Archive for May, 2008
Local San Francisco Massage Chair Company Get Funding
Posted by: | CommentsZubio located in downtown San Francisco inside a mall, it just raised a second round of funding, according to VentureWire.
Dubbed as the potential “Starbucks of chair massage” The size of the new funding was not disclosed, but chief executive Sam Keller told VentureWire it was “not far off from” the $2 million to $5 million that he was targeting earlier. It comes from individual investors including Philip Schlein of U.S. Venture Partners, former Yoga Works co-chief executive Rob Wrubel, Gary Grace of Supercuts and Rob Wilson, president of Tiburon Research Group. Keller plans to go out for more funding to finish the round in June, and to open at least one more studio by the end of this year.
As someone who owns a massage therapy business as well, I am excited that companies like Zubio are not only succeeding but also attracting funding. Most might think that this kind of success from a competitor can’t help us as small business owners but it does, Zubio’s business model is different than what we have at RPM Therapy, so there is really no competition.
Plus Zubio’s primary business model is chair massage; this emphasis on doing chair massage helps our massage therapy industry as a whole, more than we think. You see chair massage as we all know, is one of the best ways to market your massage services, With this in mind, Zubio’s business model is reaching and marketing massages, to a group of individuals who might not have ever had a massage before. A massage chair and its convenience is enticing, especially if you had never had one before, being in in a public well-lighted atmosphere takes away why most individuals won’t get one. Mall goers need not to worry about getting un-dressed, having messy oils rubbed all over them or being too time consuming, as a regular table massage ranging 60 to 90 minutes, chair massage session on the other hand typically last only 10 -20 minutes in length.
Businesses like MassageEnvy (which btw I don’t agree with) and Zubio are paving the way for future massage businesses like RPM Therapy and yours to break into markets that ordinarily would be very time consuming and expensive. As they are already doing most of the leg work for us to follow in right behind them. They are getting pre-approvals and working out all the city licensing issues and requirements, not to mention all the marketing testing that these massage businesses are providing us. We should be applauding them, so that they can keep exposing more to people to massage, it is great for us a industry, even if they do a poor job at it (Massage Envy).
When Massage businesses like (massage envy) do not hold their own, in the market place, there will be room for another massage company with improvements and innovative services, to come in and take market share from Massage Envy. As Zig Ziglar quotes, “see you at the top”.
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Building trust during Massage, where are your hands?
Posted by: | CommentsAs a male massage therapist, it can be very difficult establishing yourself in the massage industry. When I first started my massage career, I was afraid that I would not be able to survive and support myself. This was due to the fact that I could not find any massage job openings being a male massage therapist.
I recently came across a blog posting by fingertips called, “Keeping contact with the client” she states in her blog posting how important it is to keeping contact with your client during your massage sessions.
“As long as your hands are in contact with the client, they know where you are. This gets into the issue of trust, which, when your client knows where your hands are, facilitates relaxation”.
I firmly believe this as well, once I was able to find a massage job I made sure that my clients especially the females knew exactly where my hands were during their massage sessions. I often felt from the female clientele that frequent the Spa that I worked at, that there was a certain apprehension about them getting a massage from a male therapist.
Once I got that client on the table, I made sure that my hands never broke contact with their bodies. I intuitively knew that if my hands never left their bodies that they would be able to relax. My best guess is that the first five or ten minutes of the massage the female clients that I had, knew exactly where my hands were and paid specific attention to it. But once I built up that trust they were able to relax.
When I massaged areas of their body that did not require two hands; i.e. elbow work and trigger point therapy, just as fingertips mentioned in her blog post I would also put my free hands somewhere on their back, leg or arm just to let my female clients know that I was still there with them.
I also believe that my specialty, doing deep tissue massage has helped me to be successful as a male massage therapist. Deep tissue massage requires that you deliver precise intentional and direct pressure, to your clients. This kind of deliberate pressure felt like muscle work for my clients, not touchy-feely. So there was no mistake with what my intentions were, even when working sensitive areas like the glutes. Build trust through your massage and bodywork and be successful.
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Reiki Massage Integrated Bodywork for Mind, Body & Soul
Posted by: | CommentsReiki Massage is now being offered at RPM Therapy
Aeriol Ascher is a Reiki Master / Teacher trained in multiple Massage & Somatic Therapies, such as Medical Aromatherapy, Herbology, AcuTuning Forks, Crystals, Gems, Reflexology, & Hot Stone Therapy.
