Massage therapists have a unique job in that we have to understand client expectations and then show the client we understood what they wanted through our hands—ideally giving every client their best massage.
If you have not learned how to interpret expectations and apply massage in a way to fulfill those expectations, then the massage may not be well received or be less than the client hoped for, and the client may likely choose not to come back to you.
To foster a better understanding of clients’ expectations and hit that “best massage” target, there are questions I teach therapists to use in every session to better define the massage experience. In this article, I am going to discuss three of those questions.
What are the Client’s Expectations?
Defined, an expectation is a feeling or belief that something will happen or is likely to happen, or is a feeling or belief about how successful or unsuccessful someone or something will be.
When a client comes to see you for a massage, they have a belief that you will help them with something specific. They reached out to you because of a need, whether that’s relief from stress and tension, pain or some other condition, and they are hoping you will help with that need.
Prior to coming to their appointment, they have a preconceived mental image of how they think their body will feel during and after the massage. They also have some ideas about what your behavior and should be and how your applied skill as a massage therapist should feel.
If you don’t know what all these wants, hopes, beliefs and expectations are before starting the massage, then you have to guess about how to give the massage. Many therapists simply fall back on a routine and hope it works. I call this the Cookie Cutter Massage Syndrome.
Instead of falling back on a routine, massage therapists should learn to adapt their hands-on skills to each client’s expectations, in order to provide their best massage.
To do this, there are three questions you need to ask each client during the intake: Have you ever had a massage before’ what is your intent for this massage—relaxation and stress reduction or pain reduction?; and to better personalize your massage, will you circle the percentage that most likely fits the needs of you and your body today?
1. Have you ever had a massage before?
This is the question massage therapists most commonly ask of a new client. Typically, a therapist uses this question to get information needed to prepare and walk a new client through the massage experience or find out how much massage experience a client has had in the past.
While this question has a yes or no answer, both answers have expectations to consider.
If someone has never had a massage before, the biggest hesitation clients have is undressing and allowing a trained stranger to touch their body. It is easy to walk them through the routine and protocols, to put their mind at ease. Their expectations are typically low, easy to meet, and many times this person will reschedule with you.
If someone has had a massage before, what you need to realize is that you are being interviewed. This person is most likely trying a new therapist because they can no longer see their last therapist (i.e., they quit or moved), or they didn’t like their last therapist and are looking for someone who can meet their needs.
Both scenarios have expectations you need to address for them to become your regular client. For the person who liked their therapist, they are looking for you to replicate the experience. Each therapist has their own unique approach, and your approach will work great if you understand the expectations you are addressing and meet them.
For the person who was unsatisfied with their previous therapist, likely a pressure concern was involved in their previous massage, either too much pressure or not enough. You will need to understand their expectations and communicate well to be able to offer them what they want. I like to use a pressure scale with numbers so together we can really dial in the right pressure for them.
2. What is your intent for this massage—relaxation and stress reduction or pain reduction?
This question will help you figure out what the client expects to feel after the massage. Wanting this desired feeling is why they made the appointment with you.
With this question, observe that we are not discussing the name of a technique or treatment. We are discussing a category of a type of feeling the massage should create. When you begin to realize that you are simply meeting the desired category or need, you can better understand how to adapt your skills around that need.
Below are examples of what these categories mean to your client:
Relaxation is all about the skin. This is a full-body massage experience with great ambiance. The approach is what we typically think of for spa and relaxation. It is an easier expectation to fulfill.
Stress reduction is about meeting pressure with pressure. This massage requires a specific level of pressure to create positive changes in the nervous system. Too light a pressure can be irritating and too deep of a pressure often leaves the person feeling worn out and in pain.
A compressive mid-range pressure for the whole massage works best for the client to feel stress relief. I call this massage the “squeezing-the-toothpaste-out-of-the-tube” pressure, and it feels that way too.
Pain reduction is the hardest expectation to fulfill because effective pain management takes more sessions and frequency of treatments to be effective. Most clients want a miracle in one session, and while I believe massage can be amazing, it will take repeated treatments for real change to happen.
A common misconception by therapists is the idea that pain reduction simply means performing deep tissue massage on painful areas. The client is requesting deep change, which may or may not include deep pressure, and it will require a joint effort to achieve that expectation.
3. To better personalize your massage, will you circle the percentage that most likely fits the needs of you and your body today?:
100 % Relaxation 100% Pain Reduction
50% Relaxation / 50% Pain Reduction
80% Relaxation / 20% Pain Reduction
80% Pain Reduction / 20% Relaxation
60% Relaxation / 40% Pain Reduction
60% Pain Reduction / 40% Relaxation
This question defines the massage flow, timing, and starting and ending locations.
Clients have preferences about massage direction and timing, especially if they have had massage in the past and liked that specific massage sequence best. All it may take to create a repeat client is to allow them to design the flow they want you to follow.
I call this preference the “dessert first” or “veggies first” option.
Some people want to relax and let go for a set period of time and then have you dig in on some requested areas. They want dessert first.
Some people want to get their vegetables out of the way so they can enjoy dessert. These people want you to address their needs for a specific amount of their massage time allotment, and then let them relax for the remainder of their time.
The percentages listed translate into 60 minutes on a clock. A couple of examples of this are:
100% pain reduction: This client wants you to focus all your time and attention on their issue.
80% Relaxation/20% Pain Reduction: This client wants you to do a relaxation massage for 45-50 minutes first, then finish with 15-10 minutes of spot work.
60% Pain Reduction/40% Relaxation: This client wants you to address their pain/need for about 30-40 minutes, then relax them for the last 20-30 minutes.
To reach that goal of providing each client the best massage, ask the client where they would like you to start the massage, how to progress through massage, and where you will end the massage, such as the back or the feet.
Design the massage together and then ask the client if that massage flow is what they would like to receive today. Chart this flow in your records to review before their next appointment.
“That Was the Best Massage!”
I believe a client already knows they are going to reschedule with you before they ever get off your massage table. This request to reschedule will happen quite naturally when you understand their expectations before you ever start the massage and then meet those expectations during the session.
By using just these three questions and understanding how to interpret the answers, you can create a deeply tailored experience and leaves the client thinking, “I just had the best massage.”
About the Author
Amy Bradley Radford, LMT, BCTMB, has been a massage therapist and educator for more than 30 years. She is the owner of Massage Business Methods and the developer of PPS (Pain Patterns and Solutions) Seminars CE courses and an NCBTMB Approved CE Provider.