Holiday fuss can so easily intrude on your practice. In all the hustle and bustle of places to be and errands to run, it can be easy to skip your simple self-care. After all, you had to use your lunch break to run to that one shop for that special gift, right? It’s important to know, that when you do self-skimp, it shows. Clients can not only tell, but they can feel, when something in you isn’t wholly stable.
One time, I was receiving a massage from a therapist whose hands were actually shaking as she worked on me. I waited a couple minutes, thinking that it would pass, but it just became more pronounced. So, I requested that she pause, and I asked her what was the matter. She admitted that she had skipped lunch and was feeling a little low blood sugar.
“Did you know I could tell?” I said to her. “I could actually feel you shaking.”
She was surprised—and also a little bit embarrassed. Who wouldn’t be? We ended up working it out where she stepped out of the room for five minutes and had a quick snack. She came back and finished the massage, and it felt a lot better.
As a fellow therapist, I was glad to see her rally like that, but as her client, though, I was a little bummed that I received what amounted to a sub-par experience given those five minutes, as well as what had come before. When we come into the massage room, we need to be ready to present our best selves to our clients so as to give them the best, most effective massage that we can.
While you can’t change or fix the fact that holidays can bring on extra stress for your clients, you can choose to give them the greatest gift of all this time of year—peace. You can choose to consciously make your practice a place apart from such. That doesn’t mean you skip hanging up some twinkly lights. With these dark days, we all need a few extra photons, wherever we can get them. It just means that you keep to your healing intention, knowing that you are holding a space for your clients where nothing is expected of them, where there’s no agenda, where they can really relax and freely receive the nourishing & healing treatment you have to offer.
Just consciously reminding yourself of, and holding to, that intention to be a haven helps you to embody that healing ideal. You may find that keeping your focus on holding that space for your clients, paradoxically, helps you stay more grounded and centered, better able to channel away any of the harried or frenzied energy they may be carrying.
When you talk with your clients:
Engage them with questions about how they are doing, rather than about what their holiday plans are.
If they do go into the difficulties of their plans or family dynamics, help direct their awareness back to themselves and their own well-being. After a couple words of empathy, ask them how they are feeling in the midst of all that & whether they notice a physical response to the stress.
As massage therapists, we have a unique opportunity to be a “holiday haven” for both those craving connection at a lonely time & those who might need some space from the chaos of their family connections, giving them (and us!) a much-needed gift of seasonal serenity.
Give the gift of health this holiday season with a Dreamclinic Massage gift card!
Everyone knows massage feels good, but you also know it soothes sore muscles, boosts the immune system and lifts the spirit. Let your family and friends know you care about their well-being when you gift them a Dreamclinic massage
Dreamclinic has been showcasing local artists in its clinics since first opening for business in 2003 as a way of supporting local artists and helping them get exposure for their work.
Dreamclinic CEO, Larisa Goldin, who is an art enthusiast, really wanted the clients to have the welcoming and engaging experience of original art on Dreamclinic walls. She also knew that many artists struggle in finding venues to feature their artwork. She decided it would be part of Dreamclinic’s company culture to connect with local artists and give them a place to display their work gratis. When clients buy art that they discover on Dreamclinic walls, one hundred percent of the sale price goes to the artist!
“I’ve been a client of Dreamclinic for 2 years and always appreciate the extra touches in the clinic that change with the season like flowers or art. I recently fell in love with a painting in the hallway of the Roosevelt clinic and am looking forward to adding it to my home!” ~ Kathy Rose
Below are some of this quarter’s artists showcased at Dreamclinic’s 3 locations; Roosevelt, Queen Anne and Redmond.
ROOSEVELT DREAMCLINIC
John Hunter
John has painted in oils since 1990, and has a reputation for intensely bright, rich colors and odd perspectives and organic shapes. Influences range from impressionism, expressionism and cubism to illustrative style and heavy surrealism. The Machine series is an opinion and surreal fantasy about the current state of technology. Using useless gadgetry and senseless circuitry to portray the world is the direction this series aims for.
Brian O‘Keeffe
The incredible natural world offers almost too much beauty to take in, I try to capture the quiet second of a flowers life while ignoring the chaotic busy world zooming around us. Vivid colors provide opportunity for inspiration and meditation.
Esther Utley
Esther’s Sharpie art has been featured in the 2013 UW Clamour Journal and shown throughout the north Seattle area. Her use of bright color and surreal themes are used as she draws emotion from her life experiences with love, loss and travelling abroad.
Not only is Esther an artist, she is also one of Dreamclinic’s very own massage therapists.