We at RPM Therapy in San Jose are so happy to have her part of our team, she is energetic and funny and always a delight, her integrated Reiki massage and bodywork will help facilitate: stress relief, pain management, deep energetic clearing, personal awareness & self-growth, which essential to living a life full of vitality.
What is Reiki Massage
Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) is a Japanese name consisting of 2 words Rei and Ki meaning spiritually guided life energy (commonly known as Universal Life Energy), an energy which animates us all and is found all around us. Reiki is a form of spiritual healing using “universal life energy” channeled through the practitioner to the recipient. Reiki helps to harmonize body, mind and spirit
A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.
Reiki in conjunction with therapeutic massage, hot rocks and other medical techniques can balance not only your physical and emotional well-being, but your spiritual as well.
How Reiki Massage Helps
Reiki is believed to relieve pain, boosts the immune system and relieve acute and chronic problems. This is believed because physical manifestations of pain are often linked to emotional, mental and spiritual states. Chronic illnesses may take a series of treatments, depending on the specific nature of the disease. Reiki goes beyond the symptoms to treat the root cause of the disease. When we treat only the symptoms, we do not always get to the true basis of the illness.
Reiki practitioners channel energy in a particular pattern to heal and harmonize. Unlike other healing therapies based on the premise of a human energy field, Reiki seeks to restore order to the body whose vital energy has become unbalanced.
What are the Benefits?
Reiki can be used in many ways and combined with essential oils and massage is a powerful tool. Reiki massage is great if you are suffering from stress or tension, and the many symptoms associated with stress and tension. It can also improve the quality of difficult relationships at home or work. The beneficial effects of Reiki and massage occur on many different levels. Reiki can accelerate the healing of physical problems, balance the emotions, and free us from restrictive mental attitudes. It may also provide a closer connection with our own inner wisdom.
Reiki encourages and supports positive personal change such as improving the diet, having more rest, exercise or leisure time, and may reduce the need for alcohol and tobacco. Reiki can allow us to respond more calmly to all events, and build on a more resourceful state of being. Reiki is a gentle energy and may be used safely by all ages, including the newborn, pregnant mothers, surgical patients, the frail and the elderly, regardless of their state of health. Reiki can enhance everyday life, and regular sessions help to ward-off illness and fatigue .
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Mother’s Day Flowers, Candy or Massage Gift Certificates?
Posted by: | CommentsGiving your mom flowers on Mother’s Day is a such a beautiful idea, but what happens after 2 weeks? They die!
Candy on Mother’s Day is always such a sweet gift but what happens with all that sugar? If you want to know, here is some information on it, Leaky Gut Syndrome.
What about a massage gift certificate? A healthy idea!!
As a massage therapist, promoting massage gift certificates should be in your marketing plan this year, Mother’s day gift certificate sales, is second only to Valentine’s Day. According to Constant Contact’s Annual Mother’s Day Outlook survey, the majority of U.S. small business owners expect customers to spend $25 - $75 on a Mother’s Day gifts, making it fit squarely in the massage and bodywork category. And a spa or salon service is the second most popular gift for Mother’s Day, just after flowers.
“Consumers see Mother’s Day as a way to show the women in their lives how important they are,” said Tracy Mullin, President and CEO of the National Retail Federation. “While the types of gifts may vary, the intentions remain the same — to honor the special women who impact our lives all year long.”
“Impact Our Lives” As a massage therapist we know the answer to, “what better way to show that special someone who impacts our lives, than with a massage session?”. We know that there in no better way, so every massage therapist and bodyworker should be out there spreading the word on massage gift certificates and the healthy, stress relieving benefits that massage offers.
Flowers and greeting cards remain holiday favorites, with more than half of consumers polled planning to buy flowers (50.7%) and nearly three-fourths (73.6%) of them purchasing a Mother’s Day card. Moms will also be receiving more gift certificates this year, as more than a quarter (25.5%) of consumers plan to give gift certificates, up almost 10 percent from last year. I am challenging all massage therapists and bodyworkers to increase their marketing efforts this Mother’s Day Holiday. Spreading the awareness to individuals who yet do not know the benefits of massage therapy or reminding them of the healthy benefits that massage brings to our body’s.
Lets, change these statistics and make massage/spa gift certificates #1for Mother’s Day for next year. In my next blog post, I will outline some of our marketing methods that we use at RPM-Therapy for our clientele. But if you have any idea’s please share them with us and lets see how many ways we can come up with.
Buy Massage Gift Certificates Online Here
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San Jose Sharks, Thank You and Get a Massage
Posted by: | CommentsFor an amazing season and for the hard fought battle last night against the Dallas Stars, I have nothing but love for you guys.
