You arrive at my office, maybe a tad strung out from heavy traffic or mentally distracted by the work call you took while driving to your appointment.

Crossing the threshold into our space, you exhale.

Ahhhhh.

You’ve entered a cocoon of quiet and calm, a little nook of peace in the heart of a county inhabited by over 1 million residents just a stone’s throw from the nation’s capital.

I listen to you share about your physical, mental, and emotional pain points and together we get clear on your goals for the session. I give you space to name how you’d like to feel as a result of our work together.

Toasty table and towels. Informed, caring touch. Soft music. Dim lighting. Your senses don’t have to be “on” right now. You can soften and receive.

As your session draws to a close, you’re given a few moments to slowly get off the table and transition to gentle wakefulness.

Somehow, your massage noodled brain remembers how to open your calendar to book your next bodywork break, you pay for your visit, and step back out into the world, maybe with a fresher outlook, diminished tension, and a wee bit of zen.

What you experience in the 60 or 90 minutes in my office is simply the tip of the iceberg for me. The act of giving you a massage is just one of the 27,000 things I do each week as a professional, self-employed bodyworker.

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on “between the sheets” in the life of a licensed massage therapist, here goes!

• Ground and get ready for you! I arrive 20-30 minutes before my first client to warm the table and towels and review your session notes from your last visit or your new client health form if you’re a first timer. I make sure the lighting and music are appropriate and take a few moments to calm my nervous system.

• Cleaning and disinfecting. Dirty sheets, towels, and pillow cases are stripped from the table. Face cradle, table, client chair, side table, and door handles are all spritzed and wiped between each and every client. Floors are vacuumed and mopped each week or more as needed.

• Write session notes. In massage school, we practiced writing “SOAP” notes and I still use this format to capture subjective input from you, objective observations I noticed about your body, assessment and treatment techniques I used during the session and how your body responded, and a plan for future visits. I also note if I offered you referrals to other practitioners, a breath technique to practice, or a stretch or body awareness exercise to support you between massages. This notation can take 5-10 minutes per client.

• Laundry. So. Much. Laundry. Wash, dry, fold. Repeat ad nauseum. (But damn, do I fold a mean fitted sheet!)

• Mini self-care practices between clients. Hydrate. Refuel if needed. Coffee break (duh!). A stretch if I’m feeling stiff. A few deep breaths. Maybe a walk around the block if there’s time.

In addition to these in office goings on, I spend hours each week on behind-the-scenes essentials that many clients (and yoga students) never know about!

• Client connection and retention. Also known as “marketing” (I hate that word!), I reach out to clients to check in via email (either blasts like what you’re reading right now or personal notes to specific clients). There’s a website to manage, offerings to create, and yoga classes and lectures to plan. When it’s appropriate if I’m out and about, I talk about my work and invite people to book a session or attend a class. And those occasional “Coffee and Connection” dates I coordinate? They are valuable ways I live my core value of staying in touch and building community!

• Continuing education. In Maryland, where I am licensed to practice massage therapy, I am required to complete a minimum of 24 hours of advanced study every two years. This is a significant commitment of time, brain power, and money and is something I don’t grumble much about because I’m a nerdy lifelong learner! 🤓 I don’t mind spending an afternoon in a cranial nerves class or listening to a yoga podcast while I cook dinner. I know that refreshing my knowledge base benefits me and my clientele, builds trust, and helps me be a better movement instructor and healer.

• Bookkeeping and business finance. Not my favorite task, but I’ve gotten into the habit of double checking all my numbers weekly during the block of time on my calendar labeled “Finance Friday.” I record income after every work shift ends and look at bank statements during my weekly check in. Not only is this practice essential for paying my bills and budgeting, but it makes tax time easier.

• Basic Jen well-being stuff. Sleep (gosh, I love me some sleep!). Protein rich, veggie dense meals. Strength training 2-3 times a week so I can easily maneuver legs, heads, arms, and IKEA bags stuffed with massage sheets. Yoga and breath work to lengthen my muscles, improve my balance, and hone soft mental focus. Cardiovascular exercise to keep my crappy high LDL and recently diagnosed pre-diabetes at bay (booooo).

Now you know that there is so much more to my job than what you feel beneath my hands.

I’ve probably forgotten a few big things, but phew! I’m kinda tuckered out reading all this. I’m glad I’ve booked my own massages and movement classes for restoration across the coming weeks.

I invite you to do the same, right here!

Happy Halloween! 🎃 👻

Jen

P.S: time changes this weekend and it’ll be dark at 5 pm…but for us early birds, a little more morning light to get us up and at ‘em will be welcome!

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