE at a snails pace (thank you 5 Boro Bike Race). That twenty minute commute, she sadly reported, had become five hours.
Being that I've had a 20 years career as a massage therapist, I was the obvious choice to step in and make sure one of our favorite clients didn't miss out on her massage. Mind you, I hadn't done a massage in probably 3 years because I'm now too busy managing the spa, and it's staff of 18 people. I confess that I was a bit afraid... afraid I wasn't still strong enough, afraid I was a bit "rusty"... we all know how those internal dialogues go.
Those fears were unfounded; everything turned out just fine. As I came out of the massage room, my staff and I traded smiles in the way fellow coworkers sometimes do. The client followed me out a few minutes later, to say that her massage was wonderful, and promptly booked some return visits. I was thrilled that she loved her massage and her Sage Spa experience, but, what really blew me away is how much I enjoyed being a massage therapist again!
One of the most frequent comments massage therapists make about their occupation is,
"I feel fortunate to have found work I love!"
They feel this way because a career in massage therapy allows them to help people in a meaningful way with a high degree of personal contact. Massage therapy provides an opportunity to express very positive values about caring and well-being in their work in a way that is both personally and professionally rewarding.
Massage is
a healing art as well as a science. It requires a balance of academic and
technical knowledge, clinical skills, manual dexterity, sensitivity, and
awareness. Nearly everyone has the innate resources to touch another with care
and confidence. However, it takes a sincere desire to help others, along with a
commitment to the time, energy, and focus necessary for the training process in
order to become a solid practitioner.
I can't promise that I'll be doing massage on a regular basis, because, ahem, I'm not as young
as I used to be; but, I think that I might do one every now and then to remind
myself how special and rewarding this work can be.
Susan Stratton
Sage Spa, Owner, LMT
BTW, If anyone reading this is considering a rewarding career in massage, or if you just want some advice from an old hand, please feel free to email me.
