How to Keep Your Clients Warm & Cosy During A Massage!
When the weather gets chilly, one of the nicest things we can do for our clients is to keep them warm and cosy. Imagine how grateful and welcome clients feel walking in from the damp and cold outside - to a warm, cosy oasis of tranquility in your treatment room. Feeling cold is miserable and we want all our clients to have a 5-star experience when they come to see us!
Keeping clients warm during their massage is not only key to their enjoyment but also to getting the maximum benefit from their massage by calming the nervous system, increasing blood flow and improving muscle flexibility.
Above all, anything you can do to create an inviting ambience away from the stress of daily life will add to your clients' experience. Not only will it feel wonderful at the time of the treatment, it will also leave a lasting memory with the client which, more often that not, leads to repeat bookings and word of mouth referrals.
So what can massage therapists do to keep their client warm and comfortable during their massage?
The most important thing to remember is to PRE-HEAT your massage room ready for your client in plenty of time for the treatment. Be especially mindful of those clients early in the day when your room might not be as warm, so switch on heating/heaters well in advance. Also, make sure there are no nasty draughts in the space!
Recently in our Facebook discussion group for therapists a therapist was asking opinions about the pros and cons of installing an infrared wall heater in their treatment room. You can become a member of the of the group and read what everyone had to say!
Tip no. 1 - Keep your beautiful massage table nice and warm for your clients by using a heated blanket under the top sheet
This warming pad for massage tables keeps the client warm while receiving treatment and creates a cozy environment for increased relaxation. The pad stays in place with elastic straps on and will fit all massage tables. The level of warmth can be adjusted to suit the situation and is distributed evenly throughout the table. Just imagine lying on a couch with the warmth rising up through you while receiving a massage, an amazing feeling which will keep the clients coming back for more!
To avoid ever having to wash the electric blanket you can cover it with our ultra-thin hygiene protective barrier so all the heat can still transfer through but keeps the warming pad clean and hygienic.
Tip no. 2 -Add an extra cloud-like layer of comfort to your table with a comfy fleece pad set
Add an extra layer of comfort with the comfy fleece pad set. As well as protecting your massage table it keeps your clients extra cosy in the winter months and makes your table extra comfy. The fleece pad attaches to your couch with elastic straps on each corner so it will fit every size of massage table. Adding a fleece layer under your sheets and towels give your table a cloud-like feel! It actually has a cooling effect in the summer so you can use it all year round. Fleece padding is particularly useful for lower priced massage tables which have lower quality and lower density foam padding.
Tip no. 3 -Warm towels are a great way to add a luxury spa feel to your treatment room!
Covering the eyes or face with a warm towel while treating the rest of the body can be a lovely experience for the client. Something they may experience at a high end spa but not at a typical massage therapist's treatment room. Offering the best and above the rest is what will make you stand out from the competition. And using a warm damp cloth at the and of the treatment to wipe the oil off the skin leaves a refreshing feeling and is very effective at leaving the skin oil free to put clothes back on to.
Keep your towels in a towel warmer close-by, ready to use on your client so you don't need to leave the room. Sized to fit easy on a counter top or trolley in your treatment room. The spa towel warmer offers you the ability to impress your clients and provide them with the ultimate in spa warmth and comfort. Warm towels can also calm the nervous system and soften tissue by reducing tension.
Tip no. 4 - You know the feeling of checking into a high end hotel with its amazing quality cotton sheets on the bed?
Pass that feeling onto your client with these soft 100% brushed cotton sheets that will hug their body to make for luxurious massage experience.
Tip no. 5 - Help your clients reach deeper levels of relaxation with a massage oil warmer for your massage oil
Who doesn't love that feeling of warmed oil on the skin? The Massage Oil Bottle Warmerwill keep your clients even happier by warming your favourite oil, cream, gel, or lotion. They'll love that you go the extra mile to make their treatment even more enjoyable. Our electric oil warmer is durable and easy to clean. The warmer will gently warm the oil to a perfect 60 degrees Celsius and has automatic temperature control. Your oil will stay warm for your clients and never be too hot!
Tip no. 6 -Hot stone therapy feels amazing! Even if it's not specifically a hot stone treatment you are offering!
