I hope everyone has an amazing holiday season. I have the next two weeks off from nursing school and will be working with my clients.
Enzo
bodyfixx
Thanksgiving holiday schedule
This may come as a surprise to anyone not in the business of massage, but the week of Thanksgiving tends to be my busiest week of the year. Naturally, I begin my clinical rotations for nursing school this very week, but aside from that my schedule is pretty open as follows:
- Monday, November 23: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Tuesday, November 24: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Wednesday: November 25: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Thursday: November 26: Spending the holiday with my family
- Friday, November 27: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Saturday, November 28: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Sunday, November 29th: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Massage FIXX: Deep into the RN Program
Just a quick update on my progress in nursing school. The RN program at CNI College is amazing and I love how the knowledge I’ve gained in anatomy, biology and physiology have made me so much more aware of the individual situations of my massage clients. The difficult part is to avoid performing a nursing assessment on my clients and simply allowing them to relax and enjoy their massage sessions.
Thank you for the best week of the year
I want to thank all my amazing massage clients for making last week my most productive week this year. I am humbled by your loyalty and appreciate all the referral business sent my way.
You guys ROCK!!
Happy New Year
Massage FIXX: New Massage Laws in CA
The rules involving California’s voluntary certification of massage professionals and the regulations of the business throughout the state are changing due to California’s AB 1147, which is not predicted to be vetoed and therefore should become law on October 15, 2014 and effective on January 1, 2015. I’ve included a link to the entire bill here for those of you interested in the details, but let me summarize it in simple text:
- 500 hours of formal training at an accredited school and the successful passing of a test will be required to become a Certified Massage Therapist (CMT). Currently, no test is required.
- The former 250-hour Certified Massage Practitioner (CMP) is being phased out.
- Cities will be stripped of much of their power to enforce special regulations and will be limited to enforcing zoning, business licensing and health and safety concerns. In other words, cities such as Whittier will no longer be permitted to require massage professionals working in their city to register as adult entertainers.
- The current Board of Directors will be disbanded and replaced with 13 new individuals (only two of which will be massage professionals) by September 15, 2015
- The rules for determining school accreditation will be much more specific and strict.
What the bill does not clarify is when the new tests will be required, or whether certification will remain voluntary. Many people are unaware that we massage professionals are not currently required to be certified. The bill also fails to mention anything about creating a licensing board to enable the future status of Licensed Massage Therapist. While I see people with LMT listed on their business cards all the time, there is currently no such thing as a Licensed Massage Therapist in California (maybe they are referring to their drivers’ license?)
Personally, I like the direction California is going because it legitimizes the business of massage therapy. What do you think of AB 1147?
Enzo
Community FIXX: Nurturing To Remember Event
I am honored to have been able to assist at a third annual “Nurturing to Remember” event, which helps women heal from the grief of losing a baby.
The event was held this past Monday at the Pacific Edge Hotel right on the sand of Laguna Beach. It was hosted by Forever Footprints, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit that organizes the OC Walk to Remember each year in memory of children who were lost to miscarriage, stillbirth and sudden infant death.
Five of us students from CNI College’s Massage Therapy program offered free massages during the seven-hour event to offer comfort from the stress these women are experiencing. I expected a very somber event, yet was impressed at the strength of the women I met and their ability to move forward past their pain and loss.
Enzo
Travel-FIXX – Palm Springs
My trusty massage table and I are heading to Palm Springs for the weekend to work with a few clients, catch up with some great friends and enjoy a midnight swim. Have a great weekend
Massage FIXX: Deep-Tissue Massage
Deep tissue is a form of Swedish massage, but the movement is slower and the pressure is deeper and concentrated on areas of tension and pain in order to reach the sub-layer of muscles and the fascia. The massage therapist uses their fingertips, knuckles, elbows and even tools and stones to physically break down adhesions (known as “knots”) to relieve pain and restore normal range of motion.
At certain points during the massage, most people experience some discomfort and pain during deep tissue work and it is important to tell the massage therapist when things hurt and if any soreness or pain you experience is outside your comfort range. There is often some stiffness or pain after a deep tissue massage, but it should subside within a day or so.
The client is generally nude during a Swedish massage and the therapist only uncovers the part of the body being worked on at that time, a technique called draping. Your comfort is the most important part of the massage, so you are welcome to wear undergarments or even shorts if you prefer not to be nude. Continue reading
Massage FIXX: Swedish massage
Swedish technique is the most basic of Western massage modalities and what most massage clients experience in a spa. Swedish is a relaxing, full-body massage in which your therapist uses their hands and forearms to provide long, soothing effleurage (French word meaning “to glide”) strokes to relax and warm the superficial layers of your muscles and fascia.
The client is generally nude during a Swedish massage and the therapist only uncovers the part of the body being worked on at that time, a technique called draping. Your comfort is the most important part of the massage, so you are welcome to wear undergarments or even shorts if you prefer not to be nude.
A common misconception is that Swedish has to be a light touch and that it will not help relieve tension or knots, but a surprisingly deep pressure can be applied during these gliding strokes for those preferring deeper work.
While Swedish tends to be the starting point for deeper massage work such as Trigger-Point therapy and Deep-Tissue Massage, a full session of Swedish massage is an amazing way to relax your body as well as your mind.
Thank you for allowing me to share your journey towards total wellness.
Enzo (about Enzo)
BodyFIXX Total Wellness 