What changes are you going to make in 2012?

I hope the holidays find you bright and excited to spend time with your family and friends! I know I am looking forward to unplugging and enjoying some rest and relaxation with my hubby.

Unfortunately the holidays can be overwhelming especially if you are working at a busy spa and you are exhausted from doing back to back massages. Or maybe you are working at a job that you don't like and you want to do more massage or spa services.Before I started my mobile spa business I would do back to back massages at a Beverly Hills spa. I would stash fruit and nuts under my massage table to eat in the five minutes between clients to keep my energy up! At the end of the day I would drag myself home feeling like a toxic waste dump. 

Can you relate? Are you working at a spa doing seven or more one hour massages without a break? Drop me a note here. I'd love to connect.

Hot stone massage set up in a mobile spa setting.

I found this very informational video on how to do hot stone massage along with the stones of choice and set up.
Check it out here  I love receiving hot stone massage and have figured out to do it in the mobile spa setting. Obviously I don't take a whole set of stones or the big heating unit as that would be too much to carry along with my massage table and sheets. I heat my stones (8-10) beforehand at home and keep them warm by wrapping them up in a digital heating pad -one that has a sleeve as that's where you are going to store your stones during transit. The heating pad is easy to roll up and keeps the stones warm until you are ready!

Take your time when interviewing potential contractors.

When you are interviewing contractors to work with you and your mobile spa business, have them drive to you and set up in your location. Why? You need to see how they set up, you can inspect their equipment and if they are willing to drive to you, you will discover how committed they are. Remember your contractors are the face of your business and they need to make a good first impression to you first so you will feel confident sending them out on appointments. If you have any questions or comments please leave a response here.

Yes I do require my spa team to wear my company t shirt.

I do require my contractors to wear my logo t shirt when working with me. My t shirt (logo, web site address and color) is part of my branding. When my contractors wear my t shirt they feel part of my company. And when my clients see my contractors wearing their t shirts my clients identify them as part of my team. I really believe your contractors will feel they belong to the team and in doing so, will go above and beyond and do a great job.

Serve more clients with your mobile spa service

One of my favorite aspects of owning a mobile spa business is the ability (with the help of my spa team) to serve more clients and expose them to the benefits of massage & spa services in the comfort of their own home! They get more value out of their service because they can relax afterwards because they don't have to drive home!

Mobile spa services are so versatile.

I just love how mobile spa services fit into just about any setting. We just finished up providing massage, foot reflexology and a foot exfoliating treatment to a group of people during a three hour meeting. Each person took their turn while the rest of the meeting agenda continued. As the meeting and the spa services took place in the same room we provided some privacy by setting up a folding screen. The meeting flowed and each individual received a relaxing and rejuvenating treatment while being part of the meeting. I would say it was a win win.
If you have any comments I would love to hear them.

The first of three tele-classes

If you are not one of my subscribers can you please sign up here on my web site- you'll see the box to fill in your name and email. I just started the first of three complimentary calls where I answer your questions relating to creating a mobile spa business! Thanks and I'll see you on the next call scheduled for November 21st.

Video interview you might want to see

I was recently interviewed by Massagenerd.com on why you should get started on  a mobile spa business and  you can watch it hear. It's actually quite extensive and I answer a lot of questions. If you have more please ask me here. I'd be happy to answer them.

Some advice for clients to prepare for their in home massage visit.

You’d be surprised how easy it is to turn a spare room or a corner of your client's living room into a spa. New clients always ask me. “I want to get a massage or spa service in my home. How much space do you need?"  I tell them this: If your spare room is full of boxes stack them in a closet. Now that's done let’s start with the massage table. A massage table is about 6 feet long and 3 feet wide. More importantly we need walking room around the table so if you can allow for at least a couple of feet around the table, we’re in business. Is there a window in your spare room? If so, make sure you can block light out with a blind or drapes. If other family members are home, make sure they know you are going to get a massage so they don’t disturb you. If you are home alone, turn your home phone and mobile off. Select some relaxing music, candles and we'll do the rest.
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What do you feel about the word entrepreneur?

If you are wanting to make a change in your current situation you could consider yourself an entrepreneur?