The heat from the stones has a sedative effect on the whole body so it is extremely relaxing and effective for relieving pain. It also does a great job at keeping your client warm while you and your hands work your magic!
Learning hot stone massage is a great add-on to your therapies and even if you are not specifically offering a hot stone massage in that particular treatment, adding some stones here and there for examples, on the shoulders or lower back while you are treating the legs can really add to the treatment experience for the client.
The hot stones are made from basalt, cut from volcanic rock and they're hand shaped and hand polished. Basalt is the stone of choice to use for hot stones because of its excellent heat retaining properties. The stones will stay warm for 90 minutes.
The digital hot stone heater has a built in temperature controller allowing the stones to be kept at a constant temperature. You simply press the buttons up and down to set your desired temperature. The indicator light lets you know the current temperature at all times and also when your desired temperature is reached so you don't have to wait by its side and can get on with other stuff while it heats up at the correct temperature. The heater has a capacity of 64 stones but is ideally used with 40-45 stones. Due to its size this hot stone heater can also me easily moved around and brought to clients homes.
Tip no. 7 - No one wants to feel your cold hands on their back!
So start with warm hands by rubbing them together to create friction. If that doesn't work, you can run them under hot water, hold hot stones or warm a wheat bag to hold before you go in the treatment room.
Tip no. 8 - Keep the areas you are not treating, covered and cosy at all times with effective draping techniques using the correct fabrics
In this fabulous episode of our series The Muscle Whisperer - Thoughtful Tips For Therapists with Kate Browne, Kate shares a host of tips and techniques for DRAPING. As well as covering the basics of how to make your client feel secure and comfortable, Kate also shares 3 ways for beginning treatments over covers to aid in relaxation and get things started at a lovely pace. There are some great tips for keeping your client warm and how to start a treatment when your hands are cold!
You can find the Songbird Relaxation Massage Wax Kate uses in the video here, plus enjoy 10% off any Songbird wax using the code thebestwax at checkout! And you can find the 100% Brushed Cotton Sheet Set Kate uses for draping her clients in a range of different colours here;
How do you plan on keeping your clients warm this winter? Let us know in the comments!
Massage Table Size Guide
Massage tables comes in many different shapes and size. It can be confusing for you, the customer, to choose the right one but we are here to help!
A lot of customers call us up after they have bought the wrong size massage table elsewhere and we would like to help you avoid this mistake. It normally goes something like this; they like the look of a picture of a massage table on a website, they like the low price and then they check the carrying weight is ok. If the carrying weight fits their needs they click add to cart and the new massage table turns up at their doorstep in a few days. They unfortunately assume all massage tables are pretty much the same width and size.
The standard size of a massage table is 28 inches wide (71cms) and 73 inches (185cms) long. One of the reasons many "lightweight" budget massage tables are so cheap is because
They are smaller in size (normally around 61cms wide) and as such have less materials
They are sold by specialist retailers who also sell anything else they can import and turn a profit on. As such they just buy the cheapest massage tables they can find in China. They go for smaller sizes as they are cheaper.
Make sure the massage table is the right size for you and your clients as the narrow massage tables at 61cms can be very uncomfortable for anyone who isn't petite and many clients cannot relax with their shoulders and arms unsupported.
The Width of the Massage Table:
Almost all therapists choose the standard 28 inch wide massage table. All our massage tables are the same length so it is only the width and shape our customers need to decide on.
Your massage table should be wide enough to cater for the wide variety of shapes and sizes of your clients. It needs to be wide enough to comfortably accommodate your treatment style, while being narrow enough to ensure you don’t have to strain your own back during treatments.
Each therapist's postural training and ability is different, so only you will know what massage table width you can handle. We have spoken to therapists who are five feet tall and get the wider 30 inch massage tables, and we speak to six foot therapists who have back problems and go for a 25 inch wide massage table. Everyone is different.
Generally speaking, if you are of smaller stature, you may do better with one of the narrower 25-inch massage tables. If you're quite tall, or are particularly keen to offer your clients a very spacious experience, a 30-inch massage table might be more suitable.
