I'm ready to start, but I have some questions..

[Dmanman]

Hello everybody,

Before I start I would like to apologize about my English, but I will try to do my best.
I’m starting a business of Chair Massage and I have almost everything prepared to start offer my services. I’m very nervous but excited at the same time. I’m going to start alone but if things start to grow I’m planning to do some workshops of Chair Massage in my area to build a team.
I have several questions to you and I hope you could help me.
I have some priority places where I’m gonna make some proposals because my father knows those persons and can easily book an appointment to me.

1º place: Slide & Splash (water park). I’m planning to set up a tent in the park and make massage to people who want to receive massage, I get paid only for the people I give massage.
Question: People in the park are on bikini and shorts, should I use some kind of anti allergic lotion or sun protector to make the massage easier for the people who have dry skin and are burned because of the sun?

2º place: ExpoArade (events organizer): In my city there are a lot of events, big to small events during the year but especially on the summer. I’m thinking in offer my services to all type of events.
Questions: At fairs and tradeshows I know how Chair massage can benefit (gets more traffic, more memorable than other gifts, people stay longer time because they have to wait for the massage, etc), but on different events it’s not so clear to me. For example, how can chair massage benefit a sport event like beach football or a gymnastic championship? (Both are big events that take place on my city every year). How can chair massage benefit a musical event? On sport and musical events, my only thought is doing massage to the staff that organizes those events… Do you think it’s a good idea to set up my chair during those events to general public?


Those are the first places I’m going, and are very important ones (especially ExpoArade). I don’t want to blow it. I have to make a very solid presentation to ExpoArade showing the benefits of chair massage to all type of events. As I said before, I know the benefits to tradeshows and fairs, but I’m not sure for other type of events like musicals, sport events, theme festivals, seminars, etc.
I really appreciate if you can help me with benefits that Chair Massage can bring to these type of events.

Thanks you very much

 

[Tina M]

Tough questions, because you never know until you just go do it. generally, you'll find massage-able people anywhere, music events etc. You really can't qualify things differently. The only thing I watch out for is when there's lots of alcohol around. I don't think you'll have to many people with sunburn asking to be massaged LOL. But yes, get some decent lotion. The sunblock thing is really their responsibility, But you could always keep a bottle around and just let them bogart some if they need it. It's a nice gesture.

I've done tons of events, it goes from doldrums to insanity within seconds, and you must be prepared. But don't obsess, just do your research and think about various scenarios. Welcome to the war zone. You'll see what I mean eventually. But I love doing chair work.

I can't check my crystal ball. Also understand that traffic at events depends on wierd things like the planets. the weather,
time/day of week, so don't get freaked out if you are standing there a lot twiddling your thumbs. But be present. Do not sit down. Stand up proudly, make eye contact with passersby, do yoga or something to be noticed. Sometimes I'll give away a quick "free sample" or a tip to pique people's interest.

Be prepared to also be heckled, glared at, and also glommed onto by perfectly nice, but wierd quirky people and needy people who will talk your ear off if you are not in session. They are just lonely.

A quick bathroom break or cell phone call will get you out of this situation, which is very draining at times. You must conserve your mental energy as well as physical energy. Sometimes you have to be firm with those who will ask you ten thousand questions, cut right to the chase with "so, how can I help you? would you like a chair massage? If they say no, I just want to blah blah blah... say "Hey thanks for coming by, hope you enjoy the event"! If this doesn't work, go grab a burrito.

1. Get a sturdy canopy with sides to control onlookers, who will drive you insane with questions while you try to focus.

2. Good signage. I also have a sign that explains a lot of stuff, it "slows them down" , gives them something to do while waiting, and you can use that as an intro ice breaker for conversation. Usually the ones who will get on your chair just come right up and ask without a long volley session. The trick is to pace yourself for these people, while gracefully and diplomatically thanking the tire-kickers.

The best sign I saw recently had huge vinyl letters. "Seated Massage".
Sounds a lot clearer than "Chair Massage, doesn't it?

