How good COMMUNICATION leads to happy, return clients
Every massage therapist would like to see their new client return for more massages. It doesn’t always happen and that’s ok…unless it is because the client leaves unhappy because they didn’t feel they received the massage they wanted/needed.
How do we prevent this?
First, client expectations can be really high when they come in for their massage. It would be absolutely wonderful if massage was a one-treatment fix or a miracle cure, but that just isn’t the case and the expectation isn’t realistic. After asking “what brought you in today?”, asking “what are you looking to get out of your massage today?” is a great way to begin the discussion of expectations for the treatment. The difference between these two questions is that the first gives us the “my back really hurts”, while that latter gives us “I want my back to stop hurting”. This is a very basic example, but from there we can begin to ask more questions, such as how the back pain affects our client in their activities of daily living (ADLs), when they notice their pain gets worse/better, what the client does for work/hobbies (getting an idea of any sustained posture and/or repetitive motion) and what they are currently doing to strengthen their body and for stretching/mobility. After gathering all information you need from your client during the intake, repeat back your treatment plan back to make sure you’re both on the same page and that the client feels heard.
Massage is a cumulative process that facilitates healing and better function in the soft tissues. Because we’re facilitating better function, that means that the client also needs to understand that the massage will be much more successful in the short and long term if they are stretching and strengthening - tight, weak muscles are going to hurt no matter how many massages the client gets. Each client is going to have different needs and be at a different level of health and fitness, so recommend accordingly and within your scope of practice. Making connections in your community with complimentary providers can be incredibly helpful here. Ultimately, it comes down to educating our clients on how massage works on their tissues, the healing process and how it isn’t immediate, how their ADLs may be contributing to the pain, and what they can do between massages to keep their bodies stronger and moving more freely.
Realistic expectations, client education, and communicated treatment goals for the massage lead to a successful massage and happy clients who will want to come back.
