Submitted by Teofil Nikolov on
I was talking with some friends the other day and while they think my massages are The Best (wink, wink), they had some valid questions that i had t answer before so figured there is a lot of people having these questions.
here is the question:
"what about these half price massage sessions on groupon and the cheap montly massage sessions at the popular massage chains (like massage envy, hand and stone, massage heights, massage luxe and others), and the complaints some of their friends have had about the poor quality massages friends of theirs have had there."
well to answer this question shortly i have to give some background info:
* All massage therapists that you see should be licensed!!!
* most US States have licensing in place (license hours differ from state to state).
* ALL Chain massage therapy places have to employ new graduates to be able to afford their low price scheme (Business Fact)
* most often New Graduates LACK the experience of more seasoned massage therapists - as far as being able to sense subtle changes under their hands / fingers when they work! - just a fact.(I am practicing since 1995)
From My Teaching experience every person is different and some new graduates are very sensitive and can pick up things faster than others, but majority lacks the sensitivity that is developed over time. (its just the way it is) - I can teach 10 new LMT's (Licensed Massage Therapists) the exact same technique at same time with same instruction time and individual time devotion, and i might have 2 acellerating fast, 5 medium learners and 3 that need double time to achieve the "Real" knowledge i'm trying to convey! No offence to anyone_ they all have different style and speed of learning... that is why the multiple years of practice (not just holding a license but having a different job and doing 2 or less massages a week for years - there for hving license for years but not practicing much).
* groupon helps new businesses attract clients in hopes to get new business.
* lots of times the "chains" need to fill their 15-20 rooms, so they run the specials.. and pay their therapists $14-$27 per hour.
* the "hour" you book with them is actually "business hour" at 45 to 50 minutes, where as in my office i Give the whole 60 minutes (real One Hour of time on planet Earth ).
and then this quote comes to mind:
"The Bitterness of Poor Quality Remains Long After the Sweetness of Low Price is Forgotten."
Benjamin Franklin ( the fella on the $100 bill)
some times it ain't worth getting the cheapest massage in town, especially when a lot of times people come to me to get their cheap massage experience "fixed" by me.