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.
