12 Services to Offer Virtually as a Massage Therapist
3/30/2020
NewsIf you’re a massage therapist, you’re probably feeling the effects of COVID-19 on your business more than most. This is a challenging moment for many reasons. Being a massage therapist, you know the critical importance of touch and how it affects connectedness, happiness, and your overall well being. If you’re wondering what you can do to fill the gap of therapeutic touch, you’re not alone.
You’ve chosen to work in an industry full of amazing therapists who crave helping people, but with COVID-19, you might be wondering what you can offer your community now that massage isn’t an option. Though you can’t give positive touch in your community, there’s still so much you can provide - virtually.
How to Touch Your Community With No Hands
1. Create a Virtual Series
How many times have you been asked for a massage to help relieve a headache? What about a massage to relieve sinus pressure? Go through your memory and write about every time your clients asked you for advice. What were they asking? Did they want to know how to give their partner the best foot massage? Maybe you could guide them through a virtual foot massage. What about a “Massage for Focus” tutorial? Or, a “How to Give the Head Massage,” class. You have a wealth of knowledge, now is your time to show-it-off!
2. Everyone Loves Custom
This is for those of you who have that core group of amazing clients you have been working with for a long time. How do you keep them in your life? Sit down and take some time to come up with a custom plan for them to keep them on the right track, virtually. Are you helping someone with their scar tissue? Present her with a 6-week plan that you can continue in virtual sessions. Do you help someone else with their tension headaches? Present them with a twice-a-week virtual option. Now is the time to start making your clients do the homework you’ve been wanting them to do!
3. Help Clients Perfect Their Posture
For those of us who are working from home, we’re slouching more than ever. Transitioning from an office setting with a proper desk to a kitchen table, bed, or coffee table desk is difficult. This extra slouching can be painful and without someone to massage out the pain points, we’re left leaning into bad habits. Set-up a virtual consultation with your clients and show them the proper body mechanics for office work. This will improve their day-to-day life and they’ll be sure to recommend you to their friends.
4. Host a Virtual Stretching Class
This new work from home life can be cramped - in our bodies and in our spaces. Stretching can make a huge difference in quality of life. Create an online class that walks your clients through easy, relaxing stretches that will help them create space in their bodies and help them rest easier. You can even create a series, “Stretching Before Bed,” “Morning Stretches,” or “5-Minute Stretches for Stress Relief.”
5. Help Clients Perform Self-Care at Home
If you’re a Yomassage therapist, you can take advantage of a virtual self-care training that will give you all the tools you need to create a beautiful offering for your clients. The Yomassage self-care certification teaches you about self-massage, trigger point therapy, and how to incorporate these methods into a class. You’ll learn 18+ different ways to use Yomassage balls, marketing tips, sequences, and class templates. You’ll even get an office chair sequence that could really help people in this moment of transition. If you aren’t a Yomassage therapist, there are virtual trainings to help get you certified in 3 weeks time. Check out the training dates here.
6. Dating is Fun, but Let’s Get Serious
Yes, those once-and-a-while clients are nice, but you need a commitment. Can you think of a way you can offer your virtual classes in a series format? Like 4 weeks to better posture. Or a twice-a-week series for back pain. Or a 1 session a week subscription.
7. Share What You Know
If you’ve been in this industry for a hot minute, you know that bodywork has been gaining traction. So many people are interested in getting into this line of work, so ask yourself, how you can help them do what you do? Could you offer a mentorship program? What if you took this time to write everything down that you know and create a mini “how-to book?” Websites like Canva can help you create all kinds of graphics, posts for social media, infographics, and more. People are interested in what you do - so tell them more. Become a thought leader in your line of work and position yourself to be someone people go-to for questions.
8. Collaborate with Someone in the Self-Care Industry
Two heads are better than one. Team up with someone in the self-care industry who has a skill that you may not have and create an innovative offering to give to your clientele. Here’s the thing, not only will you reach your audience, but you’ll reach theirs too! Like, let’s think about it for a second. What goes good with massage? Essential oils. Part one of the class - you show the clients how to provide self-massage and then in the second half, the essential oils master shows the client how to create a refreshing body oil blend to help them relax. A massage therapist might also share a great session with someone who knows reiki sound healing. Get creative!
9. Create Niche Classes that Reach Specific Needs
With the kiddos at home, parents need something to preoccupy the littles while they work. How can you meet this need? What if you created a series where you show kids how to self-soothe? Maybe you could create a class specifically for people experiencing loneliness. You could even create a virtual class for remote workers. There’s an abundance of needs in the world right now. See what you can do to connect with people who need help the most!
10. Create a Webinar
You work with your hands so you understand the power of touch. That’s compelling. What could you teach people about touch from an educational standpoint? How could touch help them in their daily lives? What do you know about the body and what it needs to thrive? Create a webinar and be a leader in the massage industry - wear your knowledge on your sleeve.
11. This one’s for the Yomis
So - you’re a Certified Yomassage® Therapist! This is a PERFECT time to focus on those stretch and breath pillars. You are armed and ready with the knowledge of breathwork and mindfulness meditation. Put this to good use! You also know the powers of restorative stretch. Get creative with some of the props your clients will have at home (blankets and pillows, etc.) and lead them through a group or private virtual Yomassage® class with restorative stretch, and one of the Yomassage® meditation themes.
12. Invest, invest, invest!
As a massage therapist, you’ve made a big investment before - you went to massage school. Look at how much that choice impacted your life! The truth is, right now you’ve got a lot of time on your hands. What can you do to set yourself up for a positive future when life returns to normal? Look into online courses that can help up your game that you can take right now. Continue to make yourself competitive in this industry. You’ve already got a strong base with your massage knowledge, now is your opportunity to take it to the next level. Yomassage cares greatly about helping massage therapists reach new heights. Check out the virtual training and see how it can make a difference in your practice.
You’ve Got This!
While you’re searching for answers on how-to make money right now, you’re also setting yourself up to make more money in the future. By building up all of this virtual content, you’re going to have more to offer people that you had before COVID-19.
It is tough, but you are strong, and you are growing your skills. You’re an innovator, a helper, a real game changer - you’ve got this!
If you want to learn more, check out our step-by-step comprehensive course that will walk you through taking your practice online for only $69.99! Learn more here.
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We hope that this article has been helpful for you! If you want to learn more and join the Yomassage community, you can do so through our free Yomassage Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/yomassage. And if you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends in the industry!
If you are interested in learning more about Yomassage, and taking this time of rest and reflection to become certified in Yomassage, we offer a VIRTUAL 25-hour Yomassage Certification that starts on the first Monday of every month, and runs for 3 weeks. For more details, check out this page.
Additionally, you can sign up for the Yomassage Affiliate Program and earn ~$50 for every person you refer who signs up for the training! This program is free for you. Sign up for the program here.
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