Distinguishing Massage Services

I have been asked several times to write an article about the different types of massage. It is a loaded request because the industry is crowed, ill defined, and increasingly more confusing. Any proposed nomenclature or classification would surely be contested by a faction of therapists and bring clients no closer to their healthcare goals. A Massage Modality of the Month series would be interesting, but would it be useful? I believe we should discuss massage in terms of services; after all, massage therapists provide clients with services, not massage modalities. There are many published books and websites that name and describe well over 50 different types of massage and bodywork modalities and that number keeps growing. Each time I walk through a holistic trade show or read a holistic directory, I discover a newly named form of massage or bodywork to add to the list. Many talented therapists want to make their mark on the industry by creating a new type of massage. Personally, I find that there are more new names coined than there are truly new modalities created. Perhaps our culture values the creation of something completely new more than it does further refining or expanding upon an existing therapy. Short of an annual census, establishing a complete list of massage modalities would be challenging. Categorizing massage and bodywork modalities in order to understand their similarities and differences is an even more difficult task than developing a complete list. How do you categorize something that is inherently subjective and variable in a way that is both accurate and meaningful? I have seen brilliant diagrams that objectively group massage and bodywork by origin and theory or by characteristics and techniques. These diagrams are great for massage geeks, like me, but may not give clients information they can used to choose a massage session from a long list of modalities. I have also seen massage and bodywork subjectively categorized by what a client should experiences. Clients can relate to these descriptors, but without statistical data to support the subjective comparisons, they remain the opinion of one well intended and daring individual that may or may not correspond to the experiences of others. In the real world, clients do not need to know the name of massage modalities; actually, it might detract from the more important things, the client’s wants and needs. Quality of Touch has researched massage client consumption and has discovered that clients search for a session based on several variables such as availability, location, service, provider, and price. A list of modalities gives them an indication of a therapist’s versatility and credibility, but not a clear expectation of the service itself. So why do therapist habitually describe their massage services in terms of modalities? That is how they consume massage education. Massage instructors may market modalities, but massage therapists market services. Therapists need to rethink how they communicate their services to clients. Massage specialists are doing things right. Clients know who they are and with a little help what they want. Massage modalities centered around consumer types, such as Sports, Pregnancy, Infant, and Cancer Massage, attract ideal clients because the name effectively communicates the service. These specialized therapists are trained to recognize the needs of a specific client population and use a combination of massage modalities and techniques to provide a well communicated service. So, do we need to rename the other massage modalities to reflect a target audience or benefit? No. Massage therapists need to stop leading with modality to describe their service. “Green Zen Massage”, “SportsMax Massage”, or “Tranquility Herbal Wrap” are not massage modalities, but would be fantastic names on a menu of massage services. Along with a descriptive support text, service titles can effectively attract a targeted client or communicate benefits. Granted, there are some method based massage modalities that utilize an ordered series of specific techniques, but most therapists are not modality purists. They use a combination of techniques or modalities to customize a session to best meet a client’s needs. Clients may have preferences around clothing, draping, oils, or pressure. These preferences may rule out certain techniques or modalities, but versatile therapists with diverse training can always find a technique to meet their client’s preferences and goals. Massage therapists should explore various modalities in order to broaden their skill set and post their training and credentials, but should not expect clients to be able to choose a massage service solely based a modality transcript. Better communication between massage therapists and clients will improve choices, expectations, and satisfaction.