Annie Dlouhy
Annie creates vibrant works in her “Walkabout” series, using as a foundation, the color and typography of vintage album covers combined with her finely inked patterns and images that evoke human migration through space and time.
QUEEN ANNE DREAMCLINIC
Magda Petrou
Magda Petrou is a Massage Therapist who also loves to paint. It’s this expression she finds release and energy for her life and her practice. Her work is abstract and full of color. She graduated from The Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale for Graphic Design in the 90’s but found her niche in free flow design using oils. She has spent many years traveling and experiencing life in Holland and Thailand, but has settled in Seattle, for now, where she continues to create her paintings. Last year was Magda’s first showing at A/NT a non- traditional gallery in the South Lake Union District of Seattle.
From the artist: ” I have always been an artist at heart. I’ve played around with various mediums over the years until I discovered oils, which has been a favorite so far. My paintings are spontaneous in that I let my intuition flow freely as I allow the mood and color guide to me. My hope is that each painting tells a story through the arbitrary use of light and color and takes one on a journey of their own. “
REDMOND DREAMCLINIC
Jacqueline Tribble
Eastside artist who specializes in dynamic landscape, wildlife, and botanical watercolor compositions. She completed a BFA in Painting from the UW and has traveled extensively throughout Europe, exploring and studying classical and contemporary art.
“I choose my compositions carefully, always with a strong sense of balance and movement. I find one of the most challenging but rewarding things to capture is the way sunlight affects and manipulates colors, tones, and shapes in nature – the warms and cools of the highlights and shadows in nature are mesmerizing and truly captivating.”
Jacqueline’s work will be on display and for sale at the Eastside Dreamclinic from October 24 – January 23.
More information about the artist can be found on her website.
SEATTLE November 4, 2015 — Dreamclinic Massage has been selected for the 2015 Seattle Award in the Massage Therapy category by the Seattle Award Program.
Each year, the Seattle Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Seattle area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2015 Seattle Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Seattle Award Program and data provided by third parties.
About Dreamclinic
Dreamclinic is a trusted brand for Wellness, providing quality therapeutic massage and acupuncture in the greater Seattle area and at workplaces in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, and South Carolina. Dreamclinic Workplace Massage division has earned the trust of top employers that make health care options for their staff a priority. Dreamclinic’s list of Workplace clients include companies such asBoeing, Twitter Seattle, Raytheon, Seattle University, and Essentia Water. Dreamclinic’s approach is to truly understand the goals of each client, then tailor each session to meet the individual client’s needs. To ensure the highest level of care, Dreamclinic hires only medically informed, highly-skilled therapeutic professionals that are also genuinely passionate about helping others take control of their health.
Founded in 2003, Dreamclinic has garnered multiple industry awards for excellence in bodywork, including “Allure Magazine, Best of Yelp, Best of Citysearch, Seattle Magazine, and King 5 Best of Western Washington.” In 2015, Dreamclinc made the nationwide Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies List and was also recognized as one of Puget Sound Business Journal’s 100 Fastest Growing Companies. For more information, visit dreamclinic.com.
About Seattle Award Program
The Seattle Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Seattle area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.
The Seattle Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.
Our work habits are producing an increase in work-related injuries and stress. Computer use, poor ergonomics and extended sitting contribute to painful neck, shoulder and back tension, as well as repetitive stress conditions such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This leads to a loss of productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher healthcare costs.
Research from Microsoft shows that repetitive stress injuries are on the rise due to increasing use of laptops. “The research, which polled over 1,000 office workers, HR managers and office managers, reveals that 68% of office workers suffered from aches and pains, with the most common symptoms including back ache, shoulder pain and wrist/ hand pain as a result of working [while] in transit in cramped or awkward positions.”
Workplace massage reduces stress and improves performance. It is becoming mainstream as companies recognize its therapeutic benefits, logistical feasibility, and positive impact on their bottom line.
When employees feel less stressed, they take less sick days, are more productive, and show an increase in job satisfaction. As a result, business output increases, turnover decreases, morale improves, and healthcare expenditures are reduced. When massage becomes an important part of a comprehensive workplace wellness program, everyone benefits.
If you believe your company may be interested in offering workplace massage please let us know. Once service is established, we will thank you with a 1-hr massage gift card to use at any of our clinics.
This article has been brought to you by Dreamclinic – offering quality therapeutic massage and acupuncture in the greater Seattle area as well as corporate massage nationwide.
Holiday fuss can so easily intrude on your practice. In all the hustle and bustle of places to be and errands to run, it can be easy to skip your simple self-care. After all, you had to use your lunch break to run to that one shop for that special gift, right? It’s important to know, that when you do self-skimp, it shows. Clients can not only tell, but they can feel, when something in you isn’t wholly stable.