5 hours and 14 minutes the longest game in franchise history nobody can’t say that the San Jose Sharks did not try hard enough. San Jose Sharks we all wish that you could have been only the 3rd team in the history of the NHL to come from down 3-0 and advance to the next series.
When Brian Campbell was called for tripping I knew in my heart that this might be it, the San Jose Sharks just did not have anymore in their legs. can you imagine how the Sharks must be feeling physically right now, Oh btw, San Jose Sharks if you guys need a great massage to work out all those tired muscles, you guys have a personal invite to come in and get a fantastic deep tissue or relaxing massage from us at RPM-Therapy, we are located in San Jose near Santana Row.
And wow, what about Nabokov on that first OT save from Center Brad Richards of Dallas, wasn’t that the save of the year or what? Well Sharks maybe next year we will make history with our first Stanley Cup Trophy in franchise history.
Thank you for an amazing and fun year, and remember you can always come in for a great massage and try to put that lose behind you, I know its tough to lose like that.
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Can The San Jose Sharks Make History?
Posted by: | CommentsTonight is game 6 between the Dallas Stars and our San Jose Sharks. I must admit, I was not going to watch Game 5 because I did not want to watch a disappointing lose and an end to our season, I am so happy that I changed my mind.
Game 5 was an amazing game, just when it looked very dim for our San Jose Sharks, we were blessed by having not only 1 goal waved off, but 2 goals waved off by hockey officials. I am not a stat person but I can’t remember if that has ever happen to San Jose Sharks before in such a big game. And boy did the Sharks take advantage of those two gifts. I remember when the officials took waved off that last goal, the cameraman showed a picture of Joe Thornton and he was expression-less, I could not help to think, damn, these guys need to stay focus and they did.
Tonight, could make for a special event for San Jose Sharks fans, if they are able to win on the road which the sharks play better when they do, they will bring another game 7 here to San Jose and a chance to make history, there has only been two other times in the history of the NHL that a team has come from 3-0 in a series to win and advance to the next round. And that next round will be against the Detroit Red Wings.
But first before we worry about the Detroit Redwings, the San Jose Sharks need to play tonight as if this was Game 7, GO SHARKS!!
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Do You Need Incoming Massage Links for Google PR?
Posted by: | CommentsI am a massage therapist who also owns a small massage business in San Jose, Ca. I started my blog 6 months ago, and I can honestly say that, I am very please with my results so far, especially not knowing a damn thing before I became a blogger. But I can honestly say that it has been very hard and at times very stressful. I started this blogging thing with no money to invest so I was forced to learn through trial and error, and as part of that trial and error I am looking to try something new for my massage blog.
My Premium Wordpress blog recently hit a small milestone, my Think Diagonal Massage Blog achieved a Google PageRank of 3 and Alexa rating of 288,283. And the amazing thing for me is, it achieved this GoogleRank and Alexa rating while my blog has seen a decrease in activity. I do not want to lose momentum here and I am having a hard time currently finding the time to write, due to my other massage projects that I am working on and managing a small massage business. I have decide that I need some help writing massage related material for my blog.
So I am looking for guest writers to write blog post for my blog, if you are massage therapist or bodyworker who would like to get a couple massage links pointing to your website or blog, I would be interested in talking with you. Here is what I am looking for…
- Massage related material between 300 and 550 words in length
- Massage topics will be of your choice ( but I may after reviewing you article ask you to make some minor changes, if necessary)
- Articles may not be about your massage business or service BUT can be about a massage product that you offer. But I will point the links back to you website or blog. You may include a short bio about yourself.
- Massage articles need to provide interesting, well written material relating to our massage industry, current events or massage techniques.
What you get….
- Two anchor text (your keywords) links pointing back to your website or blog within the article.
- A link in my blogroll for a period of 30 days.
- Each article submitted by you will get another 30 days on my blogroll and two more anchor text links pointing to your website or blog
- Incoming link juice from my blog to your website or blog ( this will help you achieve higher Google pagerank) and get more web traffic.
I would like to see this be a start to a group of massage therapists and bodyworkers banding together to establishing a community of us linking to each other and guest writing on each others blogs. This is important, as more of us get involved, we will be able to help each other out, by positioning our websites and blogs for more web traffic and Google Ranking. I don’t want to get into the details on how this works, to our favor, but maybe someone out there can comment on it here. If you would be so kind, a link back to my blog would also be appreciated, I am open to link exchanges as well, just ask.
Please contact me by either leaving a comment here letting me know that you are interested, and at that time, I will send you more details, thank you fellow massage therapists and bodyworkers.
