I just bought a new Flip Video, so that our massage business can start creating massage videos on the fly.

Over the past year, I have tried many internet marketing strategies to build our online presence. And we have had great success utilizing article marketing, PPC, blogs and social media websites to name a few. Not until now, have I tried experimenting with videos.

Youtube, is the 3rd most visited website on the internet, according to Alexa. Google the #1 search engine owns Youtube. It becomes clear to me that you need to be using video to market your business on the internet. So I went on Amazon and bought the Flip video after researching it.

My Plan for using the Flip Video

I am not going to talk much about the features of the product, but what I can say is that after 3 days of playing with it, it is so easy to use. Because I have many different projects that I am working on and being technically challenged, I needed something that was easy and convenient to use without much technical know-how. Here are my ways of using video to market our Massage Business, Roman Paradigm Massage…

1. Shoot short 3-5 minute massage training videos
2. Video Bio pages of our massage staff
3. Video client testimonials
4. Video our massage rooms to show clients our professionalism
5. PPC video landing pages
6. SEO benefits
7. social media

As you can see there are many opportunities for using video to market your massage business or for any business. And if you are selling products, imagine how much more you can engage your potential customers with video. I will write a follow-up blog post about how I specifically will use these 7 outlined tips, but for now, enjoy the video below that I just created using the Flip Video. Please tell me what you think?

The video footage below is of our salt water tank, located in our lobby. If you are local to the San Jose Bay Area, here is my guy, Jeff for salt water tank set ups. Be sure tell him that Robert or Doreen sent you for a free consultation.

Is a Massage Bliss Bootcamp for you?

A few months ago one of our massage therapists (Aeriol) and a client of hers came up with this wonderful idea called, a massage bliss bootcamp.

What is a Massage Bliss Bootcamp?

Well we all have heard of bootcamps, they have bootcamp for basic training, they have teen bootcamps for trouble teenagers as well as fitness bootcamps. So we took this concept and applied to massage therapy and it turned out great. Below you can hear how one of clients at RPM Therapy went through this massage bootcamp and her feelings with it.

A massage bliss bootcamp is a commitment that you make with yourself, that for a period of 2 weeks, you will get a 30 minute massage everyday, These massage sessions can vary in any length of time, Suzanne decided that she wanted to have 30 minutes each day and scheduled all 2 weeks worth for the same time each day.

RPM Therapy has never done anything like this before so to get feedback, we interviewed her at the end  And what was surprising to me, was the guilt feelings that came up maybe once or twice during the 2 week period for her. She almost struggled to continue with her commitment because it just did not feel right or fair that she was receiving these massages everyday.

What? Can you imagine the day that giving yourself such a treat would come with so many guilty feelings, I just think that this is the most terrible thing to ever feel, we all should be able to experience this kind of joy and bliss that massage therapy offers. And the happiness that comes with it, be a way of connecting with ourselves and being whole, knowing that this is something that we all deserve it because, the joy of life is beautiful.

Book Your Massage Bliss Bootcamp with us here

Check this video testimonial of our massage bliss bootcamp

Ice massage for inflammation and pain relief is fast, free, safe and easy to implement. If you a massage therapist who treats athletes you should have ice massage available. As a massage therapist you will see many clients who come and see you for pain relief of a chronic or acute condition, caused by an injury.

Pain, muscle spasms and inflammation are common responses to injury, which affects ligaments, tendons and tissues that connect muscle and bones. Cold applied to these areas decreases the flow of inflammation causing fluid into the tissues and slows the release of chemicals that cause pain and inflammation. Cold decreases feeling in an area by reducing the ability of the nerve endings to conduct impulses.

Ice massage therapy is most effective if it is applied as soon as possible after the injury occurs. The cold makes the veins in the tissue contract, reducing circulation. Once the cold is removed, the veins overcompensate and dilate and blood rushes into the area. The blood brings with it the necessary nutrients to allow the injured back muscles, ligaments and tendons to heal.

Ice massage therapy provides convenient and effective pain relief. It can help to provide relief for back, knee, and ankle or elbow pain in a number of ways, including:

• Ice application slows the inflammation and swelling that occurs after injury. Most back pain is accompanied by some type of inflammation, and addressing the inflammation helps reduce the pain
• Ice massage therapy numbs sore tissues (providing pain relief like a local anesthetic)
• Ice massage therapy slows the nerve impulses in the area, which interrupts the pain-spasm reaction between the nerves
• Ice massage therapy decreases tissue damage

Scar tissue Removal

In our San Jose massage facility, we often work with clients who are athletes. And we all know that athletes injured themselves.

