Why You Should Use A Private Therapist

By Debra Redman, LMT, NCTMB
Life/Spiritual Coach, Medical Massage Therapist

People who use spa services regularly are spending up to 20% more than necessary because they have not been educated on the benefits and cost savings of using a private therapist. Despite the economy, people are spending money on massage in spas. What they don’t know is that they could be getting added value for that same dollar if they worked with a private therapist. I would like to discuss why you should choose a private massage therapist over a spa or a massage chain for your relaxation and healthcare needs.

Massage franchises such as Massage Heights, Massage Envy or Zen Massage have turned massages into a cheap, convenient commodity. The key word here is cheap. Franchises can only afford to hire new massage school graduates who have no experience. For people who have never had a massage, the price point encourages them to try it. The benefits of getting a massage at a massage franchise stop there.

Spas are an excellent choice when you just want to treat yourself. Spas can offer a variety of massage services such as Thai massage, couple massage, and stone massage sessions. Depending upon the length and type of massage you book, you will spend between $75 - $200 plus the tip you pay the therapist.

As a specialized massage therapist in private practice for over 17 years, I have the privilege of being able to work one-on-one with clients as part of their health and wellness process. I provide a combination of therapeutic, spa, and medical massage therapies coupled with life and spiritual coaching. Typically, you will not find a therapist with this level of expertise and professionalism working in a spa or a chiropractor’s office.

By the time a therapist chooses private practice, they have most likely had experience working in a spa or chiropractor’s office. After gaining experience, a therapist realizes they could make more money, better serve their clientele, and have the benefits of working for themselves. They developed their skill level and knowledge, invested in years of continuing education, and made a commitment to make massage therapy a full-time profession. Generally, a therapist who chooses private practice will have the emotional maturity and professionalism required to maintain a loyal clientele. Because they are in private practice, they can offer a level of care that simply is not possible in a spa or franchise environment.

The massage services offered in a spa or franchise will most likely be offered by a private practitioner for prices that are comparable to and usually less than a spa. For example, spas charge an average of $115 - $150 (plus tip) for a 90 minute session. A private therapist such as myself charges $120 where you receive therapeutic bodywork that is tailored specifically to your needs. The knowledge gained by the private therapist about your needs builds trust between the two of you as the relationship deepens and grows. This is key to how well your body receives the work.

Next, the private practitioner usually has control over the environment in which the two of you are working. In a spa or franchise setting, there will often be outside noise in the hallways that creates a disturbance in the massage room just as you are beginning to completely relax. In private practice, noise levels, the choice of music, the types of oils or lotions used, the design of the room, and the overall feel of the room is controlled by the therapist. This adds to the experience that you have when you get a massage.

Finally, when you choose to work with a private therapist, you choose to support a local business person instead of a large corporation. As a personal client, the private therapist is vested in your best interests. They have the time and ability to learn what your healthcare priorities are and will work to help you reach your goals. In a spa or franchise, the therapist does not have the time to develop a relationship of any depth beyond encouraging the client to ask for them again if they ever come back.

In summary, the benefits of spending your massage dollars with a private therapist are 1) a guaranteed high level of experience, expertise and skill, 2) tailored and specialized care, 3) quality of environment, 4) support of a local business, and 5) a quality relationship that benefits your health.

The best way to find a private therapist is to ask for referrals from friends, co-workers, or neighbors. You can also review reliable websites such as Understanding Health at www.understandingholistichealth.com. You will find practitioners from around the Atlanta area and information about specific modalities.

Choose a franchise for convenience or a spa when you want to pamper yourself. For regular care, choose a private practitioner. You will spend less money in the long run and receive better care than any spa or franchise is capable of giving you.

Taking Back Our Power

Taking Back Our Power
The following was submitted to Massage and Bodywork Magazine in response to an article about medical massage therapy. For a complete understanding, please read the article at http://www.massageandbodywork.com/Articles/FebMar2007/medicalmassage.html.

Kudos to Deane Juhan for an excellent analysis of the current state of affairs regarding medical massage. I wish to comment on the “strictly uncoincidental” American Medical Massage Association (AMMA) link to the American Medical Association. He is correct in linking the attempt of the AMA to defraud the public about the benefits of holistic therapies. Many people don’t know that Medical Freedom was an original vision of the Founders of America.

“History can often yield insights into our dilemmas. Health care is no exception. The Founders of America envisioned a health-care system based on principles of the dignity and liberty of every person. They were:

1. A right to work. England’s system of guilds and licenses kept many people out of the healing arts. America would allow anyone to become a doctor or to open a healing school or clinic.
2. A right to choice. America would permit a variety of healers and healing modalities. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Constitution and the “Father of American Psychiatry”, believed that Americans should enshrine the right to medical freedom in their Constitution, much as the right to freedom of religion is expressly guaranteed in that document. Rush is reported to have argued that "Unless we put Medical Freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship . . . to restrict the art of healing to one class of men, and deny equal privilege to others, will be to constitute the Bastille of Medical Science. All such laws are un-American and despotic and have no place in a Republic ... The Constitution of this Republic should make special privilege for Medical Freedom as well as Religious Freedom." (1)
3. A limited role of government to protect the right to contract and to prevent fraud. Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution reads, “No state shall ... pass any ... law impairing the obligation of contracts.” Laws against fraud were to protect the health consumer. The government was not to play favorites and could not pay for, restrict, or subsidize any group or healing method.” (2)

Why was this not included in the Constitution of the United States? I’m still looking for the history of that.

The history of the AMA is that it engaged in a deliberate propaganda war against what it termed “irregular” practitioners starting in 1900. “The main purpose of a medical society/association is to provide political pressure to adopt laws that would kill the competition.” (1) For more information on what the AMA doesn’t want you to know about it, go to http://www.newstarget.com/008845.html , “What the American Medical Association hopes you never learn about its true history.” (3) In this excellently researched article, you will discover that the AMA continues its campaign to kill the competition over 100 years later.

I shudder to think what would happen if the AMMA is successful in its propaganda campaign against “fringe” massage and bodywork modalities. I am trained in and use almost all of the “fringe” therapies they list in their position statement with great success and benefit to my clients. As a “therapist of high caliber desiring professional recognition for what [I] am able to do”, I am not willing to stand by and let that happen. For my part, I educate my clients, as well as the public, through my newsletters, website, and blog. I encourage everyone to do the same. Through grassroots efforts that include all of the massage associations and the public we will be able to achieve the ability to be a respected part the healthcare team functioning in a multidisciplinary environment, just as Deane Juhan envisions.

Debra Redman, LMT, NCTMB
Atlanta, Georgia

(1) The Wellness Directory of Minnesota, http://www.mnwelldir.org/, History of Medicine
(2) Dr. Lawrence D. Wilson, “Healing the Health-Care System” (2001), http://www.fff.org/freedom/1201e.asp
(3) Jessica Fraser, “What the American Medical Association hopes you never learn about its true history”, (Thursday, June 23, 2005), http://www.newstarget.com/008845.html