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I’ve recently been asking myself why. Why? What is my purpose for doing what I do, massage therapy. Why is it that I work so hard? Why am I always challenging the status quo? Why do I push the limits of what’s expected of a massage therapist in Kalispell? Why do I try so hard to set myself apart from the pack? Well, to back up a little, many of you know I used to work as a debt collector for 11 years, the last 6 mostly part time while I tried to build my practice. For a long time, my “why” was so I didn’t have to be a debt collector. I was willing to do whatever it takes in the massage world so I no longer had that title.
Now that I’ve been doing massage therapy in the Flathead Valley full-time for awhile now, I’m having to go deeper, and look at my “why”, my core values, and develop a manifesto of sorts, kinda like Hugh Hefner and his article “The Playboy Philosophy”, and get on paper what I believe in. I know what I do, and how, but why do I strive as I do, what is my cause, what is my belief?
At the very core of me, my core values are allegiance to Jesus Christ, my family, and my character. Character I define as what you do when no one is looking. I often fall way short, but I strive to be the kind of person who will pick up that piece of trash someone threw out, return the purse I found, or give more than is expected without expecting accolades. I strive to be a man of my word. If I tell ya I’m gonna be someplace at a given time, I’m there. If I tell ya I’m gonna do something, I do it. I value honesty, which was something I struggled with as a debt collector. I value courage. I admire people like Evel Knievel, who, when he said he was gonna do something, when he gave you his word he was gonna fly that motorcycle over the fountains at Caesars Palace, he did it to the best of his ability. I admire people who set new standards, who push the envelope, and think outside the box.
Core values? I value music, nature, and people who appreciate them as I do. I value people who are not jealous. I value organization, structure, and purpose. I value written goals. I value ideas that come to me that say “Johnny you don’t have to just use your hands, or your feet to massage people, you can use all four of them at once! You don’t have to be stranded by what you learned in massage school, you can climb all over the table if it will help your client. Why should I be limited to print, radio, tv, and social media? Why shouldn’t I have a float in the local parade and show everyone what I do to make people feel better?”
Why? Because I had a lot of massage therapy before I ever got into massage school. Why? Because I was in physical pain from sitting at a desk 8 hours a day, and emotional pain from working for a company I didn’t trust. Why did I get into massage? Well, I was looking for a way out of collections anyway, and when I suddenly lost all the hearing in my left ear about 6 years ago, I needed a plan b in case I lost the hearing in my OTHER ear. I looked around locally, and with nothing at FVCC that interested me, I figured I could still do massage therapy if I lost all my hearing.
Why? Because having had tons of massage myself, during sessions while another LMT was working on me, I often thought, “I can do it better. There’s got to be a more comfortable face cradle than this one. Massage needs to be available evenings, and weekends. You shouldn’t have to pay extra if the massage therapist uses essential oils during the session. People should be able to get a massage at their home. These sheets are awful, there’s got to be something better. Why didn’t the massage therapist suggest some self-care techniques or gizmos I can use on my own? I should be able to book a massage online at 3am.”
I believe massage therapy heals physical and emotional pain. I don’t always understand how it works, but you don’t have to understand electricity to go the wall and turn on the light switch, right? I don’t have to completely understand why I do what I do. But you, well, you probably should. I believe in killing the cookie cutter massage. I believe my clients do not need to tip me. I’m not your hairdresser, or your bartender, I’m on your healthcare team. You don’t tip your chiropractor or physical therapist, do you? That’s the ballpark I’m in. (Yes, if you get a massage at a spa, resort, etc, you probably need to tip the massage therapist, as they are not self employed like I am.)
You as a consumer, subconsciously don’t buy what I do, you really buy into WHY I do it. One of my goals is to do business with people who believe what I believe. What I do proves what I believe, that there’s a better way. If you believe that massage should be mobile, available evenings and weekends, that online booking is important, quality equipment needs to be used, suggestions for self-care should be available, only the highest quality essential oils used, and the massage therapist should not be limited to using their hands and arms to make you feel better, if you’re the kind of person who believes you should have total control over every aspect of your massage session, then you’ve come to the right place. You believe as I do. We should do business together. Would you like me to schedule a massage therapy session for you?
TEXT 406-871-9885 WITH QUESTIONS
