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About Reviews

So I had someone ask me for references the other day, it was a first and to be honest, it threw me off-guard.

And eventually it dawned on me that while I have Facebook and Instagram accounts, I’m not a hardcore user. I do have a Yelp page, but the one 5 star review I have there has been hidden.

So this evening, I figured out how to get a Reviews tab on my Facebook page, I updated my Yelp page to actually reflect my current business (I used to try to be super formal and proper when talking about massage — it wasn’t a good look for me), and I finally fully updated my Google+ page.

Now you have options when it comes to leaving reviews.

I do have to note that both Yelp and Google have outsourced the menu section of the review page to one company, Single Platform. While Yelp offers a method to get your menu updated through them, Google does not. Through Google, my option was to “Claim this business,” which led to giving them all my information and then they will call me within 24 hours. (where’s a headdesk gif when you need one?)

If you go to my afore-linked Yelp or Google+ pages now, there’s a chance you will see menu information that is from either 2007 or some other company (I genuinely don’t remember having a menu like that).

The Yelp method should be resolved within 2 business days, according to Yelp. The Google+ method, since I have run into this company before, will probably take longer and be super annoying since their call is a sales call, my least favorite of all phone calls, and I have zero intention of paying them money to get my information updated (I did note on my Google+ page that the menu is wrong). Yay for resolutions.

On the upside, there is small comfort that my Yelp page has not not filled with negative reviews, people are way more likely to complain. I know it’s kind of weird to have a stranger come to your home so I get the need for reviews, I have just always been terrible about asking for them — I truly hate to be sales-y and annoying, it’s just really not my style.

But hey, if you’ve had a massage or Reiki session with me, I would appreciate an honest review. For your convenience, here are the direct links:

What I may do is respond to any compliments you give me about my work, and ask if I could use them here as a testimonial/mini-review. I’ll keep you all listed by first name and city, like Yelp. That may be the easiest compromise.

On scheduling appointments…

I have run into this situation a few times lately, so I thought I would just make this super clear:

In order to have an appointment with me, you need to provide ALL of the following information:
First Name
Last Name
FULL Street address, including apartment number
Any weird parking issues (residents of DC, Arlington, Alexandria, and townhome communities, I am especially looking at you here)
Any weird building issues, like that you live in the basement and I need to walk around the back of the house.

I need either a working phone number or an email address, or both.

If you fail to provide me your full information, I reserve the right to not honor your attempt at an appointment.

A regular client jokes that I’m like pizza delivery, but better (massage is better than pizza — there are no calories). So if you can’t get a pizza delivered with the information you provide, you aren’t getting a massage delivered.

To be blunt, I am carrying ~80 pounds of gear. Let’s make it as easy as possible for me to get from my car, parked in a safe, nearby place where I will not be ticketed or towed, to your front door. (On one hand, I do this all the time, nbd; on the other, it is 80 pounds and having to stop and dig out my phone to text or email about where I am going and/or if its okay to park where I parked, it does start feeling heavier and heavier.)

Business update.

Okay, so first, the most awkward one – I’m raising prices on the 60 minute packages as of January 1, 2016. Everyone who regularly uses them has already been notified, the raise isn’t significant, and it only effects new 60 minute packages (calm down, 90 minute package people! ;)). Whew, the worst is over.  Oh, and if you want to stock up on 60 minute packages before the price increase, why would I stop you? You can prepay for packages here.

There is obviously no rush to finish a package before the end of the year. Your current package will last … until you use it, or I die/retire. Note: if you wait until I’m 90 to redeem your last massages with me, it’s not my fault if my hands are shaking the whole time, I’m no longer capable of deep tissue work, or if my dentures fall out and land on your back. : If you buy a package and then move out of the area before redeeming all massages, feel free to gift them out to your friends. Just send me an email and let me know who is getting how many massages and how to contact them.

Next up, I’m actually in the process of writing policies, which is about zero percent fun but it dawns on me that it’s actually necessary. Despite the unseasonal weather, my winter weather policy will be featured. There will also be a same-day cancelation policy, a privacy policy (especially relevant since I will also be debuting an intake form!), and a creepy dude policy (unforch, just saying that I hate creepy dudes is probably not the only deterrent that they need. Because creepy.).

Earlier this week, I formed the Melissa Rocks, LLC. So yeah, that’s a thing. 2016 = the year of leveling up. 🙂

If I don’t see you, I hope you have a great New Year. I’ll be over here with my finger hovering over the “update” button while the clock is counting down to midnight. 😉

Since it’s what people have been asking for …

I am currently trying out a new online scheduling service. Look for the new “schedule now” buttons on the site and a widget on the Service pages so you can schedule from the site.

It’s definitely not perfect. Notably, if you are scheduling for multiple people at the same address, it’s going to force an hour of travel time between each appointment (just shoot me an email if I don’t notice this happening and I’ll sort it out manually). Also, please do make sure there’s an hour between the last appointment and your appointment as I do need time to drive from here to there.

Because this isn’t my only calendar, as I get used to updating my entire life to this schedule, please bear with me if I am accidentally overbooked and need to move your appointment.

 

    Online Scheduling

 

quick notes:

First, my annual personal holiday is next Sunday, July 6. I am probably not even looking at my phone or checking email that day. So if you want to schedule an appointment, please get to me on the fifth or seventh, or be patient on the sixth. 😉

 

If you want a same day appointment, pretty please text me (571.766.8007). It’s the fastest way to reach me. I don’t generally have time to listen to voicemail or answer calls until the end of the day, which pretty much eliminates the potential for a same-day appointment. Email works fine, too, but texting is still faster.

