aches and pains

[Sapphirexx]

hi

I am a thai masseur who trained in Chiangmai, for my first job ive come over the Greece for the summer season, my problem is im massaging on what I would class as quite high tables, and im mainly doing thai oil massage which i also did a course on in CM .. any advice for avoiding pain / back / wrists / thumbs when working at less than perfect angles and being unable to use bodyweight .. would be useful ... + if anyones got any cool moves .. as making the routines to the timescales this hotel actually wants is hard work as well ... im currently clock watching to make sure i dont short change my customers out of 5 minutes and ive been working for about 28 days now and im still doing it ..

also we're using johnsons baby oil as a carrier .. mainly cos they cant get anything else .. anyone had any negative effects with this (if they used it) as one of my hands and halfway up my arm is sore on the skin, not muscular .. so i wondered if this was a reaction ? im not sure

thanks

 

[vweznuygiemipqetw]

Hiya

Just a comment on the oil - I'm sure they have olive oil in Greece and that must be better than mineral oil! Can't you get any vegetable oil at all?

 

[Angelina Bennici]

Definitely agree that olive oil would be better than mineral oil.

 

[David D.]

Hi, i'm only training in massage at the moment....but one thing we were told was to make sure we were comfortable when doing massages... i'm not sure if you can ask about changing the beds etc to suit your needs but it is worth asking. I cannot imagine doing massages for 28 days knowing my posture was wrong (in saying that i suffered with a bad back and would never do anything to jeopardise my health now)
Do you do strengthening exercises for yourself?

As for the baby oil - you may be allergic to something in it? are there any other brands you could try? but i agree with Chris that vegetable would be much more suitable - and a lot more beneficial to the clients.

 

[Ann O]

If you are working full time, couldn't one of the tables be adjusted and set at a height that is suitable for you? You could end up with all sorts of problems for yourself, if you continue to use tables that are too high.
Definately opt for olive oil.

 

[LasNoches]

From reading your post I can feel your pain. The only way I can think that you can use your body weight is if you are able to climb up on to the massage table but it's better that you are shown how to do this properly. Also your massge table may not be wide enough to do this. This way of working is perfect for working on the back of the body. Working with a high table and not being able o use your body weight is going to quicly lead you to having various problems with your body as you may start to use too much physical force.

If I find that I am running out oftime then I actually work a bit slower and do less strokes. If you start speeding up due to lack of time then the client will notice this more. Also I found when working in a busy spa by working slow I had enough energy to do at least 5 clients back to back.

How much time do you have between clients? If you are booked back to back every hour then you may need to cut the treatment by just a few minutes to give you time to get the client out of the treatement room so that you can get room ready for your next client.

Good luck.

 

[joku]

hi folks .. it varies but as im moving into high season it could get back to back soon ...

in greece the olive oil has a very distinctive smell hence why we're not using it

the tables cant be adjusted sadly they are solid steel or aluminium construction obviously for giants ..lol, they wont replace them due to the dreaded word " the budget" ..... plus the spa is not high on their list of priorities .. im personally bringing in about 4500 euros a month at the minute but im not flat out yet ... i reckon at backbreaking speed, i could generate about 6000 or 6500, but as we're on an island getting even a mat for thai massage seems an impossible task

i am considering getting something to stand on to make myself a bit taller

i do climb on tables if the client is small enough but these tables arent to wide either and any client over 5 10 ends up with their feet hanging of the ends as well ...

thanks for comments folks

 

[hfcdiwew]

whilst I appreciate you are not in the UK they company does have a duty of care to you - also if you put your back out and cant work then the spa may also lose money not just you

it comes down to put up or shut up and we as therapists should do neither when it comes to our health

as for using baby oil which is a mineral oil which only sits on the skin - what sort of company are you working for

 

[MarTamieia]

I'm not sure the same duty of care would apply to an enterprise operating in Greece. I worked for a spa in this country (some years ago - hopefully the scenario is now different) and received no support when I asked if it would be possible to get the hotel (chain!) OT section to check out my workspace......they never appeared.... I only lasted 3 months.
jaffas - I truly hope you are able to cope with the summer season, but work at your own pace, do not allow yourself to be dictated to, in order to get bodies on tables.

 

[IVY X]

Are you watching so you don't go over time? Or are you watching because you can't fill up the allowed time? Either way, don't worry about short changing the client out of 5 min. Spa hours and massage hours are usually 2 different things - quite often a massage therapist hour is 1hr on the table, plus consultation, getting on and off the table, getting dressed, paying, much more time than 1hr, a spa hr is client turns up on the hour, client is being expected to pay the receptionist 1hr later, treatment time has to be less than 1hr. Some more upfront about it spas will say it's a 50min treatment, but still charge the usual 60min rate. You're in a holiday destination, you're not trying to build long term clients for yourself, you're getting money for the spa. It's a very different mind-set. You have to look after yourself to be able to do back to back treatments, and if that means making a 1hr appointment 50min on the table, rather than 55min, that is OK! You are not short changing the client, you're allowing yourself time to give them the best treatment possible in the time they are occupying the room, otherwise you are rushed and/or clock watching.
Obviously if you are finding yourself doing a great 30min treatment for a 1hr booking you need to fill it out, but that's not the usual problem

Back saving techniques - do more face and foot massage - most people on holiday are looking for relaxation, facial massage and foot massage usually sends them off into la la land really quickly. You can even do a good chunk of foot massage with them face down, just like you do in Thai massage, that tends to make them think they got more time on the back than they did. If you feel guilty about working on the feet, tell them it's some reflexology moves (Tibetean reflexology is done face down)

Mineral oil is yuck, but it's not as bad as people make out - it's not natural, it puts an occlusive layer on the skin so the skin can't breathe, but the molecules are so big they don't get absorbed into the skin (which is how it makes the occlusive layer), BUT you are working on people on holidays, they're probably getting in and out of the water (pool or beach), they're probably having a shower before going out in the evening, they're probably getting in some hot tub, they're not leaving the mineral oil on for too long. they're probably going 'slimey!!!!' and washing it off pretty quickly afterwards anyway, you don't have to worry about people goning back to work after a treatment getting their normal clothes greasy.