Massaging by Numbers

One of my clients asked me how many clients I have and I could not even guess, so I counted. As of today, I have 215; but the number does not represent all my active clients, just all of them from the time I started. It would be impossible for me to say with any accuracy how many are active at any given time.

Some clients see me once every couple of years; one woman called me FIVE years after I had worked on her. Life happens, so with moves, job changes, children, and relationships in flux, massage is not necessarily an everyday staple. I was glad she had kept my card and called me, but I honestly can not say that I remembered her as well she had remembered me.

Other clients are regulars and I rarely go for more than a week or two without seeing them; sometimes I see someone three to five times a week when he is in pain or has a particularly stressful situation. Because of the clientele I have and my own personal preference, I rarely have set appointments more than a week in advance; even when I do set a weekly appointment, the date or time invariably changes, so it seems nearly pointless to say "Same time next week" except for those in the legal profession, who are somehow able to set a schedule for a year without any changes.

Yes, there are therapists who have a weekly set of appointments, but if you are in this business, be prepared for changes. Even if you work for someone else (in a spa for example), there will be no shows, rescheduling, last minute appointments, and time extensions. This is not the field for those who want set hours and set pay; go into accounting (or a legal profession) if you seek a working environment by the numbers.

The old saying that "When you make plans, God laughs" holds true in life and as a massage therapist.