3. Make sure you do your intakes. A lot of MT's blow this off at events, big mistake. Your best marketing tool? Your chair intake! I don't work on anybody who won't fill one out. Make sure the event people understand that you don't promise 100% satisfaction, despite "oh everyone loves massage". They have to understand the reason why you need an intake: "do no harm"....

4. Make sure the event Co. is listed as a "secondary insured" on your insurance, so they can't get sued for a slip/fall. Be careful working on hot days, also those on antidepressants sometimes get a little nauseous. Know how to contact the first aid folks quickly.

5. If you can get an assistant to help waiting people with intakes, this is absolutely huge. Have them hand out oil samples, massage tools to play with, anything to keep them engaged. A lot of times I work solo, and believe me it gets crazy trying to give group tours. wait 'till you have your first two people argue over a massage. "Hey I was here first!!!"

You have then achieved your Yeoman Second Class award.

6. Get a hair salon Be-back "clock sign" that lets folks know when you'll be done. Absolutely essential. Give yourself slots for breaks, please! It takes 5 min. just to sterilize the chair, wash hands, etc. never mind an actual chill out session.

7. When you take a break, cover your chair, break it down so kids won't play on it and break it. This has happened to me twice.

8. See if they can announce your presence on the loudspeaker.

9. make sure you can scope out the location of your tent or area beforehand. Think visibility, traffic flow,

10. Don't bother handing out fancy color brochures. They throw them out or they get left in the glovebox. People have no attention span whatsoever at events. Just have them fill out an intake coherently, massage them (!!!) ask for their email adress, have them list that on the intake too, tell them you will send them a newsletter, then follow up with them later as a thank you. You'll probably get one out of 20 of these onto your table later on. If you have a website, yes tell them about it , write the URL on your business card. take notes on their personalities etc. on the back of the intake. You will forget a lot of stuff, this helps when you follow up later. "Hey how's the German Shephard puppy doing?

Best tip: If traffic is a bit slow, and have a bit of "pad time", give your client (who you really like) some extra time, maybe 7 minutes free, but be casual about it "hey, is it ok if I bonus you a few extra minutes? I just want to make sure I work this knot out all the way, is that ok? "

People absolutely love this, and when they get off the chair and ask you "how much?" , Stick to your original "Oh, ten bucks". with a casual shrug... nine times out of ten you'll get a 5.00 tip. But don't be all focused on getting a tip.

I think a lot of MT's get busted for attitude because of this. Being a bit too time focused is another no-no IMO.

Just be humble and really grateful, when they tip it's "wow. hey thank you so much" !! Hey please come see me at my space, I really enjoyed working with you!!!

11. Almost forgot: Help them off the chair, or be there to grab them if they are wobbly and woozy. Be careful with this, lotsa stuff to trip on at events. Give them water. Bring your own cooler with ice. Be prepared for windy weather, this can make things intesting. Use hot stones to anchor stuff with.

12. have fun. You will love this work.

Rob
http://www.hartfordmassageinfo.com/

 

[xmenarutofan]

Thank you very much for your reply

There's a lot of stuff I dont even think I have to worry about.. You helped me prevent a lot of mistakes I would make for sure.

Really appreciate your help

 

[scale92788]

Thank you very much for your reply

There's a lot of stuff I dont even think I have to worry about.. You helped me prevent a lot of mistakes I would make for sure.

Really appreciate your help

 

[VisualEcho]

Hey no problem. Event work is really a lot of fun, Again, don't take it personally if you get a fair amount of down time and tire kickers, and you will.

Don't hyper-obsess, (LMT syndrome) but do be very vigilant, THINK and be proactive.

If the event owners (who usually know nothing about massage) start telling you how to run your practice? LEAVE! (diplomatically!)

You can only do one session at a time, which is why it's impossible to answer your question of, ex., "is massage good for musicians?"

You'll do just fine. Keep us posted on all your amazing results!!!