 

I do have a bunch of updates to this site that I’m working on, so watch for changes by mid-July. 🙂

Sick, Snow, Yelp

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Three quick things for you today.

Sick: I’m currently under the weather. Today was better than yesterday and I should back to my regular self by Saturday.

Snow: I don’t like it, I avoid driving in it at all costs. So if your road isn’t plowed and easily drivable, warn me, we can reschedule. It’s not a big deal. There’s only one of me and I can’t afford to replace my car so getting an accident to see one client is simply not worth it to me. I’d much rather reschedule for a warmer/sunnier/snowless day.

Yelp: I’ve been avoiding unknown callers on my personal phone for awhile now. I get a lot of marketing calls despite being on the national no-call list. And then I went on Yelp yesterday and realized that it had reverted to my old information, including my personal line and home address, which I had changed months ago. Argh. So my apologies if you’ve called a 703 number recently for a massage. If I’ve never seen you as a client, you aren’t saved in that phone and thus, I haven’t even listened to your voicemail. Please try again at 571.766.8007. Texts are much easier for my life, especially with the cough I have going on right now.

And if you saw my home address, because Yelp makes it awkward to be clear about it, I don’t see clients in my home, ever. In the past, I’ve had people text me that, oh, they are free at 6 and could be at my house at that time. Haha, no, pretty please don’t be that guy.

I really wish there was a way for me to skip the address part of Yelp but it seems insistent on plotting me on a map somewhere. If you know a way around that, please let me know. I am not sure how other mobile businesses do it.

So the tl;dr version: currently scheduling for next week, please don’t make me drive in the snow, yelp is not my bff so please use the 571.766.8007 to schedule a massage, & texts are easier than phone calls. I hope your hearts & flowers day is as lovely as you. 🙂

a new phone number

So I got a new line for business calls and texts. The previous number on this site is my personal cell and I thought it was a good time to put a little separation between the two.

 

If you have my previous number, please note that it still works and you are welcome to still use that number to set appointments. If we have talked or texted previously, you’re probably saved in my contacts there anyway.

 

571.766.8007 — the shiny new number.

 

Prompt, Prim, Funny

In one of those fancy website/marketing/business lessons, I was asked for the three words that describe my business. They weren’t hard to come up with.

The first word that came to mind was “prompt.” There are only two things in this world that stress me out and one of them is being late. So I avoid it at all costs by leaving excessively early in order to arrive 5-10 minutes early. That way I have time to breathe, time for any traffic surprises, and no need to freak out. If I am ever running late, typically due to unforeseen things like downed trees, roads closed for utility work, etc., I will call to let you know and give you an ETA or reschedule (if say, a tree landed on my car).

The second word that came to mind was “prim.” Actually, it was the phrase “prim and proper” but I didn’t want to use up my remaining words with one phrase! I am a pretty laid back person (see above where only two things stress me out), I’ve been a massage therapist since 2001, I am the rebel in my family and I generally see myself as a pretty tough to shock. Still, if you want to unnerve me, just start getting undressed while I am still in the room.

I realized the core of this when I had a client recently who was from the large city near the tiny town where my mom grew up. This area isn’t known for being conservative but if you’ve ever been there, it’s pretty obvious.  We spent a few minutes chatting about the area, how lovely it is, what weird names the tiny towns have, etc. So a few minutes later, this client suggested that we could skip using the top sheet. I awkwardly laughed while pointing out that I always, ALWAYS use a top sheet. During the session, I swear to you, all I could think about was that even with complete disregard for the ethics, laws and regulations that govern massage therapy, he knew where my momma was from, how could he think I’d be okay with an undraped massage?

Clearly, it is my mother’s fault that I can only stand to see my clients fully dressed or covered by a sheet. It’s probably related to the ridiculous work ethics that my parents also forced upon me.

Let’s just say that despite how casual I am, I love all the ethics, laws and regulations that govern massage therapy. I think the associated fees and procedures are horrible but that’s a rant for another day. I am even nerdy enough to admit that I quite like being required to take continuing education classes.

The last word that I came up with to describe my business is “funny.” Because I am. I don’t necessarily try to be funny, I accept that I have some fairly unique views on things. This statement that I am a funny person in no way guarantees that I will make you laugh. It’s more like a warning that laughter is a possibility in all communication with me. (Also, if I say something that comes out oddly, I was actually probably trying to be funny there and wouldn’t mind a little pity chuckle.) So if you hate laughing and/or have no sense humor, then I may not be the right massage therapist for you.

So your rockstar massage experience will start with my showing up on time (by which I mean, a few minutes early), I will totally be a goody-two-shoes the whole time, and there’s a decent chance that you may have a laugh.

Today, I was in Occoquan, McLean and Alexandria.

A bold beginning

I realize that the name of my brand is bold for some people. Perhaps it seems arrogant. I can see that. I was actually a bit hesitant to use it at first.

You know what though? I’ve been a massage therapist for over ten years. From the days I was in massage school, whether in the classroom or working in the student clinic, to my days working in upscale hotels and day spas, to just in the last week, I’ve had people tell me that I am gifted, that I have great hands, that I am a natural healer, that I just gave them the best massage of their life.

How often do you have to hear that you are great before you finally accept it? Before you admit it out loud? I’ve been hearing it since October 2000. I think that’s long enough. I feel like it’s okay to say it out loud now.

I am not here to play small about what I do. Massage therapy is where I shine. I am a stellar massage therapist who loves her calling. Because massage therapy is not my job, it’s not my career, it is my joy and what I am meant to do.

I am Melissa who rocks at massage therapy, at your service.