Many our massage clients who suffer from scar tissue formation; we specialize in scar tissue removal at our clinic. After every one of our scar tissue removal sessions we finish off with a 5-7 minute ice massage. This is design to keep any new scar tissue from building up after these very evasive massage sessions.

Scar tissue removal massage techniques are designed to cause micro trauma to the area being worked on. This is necessary for the removal and break up of scar tissue that our massage clients may be suffering from. But at the same time your thoughts are to minimize the damaged that occurs from this very intense deep massage. Utilizing ice massage with this type of massage allows us to this very effectively.

You can use an ice cube, but it’s easier to use an “ice cup” for ice massage.

• To make an ice cup, fill a small paper or Styrofoam cup about two-thirds full, and freeze it until it is solid.
• To use the ice cup, peel off the top of the cup so about 0.5 in. of ice is showing. The remaining part of the cup is for you to hold on to.
• As the ice melts, it will drip, so put a small towel under the area you are icing.
• Rub the ice in small circles all over the affected area. Avoid areas where the bone is close to the skin, such as right over your kneecap, the point of your elbow, or your spine. Some people also find it is more comfortable to put a moisture barrier such as a section of plastic bag over the area, so the ice is not directly touching the skin. To try this, hold the plastic in place with one hand and rub the ice over it with the other hand.¹
• If the ice melts down so the cup is touching your skin, peel more of the cup off.
• Continue for about 7 to 10 minutes. You will go through 4 stages of with ice massage first stage is cold, second stage may burn, third stage will ache, then finally the fourth stage and the most important stage is the numbing stage, as soon as this is achieved, remove the ice. Your skin will be pink and cold when you finish.
• You can do an ice massage several times a day if it helps you

Please do not attempt scar tissue removal techniques on your clients unless you have experience doing this type of work. You can cause more damage to the injured area. These massage techniques are advanced and have no preset way of achieving results, this is where your experience will guide you. You can rest assure that with RPM Therapy in San Jose, we are experienced bodyworkers and if you suffer from scar tissue or think that you do, our staff is here to help.

Muscle recovery and restoring range of motion is the primary focus for post-event massage therapy. Post event massage is usually done at the site 10 – 20 minutes after an athlete completes his or hers event. But I find that most events attract huge crowds and getting a massage at one of the events, can be very challenging.

This past Sunday, I completed my first half marathon in San Jose, called the Rock-n-Roll ½ Marathon. An event like this could attract at least 10,000 runners. As you can only imagine, trying to get a 5 minute massage to reduce your muscle soreness, will have you standing in a line for about 30 minutes or more. And the skill set of the massage therapist should be a concern for you as well. Because it is at this time that a sports massage can do more damage than good. I personally do not recommend getting a post-event massage at your event for these reasons, unless of course you have VIP status and can get seen by a massage therapist quickly and who is knowledgeable in post event massage techniques.

According to a recent study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers at Ohio State University found that Swedish massage helped speed muscle recovery at the cellular level for rabbits that got mechanically intense exercise.

I find this study to be a little interesting, as I have heard of horses and pets getting massage but never rabbits. Anyways, this study is helping to affirm the benefits that sports massage can have on muscle recovery with massage verses not getting massage.  I personally have done case studies on myself with regards to how massage affects muscle recovery. And this is what I can share with you.

I had done a case study a while back and I picked my calf muscle for this case study. My calves have always been a weak point for me (just ask my girlfriend she can confirm this for you) but as I was saying, I picked calves for my study. Here is a quick outline of it…

• 100 reps total, 4 sets of 25 reps with a weight of 50% of my maximum 10 repetitions.
• No massage to the area after this workout was done

Results: 4.5 days of muscle soreness, I measured muscle soreness as what I felt when I touched the calf area. Waited a full 2 weeks before I done the same weight and rep scheme but this time I had my calves massaged right after the workout and the day after.

Results: 2 days of muscle soreness only, but honestly it was not even a full 2 days. Getting oxygenated blood into your overworked muscles is key to continuing to perform your best in whatever event or sport that you participate in.

As a massage therapist you would think that, I would just believe, that massage can help you with muscle recovery without inflicting that painful experience on myself. But I like to know first hand what I am talking about when it comes to giving out advice.  So as a final thought I do recommend post-event massage therapy for muscle recovery after your event, but schedule your massage with a trusted massage therapist prior to your event.  Have it all setup so that when you finish your event you go right from there to your massage appointment maybe even schedule two shorter massage appointments in close together to maximize the benefits. You will be happy to know that you can trust your post-event massage sessions with us at RPM Therapy in San Jose. Your body will thank you for it.