Appropriate Massage Equipment
Massage, while luxurious and pampering for its receivers, is a serious profession for its deliverers requiring enormous knowledge, an advanced skill set, and unmatched professionalism. And along with this – in order to make a massage profession a successful profession – is the need for safe and effective massage equipment.
As a massage therapist, your equipment needs depend largely on your method of seeing clients. If you work within an existing full-service spa then your massage equipment needs will be significantly less than if you have clients coming to your home or vice versa.
If you do not see your clients in an existing spa, then you will have to provide a massage table and massage chair as part of your massage equipment. A massage table can be a permanent piece of furniture or foldout table that you bring along with you to appointments. It is generally a long table with a cushion for the client to rest their face when they are on their stomach. When purchasing this piece of massage equipment be sure that the table is of adequate length and sturdy enough to hold a variety of weights.
A massage chair allows you to do back and neck massages while the client sits up with their face in a cushioned holder. This piece of massage equipment is typically for shorter massages and don’t require the client to remove any clothing.
Many massage therapists – regardless of whether they work in a spa or at home – consider their own massage oils and lotions to be a part of their personal massage equipment. The smell and texture of certain products appeal to some massage therapists more than others and they will often bring their products along with them. In addition, for those massage therapists trained in hot stone massage, they will often bring their own hot stones – as these are expensive and personal pieces of massage equipment.
However, more important than the massage equipment – or possibly considered the most important piece of massage equipment of all – is the massage therapist’s ability to connect with their client and deliver a relaxing, therapeutic massage.