I received an email from a massage therapist in the Netherlands this week. He wants to start doing mobile massage and wanted to know if you could help him to "realize his dreams".
Although he told me he's a great massage therapist, he was quick to let me know he's not an entrepreneur.  I got the feeling he was uncomfortable with the word. I didn't want him to feel intimidated by the word and not go after his dreams, so I decided to google "entrepreneur" and this is what I found:
An entrepreneur is a person who has possession of a new enterprise, venture or idea and is accountable for the inherent risks and the outcome of a product!

I found out there are different types of entrepreneurs.

Social entrepreneur

A social entrepreneur is motivated by a desire to help, improve and transform social, environmental, educational and economic conditions.

Serial entrepreneur

A serial entrepreneur is one who continuously comes up with new ideas and starts new businesses.

Lifestyle entrepreneur

A lifestyle entrepreneur places passion before profit when launching a business in order to combine personal interests and talent with the ability to earn a living

Your assignment this week is to ask yourself what kind of entrepreneur you are?  Once you have picked which one you are, ask yourself how would making a change in your current situation make you feel and how would it improve your life?

When was your last vaction?

Vacations are so important as they help you recharge your batteries, practice some self care and relax so you come back refreshed and ready to take care of your clients. One of the best advantages of owning a mobile spa business is being able to take a paid vacation. Yes you read that right. I can keep my business going while I am away. Appointments are set up and my team goes out and services clients all while I am away.  When I wanted to schedule a vacation as a solo practitioner, I would have back to back clients right before my vacation. I would be exhausted before I left and it would take a few days for me to wind down. Have you been there?

Tell your clients this-Regular massage encourages awareness of the body

Regular massage encourages awareness of the body just as it enhances the body to relax. Body awareness is just what it sounds like, being aware of your body. I hear this from my clients. “I have muscles I didn't even know I had”. Most of us live "inside" our heads unaware of the body that carries us around. We don’t pay attention to what we put in it or how we treat it. Getting massage forces us to pay more attention to ourselves. We become more aware of the aches and pains that we ignore. When you do one thing that is good for you it snowballs and you want to do more good things for yourself. Massage also helps with workout soreness by flushing out toxins. Massage encourages us to take better care of ourselves.

What do you do if a client keeps talking during their session?

If you're ever faced with a talkative client read this:

"Am I being rude if I don't talk to the massage therapist during my massage?" Absolutely not! A good massage therapist is focused on undoing your knots and kinks. Not chatting to you. If you have any health problems or concerns that could be affected by the massage or spa treatment, let us know prior to your session to help clear the air Your massage therapist will talk to you during your session to check that the pressure is comfortable. To help you empty your mind and decompress we encourage you to breathe deeply so your mind focuses on the breath and not your thoughts. If your mind starts wandering, bring the focus back to your breath.Ultimately it is your session so if you really do want to talk, avoid negative subjects. I have actually noticed some client’s hands clench during a session and it turns out they were thinking about something negative! Now that defeats the purpose of your massage doesn't it?

Do you believe you can earn a good income as a massage therapist or spa technician?

Are you uncomfortable discussing money or figuring out what to charge clients? This is all about changing your mindset. I know better than anyone that the perspective of those who are involved in this industry is that the goal should not be about making money, it should be about making people feel better. But through experience I have found that it is possible to do it all.

If you're working solo you are trading hours for dollars.

As a solo massage or spa technician there is a limit to how to many massage/spa services you can perform in a day or a week. When I was working for someone else, I was doing eight to nine massages per day, and receiving only a percentage of the profit. My energy was being expended for virtually no reward, and I started
to feel like I was selling myself short when working one on one with clients. This became even more apparent as I felt burnt out and my immune system was over-taxed. I was unable to meet all of my commitments and had to turn away clients because I was getting sick so often. Has this happened to you? If so how does it make you feel when you have to cancel clients?
http://www.howtocreateamobilespabusiness.com/

How many massages do you do in a day?

Before I started my mobile massage and spa business I used to do 8 massages a day. I was employed at a very swanky spa in Beverly Hills and it was a great place except when I was expected to crank out so many massages. The spa manager clearly had no idea how exhausting my work was nor did she consider scheduling me a break to eat.  I used to keep a stash of almonds and bananas under my table so I could at least keep my energy up. Bananas were great because peeling them wouldn't make any noise so my client wouldn't hear.  How do you survive a workload like this if you are not scheduled a break?

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