Once I got my license, ordered the business cards, built the website I got to thinking….now what? I had no real desire to go to work in a spa or health club as 
that was part of what attracted me to this field… The opportunity of being able to work for myself. My first desire was to start cold calling on nursing homes, assisted living centers and hospice centers. However, with their limited funds it wasn’t long before I realized it would take some time before I could build up this kind of clientele, which brought me to another thought …. these are the type of people that sooo need massage… so why not donate my time there. As any business person knows though your business would need to make money before you can consider donating.
I have colleagues who had made recommendations that worked for them. One in particular was Wally Sagui (also now an LMT that I went to school with). Wally made the recommendation that I sign up with “WeeklyPlus.com“. But that would require me posting an advertisement and committing to taking on any average Joe, Sue, Bobby or Kim that bought the package. Don’t get me wrong it’s not that they don’t need massage or are not worthy….because they DO and they ARE! My concern was inviting a stranger into my home or going to their home. Lets face it in this day and age all one has to do is listen to the news or read about the “craig’s list killer” to get spooked out of that decision! The longer I thought about my fears for myself it dawned on me (and I’m embarrassed it took so long)…..”well what about the Client? They don’t know me either “ and they are the ones who have to undress, get on my table and trust I know what I am doing. Which lead me my original question…..
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR MASSAGE THERAPIST?
I stumbled across an article by the Washington Post with the exact same Title and in there was a quote that struck me kinda funny…. “The world is basically divided into two groups: MDs and everyone else.” The article also went on to say “physicians practicing traditional Western medicine must be trained and licensed and are subject to oversight by state medical boards, practitioners in many fields of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) can pretty much just hang out a shingle and start working with patients.”
Well being a massage therapist I know this not to be the case anymore (at least in Texas). Fortunately since September of 2007 it became law that anyone wishing to practice massage therapy had to hold a valid license indicating they have passed a specific curriculum, so many hours internship and passed a state test.
So as a means to assisting anyone who has found themselves on my site….I wanted to share with you how you can check out and confirm your massage therapist is in fact licensed. The “Texas Department of State Health Services” has an easy way to verify license. If you are looking for me my last name shows up as “Cottrell” …. they left out the “Conti”. 🙂
But that is just one way to help know your massage therapist better….I’m going to keep thinking on this and will keep you posted ….I’m thinking “how well do you know your massage therapist – part 2” 🙂
I agree. Advertising with weeklyplus.com was a risk. I currently do not have a place to operate of out. Therefore, it required me traveling to someone’s house to work on them. Even though I am a guy, there are still potential risks involved. But, so far so good. I screen my appts before I go. I leave appt info at home with my wife so she knows where I am going to be and what time. And upon arrival, I carefully look the place over. I check my entry and exits points and make sure I have an escape if needed. Also, my cell phone and keys are handy and ready.
As a new therapist, it’s going to be tough to build a new business. Let’s face it, Massage Therapy is one of the fastest growing occupations right now. There is a lot of competition out there. I truly believe, what will make or break a new therapist will be their skill level. People will pay and go back to a therapist who can “fix” them.
All in all, I’m out “time” and a little bit of “$” as I run these weeklyplus.com ads, but hopefully, some of them will be repeat customers. Marketing and advertising will also be key for any good therapist. Word of mouth will only take you so far. Does not matter how good you are, if people dont know how to get a hold of you when they need you, then all is lost.