Before I tell you more, let's talk about you!
People have told you that you're good with your hands!
You love making people feel good and you would love making
money while you do!
So now you say to yourself, "I need to find the right
school for me."
You start calling schools and every single school tells
you they are the best school and each school claims that
when you graduate you'll have all the skills you need to
start your exciting new career. Wow! An exciting new
career awaits you!
But whoa! Stop! Hold your horses! Which school do you
pick? They all say they're the best! Can they all be? Can
they all be the best for you?
How do you choose the school that will give you the
highest level of training so you'll be one of the most
sought after massage therapists in the field?
How will you know the difference between a school that
offers you an exceptional education and a school that
offers you a slick marketing campaign but gives you a
mediocre education?
Well, I've got a secret. I've worked on the inside as an
"Admissions Director" in a number of schools from big
corporate schools to small schools and I know what they
do to try
to "convince you" to go to their school regardless of the
quality of education you'll receive and regardless of what
would be best for you!
They don't want you to know the inside secrets which I'm
about to share with you.
Now, don't get me wrong, there a number of exceptional
massage therapy schools throughout the country and the 3
powerful questions you'll receive momentarily will help
you find those diamonds amongst the glass!
Here's more of the secret! All massage therapy schools
are a business. Well, nothings wrong with that, but the
problem comes when a school cares more about the bottom
line than the success of their students.
So what do some schools do? Sometimes they invest more
money in their marketing than they do in the quality of
your education. Why would any school do that? It's a whole
lot easier to create slick marketing ads than it is to
create an exceptional curriculum and education!
A number of schools pay big bucks to giant marketing
companies to spin their school so you will enroll! What
are most people impressed by? Pretty, shiny brochures,
with pretty shiny people in it and polished sales
presentations.
Now there's nothing wrong with all that, but will any of
those marketing devices really let you know the true
quality of education you'll actually receive?
No, but people usually base their decision to enroll in a
school based on the sales pitch they are given and if they
"like" the "admissions advisor". Now some of you may know
this already, but the titles; "admissions rep" or
admissions advisor are simply fancy names for trained
sales people that have big quotas to meet and in some
schools you are simply a number to help them meet that
quota! I should know, I used to train them!
Now even though your "admissions rep" may be a really
wonderful person, how can you possibly know the quality of
the education you'll receive from a person telling you
what they want you to hear.
This brings us to the 3 powerful, secret questions you
*must* ask to find the truly exceptional school:
#1. How many modalities will you be able to *practice*
upon graduation?
(A modality is a style of massage)
Why is it so important to learn multiple modalities? If
you only learn one style of massage, you will be working
in the same way every day. If you do anything
repetitively, you risk injury or burnout and with only one
style of massage, believe me, you will get burned out! If
you learn multiple styles you will enjoy massaging your
clients for years!
Imagine if you were a hair stylist but were only taught
how to cut one style of hair. Let's say a bowl-cut. Two
things would happen. One, you would get very bored and
two, not all of your clients would want that particular
style. One style does not fit all.
The same goes for your massage therapy clients. Each of
them will need different styles depending on who they are
and what they need from their massage therapy session.
Some will need the energizing effects of Shiatsu. Some
will need the deeper work of Neuro-muscular therapy. Some
clients may need the clearing work of polarity. Make sure
the school you select offers multiple modalities!
Now here's another secret! A slick marketing trick that a
number of schools use. Most schools offer only one type of
massage training and little teaser intros on some other
types during your education. They usually include these
teasers in their brochures and presentations. You will
probably think you learn all of those styles during your
training but in reality, they do *not* teach you the other
styles. You will only be qualified to practice *one* type
of massage upon your graduation.
Remember, ask the school how many modalities you will be
qualified to practice when you graduate!
#2. How does the school teach body mechanics, that is how
will they teach you the techniques of massaging clients so
you won't burn-out?
Did you know that over 100,000 new massage therapists
have left the field in the last 4 years? Why? Simple
answer. Because of burnout. They were not taught the
proper way of using their bodies to massage their clients.
Make sure the school you select can clearly explain to you
how they'll teach you good body mechanics.
#3. Does the school offer a holistic approach to your
training and have them explain it to you.
(This is the MOST important question because most
schools teach a one dimensional technical approach.)
You need to decide if you want a technical training,
which teaches you how to do a technical massage which is
very one dimensional or a holistic training which teaches
multiple modalities and has a multi-dimensional approach.
Graduates of technical based massage therapy schools
receive a competent knowledge of the body and learn a
thorough technical approach to giving massages to their
clients, but they tend to give their clients impersonal,
technical massages. They simply learn how to move muscles
around.
Graduates of a holistic training not only learn the
science of massage, you will actually transform as a
person which will make you a better therapist. From that
foundation you can then transform your client during their
massage session.
How will you transform as a person you may ask? A
holistic massage therapy school teaches you from a
Mind/Body/Spirit approach that is heart-centered and takes
into account the entire person not simply their muscles.
It's not just what techniques you use in a massage that
matter, but how you apply those techniques. The "how"
involves the kind of environment you create during your
session so your client feels safe and open to receive your
massage.
That massage would then be called a "Mindful Massage".
Being mindful means you learn how to become calm,
centered, open-hearted and fully focused on your client
throughout the massage. Mindfulness also involves being
"embodied." Embodiment means you are not just in your
"head" but alive and aware in your body and connected
with the entire Wisdom of your Being. All of this allows
you to trust your intuition to create a unique massage
every time for your client instead of the same "routine."
Your clients will receive a much deeper experience from
someone who is trained in the holistic approach. If you
have a client that has only known the technical massage,
they will be absolutely blown away by the multi-
dimensional, heart centered holistic massage that you give
them!
In a technical massage the massage therapist works "on"
you. In a heart-centered holistic massage, the therapist
works "with" you.
I have a test you can try on your self right now that
illustrates the difference perfectly!
Test # 1. Take your left thumb and find a spot on your
right forearm that's sore. Press down hard on it with
your thumb. How does that feel?
Test # 2. Now, take your right thumb and find a spot on
your left forearm that is sore. Lightly place your thumb
over that spot. Lightly. Take a deep breath in and as you
exhale, increase your pressure only as fast as the muscle
releases under your thumb. This is called sinking in. You
sink into the muscle instead of pushing on it.
Which experience did you prefer? If you picked # 1, then
by all means go to a technical massage school. However,
if you picked # 2, a holistic massage school would be
perfect for you. I think your clients would probably
pick # 2 as well.
You now have the 3 *powerful* questions that will help
you choose the perfect massage school for you. Make sure
that you ask these 3 questions to any school that you are
considering and you will find the school of your dreams!
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