If you are in doubt, see if you can go into your local training college and see whether the massage tables there suit you. However, there is another way to get a feel for what will work of you don’t have access to a couch when you are deciding:
Cut out a piece of cardboard to the dimensions of both sizes you are deciding between. Put it on top of the kitchen table and lean over it. Visualise a client lying there, and see which width will suit you and your client best.
Make sure you can get close enough to the table that you can pivot at the waist and have your shoulders squared to the clients hips, with your hands parallel to the clients' spine. Working in this position will ensure an injury-free career, so it's an important factor in your decision.
The most popular massage table widths are 28 and 30 inches. We sell 25-inch massage tables but you should really only choose this width if you are shorter in height and having a wider massage table might put your own back at risk over the course of your career.
You can also choose the 25-inch if you want to have the lightest massage table possible. By reducing the width of the massage table, the weight is also reduced. Now, this can mean a trade-off of some client comfort, but this trade is often worthwhile if you are a fully mobile therapist and use public transport frequently, where saving a kilogram or two will make a difference to you over time.
The Height Of the Massage Table
Nowadays, almost all portable massage tables come with height adjustable legs. Whichever massage table you choose should come with a large height range to accommodate you, and to cater for a broad range of therapies.
A common height range of massage tables is between 60 to 80cm, and this height range should cater for everyone. To check which height you need your massage table to be at follow this rule of thumb:
1. Stand up straight with your hands by your sides. Clench your fists. 2. Measure the distance between the floor and your knuckles 3. This distance should equal the height of your massage table. 4. Add a few inches in height to allow for the body of the patient on the massage table.
The height of a massage table is usually only adjusted when different therapists are using the same massage table, or if you have a client that is outside the average size you normally treat. So for example, if someone with a lot of body depth comes for a treatment after an average size person, you may need to adjust the height a notch or two.
You should be able to adjust the height of a massage table in just 2-3 minutes. Even though you mightn't adjust the height very often, the faster the better when you do have to!
There are 2 types of height adjustment mechanisms found on modern massage tables.
1) Twisting knobs (found only on wooden massage tables):
If you are working with a wooden massage table, it is better to have two knobs on each of the four legs for greater strength and reliability. When buying online, make sure to check how many knobs are on the legs. Cheap massage tables often only have one knob, and when you raise the legs to the highest heights they are less stable and have been known to snap.
2) Telescopic push-buttons (found only on aluminium massage tables):
The mechanism to adjust the height of an aluminium massage table is much the same as the push-button method on aluminium crutches. It only takes a few seconds to adjust each leg, and the mechanism is very reliable. Check out the video to see how it’s done.
Massage Table Shape:
The following are the different shapes of massage tables on the market.
1. Rectangle shaped with square corners
This is the traditional shape of a massage table and the one you are probably familiar with seeing. Our Combi-lite 3 in 1 and Affinity Portaflex are shaped like this.
2. Rectangle shaped with rounded corners
Same as no 1 above in every way except the corners are rounded. Does not affect function in any way, just a different design/look.
3. Hour glass shaped with gradual gradient
A fabulous massage table innovation in recent years, which solves a lot of the problems around choosing the correct width is the hourglass shaped massage table.
This style of massage table is wider at the ends, and tapers somewhat at the middle. This provide a spacious and comfortable experience for your client (as the shoulder and feet area are 30 inches wide) without compromising your own posture and health, as the middle of the couch where you lean over is a much narrower 26 inches wide.Having recently upgraded to one of these hourglass massage tables myself, I can vouch that my working days are much more comfortable, and many of my clients have commented on the extra comfort from the wider shoulder area.
4. Hour glass shaped with sharp gradient
Same as point above but instead of the it gradually going from wide to narrow, the massage table changes quickly from normal width to narrow width so people of very short stature can get in close.
5. Oval Shaped
The name says it all! There are no corners on the massage table. Therapists normally choose this for one of two reasons. They simply like the look of this massage table and it is aesthetically more pleasing in their treatment room and/or they find it easier to move around the massage table during the treatment without having to side step the corners. This is particularly handy when space is limited in your treatment room.
Have any questions or comments about anything above? Please let us know in the comments below!
Having recently upgraded to one of these hourglass massage tables myself, I can vouch that my working days are much more comfortable, and many of my clients have commented on the extra comfort from the wider shoulder area.
