I was just thinking

Today I have a wave of concern for the Massage Therapists in my field. When I first started at this profession no one even knew what massage therapy was. I found myself constantly being asked how being a masseuse was so rewarding; of this I was offended because of my teachings in school that a masseuse was an untrained and unlicensed individual who did massage and also was shady also doing stuff like prostitution. Since I went to school I expected people to take me seriously that I was an actual Massage Therapist who had a license and had nothing to do with anything shady but rather actually helping people with their physical pains and real body problems.

Since then I have seen Massage Therapy go two ways: 1) massage therapy has taken the medical route of which I am very happy about because being in the field you find that Massage Therapy actually has amazing results. For instance, seeing a baby come in to you who is only 5 days old with parents frantic as their baby is in so much pain because she has not learned how to go #2. In this case I was part of the process to help a baby learn how to go #2 right on the spot. Or another example is helping an individual with balancing of the body through energetics which in years past I thought was hogwash! 2) another way has taken my beloved profession and put a slutty spin on it! Seeing a woman on the Internet who is supposedly a licensed Massage Therapist tramping herself out in a bathing suit doing sensual massage and who knows what else. I, as a Massage Therapist, have given this much thought and I think I have come up with the problem and the way to the resolution.

THE PROBLEM:

Most Massage Therapists in this profession are loving, caring, helpful individuals who really want to HELP others. They are willing therapists who sacrifice themselves to help other people feel better. With this they are wanting to help so much sometimes they become food for the many wolves out there wanting to use them for their own purposes. For instance, like business owners who pay their Massage Therapists a really low wage and give no way for them to build their business because of all of the contracts that do not allow the Therapist to have access to their client's contact or ongoing-progress information.

There is a big problem out there! Because of clients not knowing how to get hold of their Therapist directly because of incomplete or nonexistent paperwork put together by such wolf businesses. There are concerning questions that clients may have about their treatment and the therapist being able to answer all such questions after the fact is very important! Anyone who was not in the room with them would not be able to answer those questions.

Plus the real problem! Because no information was shared if the Therapist changes businesses there is no way to contact them. Most people looking for a Therapist go MONTHS even YEARS looking for the right person that they are comfortable with; a person who knows the most for that particular client. This is NOT FAIR for either party! What if you took MONTHS even YEARS to find your doctor? What if he or she disappeared without any way to contact them? How STUPID would that be!

SOLUTION:

Have a Feng Shui, compassionate business that is coexistent. That is, helping the therapist and the owner make it in this difficult industry of helping others. The owner helps the Massage Therapist build their business while, in turn, the therapist donates their time with a contract to this compassionate company for only a limited time. The business teaches the Therapist and provides tools to have their own successful business while having the support of other Therapists at their disposal to learn from and also help in return. The longer the Massage Therapist stays with this "compassionate business", the more they make until they are eventually completely on their own and they have all information for their own clients. So now there will actually be great Massage Therapists out there for the long haul for many years to come with outstanding compassionate businesses of their own. Why has not anyone thought of this before? Because there are Too Many Wolves/Greedy Businesses among us! We Massage Therapists need to work together and support each other! Your comments are certainly welcome!

- Luanne Stephens