The majority of successful massage therapists find themselves with a sound base of fantastic clients, however, every now and again we may encounter a client that challenges us or tests us in some way. Sometimes a regular client can be consistently difficult, even though they may not intend to be. We have to face the fact that some people, by nature, are more challenging than others and learn how to deal with them, to achieve a win-win situation for both the client and ourselves.
The demanding client
A demanding client is the one who asks you to continue working when the session is over, telling you, “I’m still feeling pain in my shoulder”, or who asks to schedule appointments outside your usual working time, or the person who wants you to “fix” a whole spectrum of complaints in one or two sessions, or the one who asks for freebies and extras.
Clients like this, often misunderstand the process of a massage session or just do not have a sense of appropriate boundaries. Because massage is often viewed as a “caring” profession, they may view you as a “kind” person who wants to help people and misunderstand that you’re running a professional business and that your time equals money.
The best way to deal with this type of client is to spell things out clearly at the beginning of each session. Explain to them what you can and can’t do in one session and go through the entire process with them, step-by-step, so that they understand exactly what will take place during their allocated time slot. If they have booked a course of sessions, you can go on to explain how each session will build on the last one and how you intend to work on any of their specific problems in the future. Give them as full and clear picture as possible.
It can also be helpful to indicate to this type of client that the session will be coming to an end five minutes or so before you finish. End the massage in the way you normally do, then let the client know that you’ll leave them to get dressed and that they can meet you outside in the reception or waiting area.
Removing yourself from the therapy room is a way to avoid further demands or requests that aren’t part of the session. It may also help to have self-care leaflets printed up to hand to the client once they are in the waiting area after the session. These can cover after-massage care and also any advice you may want to give on common problems such as back, neck and shoulder care etc. Remaining polite and professional is the way to let this type of client understand the correct procedures and also helps you to establish your boundaries.
The inappropriate client
This type of client is the one most massage therapists’ dread. Inappropriate behaviour includes anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, be it the way a client speaks to you or the messages you get from their body language.
One of the massage groups I belong to on Linked In recently discussed the problem of clients that ask for a “happy ending” and how to deal with them. The debate was fascinating as some people had no experience of this type of client and yet many others had experienced this type of request. It seems it may be more of a problem for therapists working from a home setting, mobile therapists and those offering holistic therapies than for those who work in a chiropractic or sports massage setting.
Obviously, this issue may have been covered in your training but encountering it in real life can come as a shock. What’s important is to deal with the problem immediately. Personally, I would end the massage session immediately; however, some therapists are prepared to continue with a massage if the client only seems to be making suggestions rather than making an outright request. They brush the suggestion off and continue in a professional manner, keeping conversation to the minimum and making the client aware of how they work, by carrying out the treatment in a business-like manner.
You can tell the client politely but directly that they need to stop making such comments, however, for some therapists the damage is already done, and it is entirely appropriate to refuse to treat the client. Having to warn a client in this way at the beginning of a session is not going to make for a comfortable experience for either of you. If you decide to let a minor incident go, but the client continues to make you feel uncomfortable, it is better to bring the session to an immediate close and suggest they opt for a different type of service.
The key to avoiding this kind of request is to have your policies stated in writing on all of your paperwork. The fact that you do not offer any type of sexual service is one boundary you need to establish from the outset. It’s unfortunate that some clients do not understand the process of therapeutic massage, however we should not be afraid to make it absolutely clear that requests for sexual services will not be tolerated.
You can also demonstrate professionalism by dressing appropriately and by avoiding personal conversations from developing, steering the conversation between you and your client back to the aim of the treatment and the reason for their visit to you. This is not to suggest, in any way, that if a client makes a sexual request that you have somehow invited it. Sadly, there will always be people who mistake a friendly, polite nature with flirtation or who misunderstand the nature of your business, and it is more than likely that if you encounter such a request you have done nothing to invite it. You simply need to be aware that maintaining an efficient business-like approach to your work will help to weed out potentially difficult clients of this type from the beginning.
Thankfully, this type of encounter with a client is rare, especially if you have taken all the necessary steps to spell out that your practice does not offer any type of sexual service. It can be helpful, however, to be prepared for this type of scenario so that if it does happen to you, you’ll know exactly how you’re going to deal with it.
As a massage therapist, it is a good idea to know the basic on some of these other healing systems and maybe even work in tandem with some other healers to give your clients a well rounded medical support group.
There are many healing systems that go hand in hand with massage therapy. Working with practitioners from these systems can bring you referrals, but also show your clients that you take their health and healing seriously.
Here are some of the alternative medical systems that can work well with massage therapy: I f you are interested in zero gravity massage chairs under 1000, you should definitely check out Kahuna massage chai as they are the best in business.
Acupuncture: This ancient <a target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow” href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_medicine”>Chinese healing</a> modality is based on the five elements and the meridians, or energy lines, that run throughout the body. During an acupuncture treatment thin needles are placed in specific spots along the meridians to shift blocked energy and bring back balance and healing.
Chiropractics: The system of chiropractics is based on the belief that the body needs to be in proper alignment for true health. Chiropractors manipulate the skeletal system to bring this healing and balance to their clients. It is very common for chiropractors and massage therapists to work together, as it can be difficult for a chiropractor to make skeletal adjustments when the muscles of the body are too tight or tense.
Herbalism: An herbalist has been trained to treat medical issues with herbs instead of drugs. Many herbalists work under a system of belief that illness is created when the body is out of alignment and they use herbs to bring their client’s systems back into a state of alignment and achieve true healing.
Reiki: This is an energy healing system that has its roots in Japan. Reiki practitioners tap into a universal energy source and use that energy to help people find healing. In order to be a Reiki practitioner a person will have had to go through specific energy attainments that allow for them to become a channel of the Reiki energy.
Homeopathics: Under this healing modality highly diluted forms of essences and herbs are used to adjust the body’s chemistry. The whole system is based on the law of similars, which states that like can heal like. If there is an issue with the body, similar energy in a diluted form can be used to heal that issue.
By knowing practitioners of each of these alternative healing modalities you can offer your clients a well rounded approach to their overall health and wellbeing. Often you can find practitioners of all of these systems sharing the same office space with each other. If your ultimate goal in massage therapy is to offer your clients a complete package of health and well being then working in a healing center where several alternative healing methods are available might just be the path that you want to take.
