The whole process is supposed to happen in 15 minutes.

The whole process is supposed to happen in 15 minutes.

What do I mean by that? I mean that in a lot of spas a fifteen minute turnover is standard practice.  In other words, most spas, if they are busy, are booking therapists with clients hourly with a fifteen minute break in between.  At the end of a treatment the therapist has 15 minutes to:

1. Inform your client how to get up
2. Exit the room
3. Wait for the client to come out
4. Walk the client out
5. Cover homecare/client questions
6. Run back to clean the room and change the sheets
7. Greet your new client
8. Assess them
9. Give them informed consent and give them instructions to get on the table
10. Wait for them to change
11. And finally begin the treatment.

This does not cover any bathroom breaks, late clients, unforeseen circumstances or any water breaks. The average shift being 5 clients long, a therapist often goes for 6 hours without stopping. By no means is this ALL clinics, but it is standard practice for many.

On one hand, as a business owner, I understand the need for efficiency, and for structure. After all, in the end, it is a business and the end goal is to make money, however, as a health care worker, I also feel that it is not possible to meet the needs of my patient with such a schedule.

On the other hand, this is often not the case in private clinics, as private clinicians schedule themselves and are able to take a larger cut of the profit, so obviously their concern is putting out a quality product in a healthy amount of time. There is less pressure to make money fast when there is no one to split the total with.  However, when health care becomes monetized into units of time that must be cut into smaller splits, the pressure is on! Compound that with the fact that many spas and gyms are not run/owned by actual therapist, but are managed by business owners, the end result is likely something that does not meet any standard of client health care. Obviously it is not deliberate, however, health care goals and financial ones sometimes do not align. The situation further degrades as therapists, on long shifts with only 15 minute breaks, are likely at higher risk for burn out and mistakes as the therapists become essentially an assembly line of massage.

So the question becomes, are massage therapists health care, or are we a product? Massage therapy often finds itself straddling this issue as it rides a thin grey line between a luxury item and heath care.  My clinic runs on a 30 minute schedule. It works for me; it allows me enough time with clients to pay the bills and invest in their care. I don’t expect that this schedule will work for everyone, some will need more and some will need less, but in the interest of raising the standards for work environments and for lifting client care, we should work together as professionals to raise awareness for what IS and what IS NOT possible in 15 minutes.

For more information on Massage in NYC find us at our website!
by Beret Kirkeby

Twas the Night Before Marathon Poem.

Twas the Night before Marathon and all through the city,

Not a runner was running, not even the most gritty.

The compression socks and shoes were set with care,

In hopes that come morning lovely weather they would share.

The runners were nestled all snug in their beds,

while visions of sports drinks danced in their heads. 

Now Sprinter! Now Pacer! Now Nubie! Now Runner!

On Veteran, On Triathleate! Lets make this one Funner!

So up to the race course, the runners they flew,

For themselves, and their best time, and for charities too!

When they meet with an obstacle they mount to the sky!

Like they have wings on their feet, oh how swiftly they fly!

How their eyes twinkle! How their cheeks flush!

Hey its 26+ miles! Dear God whats the rush!!!

So tonight as your sleeping, know in your heart that you are ready,

Tomorrow will be thrilling, your endurance will hold steady!

And as you spring from the start and dash out of site,

I wish to you Happy Marathon to ALL and to all a good Night.

Have a wonderful run. We wish you the best from this Amazing experience. Thank you for your dedication and commitment that make this sport great for all levels. 
for more info find us at our NYC Massage program
By Beret Kirkeby

Running Hot and Cold before your Marathon. The power of a contrast bath.

I get asked a lot by athletes 'What can I do to recover faster' or 'What can I do before a race if I am sore'. I almost always bring up contrasts baths. And that almost always that leads them to say 'What is that?'

If I think back to the time of where I first knew of contrast baths, it really brings up images of 80's sports movies where athletes are dunked in big steel tubs of ice, or institutional baths. They are ugly steel contraptions set awkwardly in corners of locker rooms. In today's utterly perfect, slick, performance world I can't remember seeing them anywhere. Instead, we eat a vitamin-filled gummy, or wear cool colored tape for our recoveries; however, the contrast bath should not be over looked. It is a huge tool in recovery, and if you are running with an injury you should not be running with, it might be a game changer.

A contrast bath is a simple rehab tool anyone can use that helps decrease inflammation, decrease pain, decrease swelling, and potentially increase mobility. The bather, moves from a tub of warm water, to a tub of cold water and back for a cycle of 30 minutes. The back and fourth temperature changes from warm to cold, cause your circulatory system to repeatedly vaso-constrict and vaso-dilate. That "squeeze - release" action moves the fluid through your body at an expedited rate....as IF you were exercising but without the actual risk of exercising. 

We all know our blood moves through our body by the hearts pumping mechanism, but it does not move the blood by its power alone. Your muscle movement provides a very strong secondary pump that facilitates fluid movement throughout your body. For example, some of you might have noticed that your legs swell up a bit from lack of  movement when you are on an airplane. 

Plunging your whole body from hot to cold, or part of your body, can mimic the normal muscle movement, and be a very effective way of moving things along, especially if you are too close to race time to risk a massage, or cannot access treatment. In most cities there are bathhouses that have alternating cold hot dips that athletes can utilize for full-body plunges. You can also put one together at home with the use of buckets and thermometers. The bucket version is best for ankles and arms, or you can do a hot/cold compress for harder to reach areas. 

Before we get to the nitty-gritty of the recipe, I should like to add that it‘s very important to check with your doctor if you have any questions about if this is right for you. Anyone with circulatory problems, Reynaud’s, decreased feelings in their limbs or compromised skin should not be doing a contrast bath because it puts you at risk.

Here is the recipe for your contrast bath (if you are at home you will need a thermometer)

30 minute cycle repeating hot/cold and always ending on the hot

3-4 min hot water (100F)

1 min cold water (60F)

Have fun running hot and cold! For more information http://www.bodymechanicsnyc.com/
by Beret Kirkeby