The Massage Geek^® Blog

Stay tuned for the full results.  I know I have a lot of questions to answer from readers.  Please be patient.

I have made my choice:

FullSlate.com

It’s freakin’ fast, easy to use without any instruction, and offers more features than other systems in its price range.

For POS/CRM I will use PHP POS 11.5 which ongoing will be known as Open Source POS.

I’ll say more later.

Back to the drawing board.   In an earlier post I detailed my search for an online booking system that ended with the selection of MindBodyOnline.  It turns out that MindBody has some serious flaws that all start with an out-dated platform.  The system is tedious and clunky and every new feature seems to bog it down even more.  Working with it is like walking through the Winchester Mansion in Monterey, CA – a lot of dead ends and confusing pathways.  The tipping point was when several customers complained and told me they just gave up booking appointments online.  Phone tag was on the rise.

What I need is a online scheduling system that has the ease and efficiency of a smaller program like genbook and a simple, integrated POS system that tracks gift certificates and packages.  Systems like GenBook are affordable and easy to use but have no POS.  All the ones that do have POS are huge and complicated or expensive and ugly. At the moment there is nothing attractive in the middle.  Developers!  Hear my plea!

Sometime in the next month I’ll be posting a very detailed review of about 30 different programs.  For now, here are the only programs I would consider using – subject to change pending the results of the review:

Schedulicity
FullSlate
StyleSeat
CalendarSpots

Best of those four:  Schedulicity
Best overall value: StyleSeat (it’s a great system and it’s free!)

I do know that Schedulicity is accessible to my blind clients, Calendarspots and StyleSeat are not.  StyleSeat reports that they are actively working on making their pages more accessible.

TimeTrade, ClickBook, BookFresh, Genbook, Vagaro, AppointmentQuest, HitAppoint – all have major flaws that are deal-breakers for me. I won’t go into those flaws just yet. Appointment-plus has some nice modules to add, but you pay for each one and it quickly gets spendy.  I do not like its overall look and usability and will not use it for that reason.

p.s. If you use Schedulicity. I highly recommend that you turn off the “optimized scheduling” feature. It does not really optimize anything and can actually discourage bookings

p.p.s.  I should also mention that GenBook is no longer free, as mentioned in the earlier post.

View Preliminary Ratings Report

Ratings Criteria:

1. Initial Visual Impact and Attractiveness: Upon first opening the software, did it feel comfortable and inviting?
2. Ease of Start-up: Upon first opening the software, could you immediately understand where to go and what to do?
3. Usability and Efficiency for Administrators and Staff
4. Usability and Efficiency for Customers
5. Integration with Existing Websites and Profiles:  How well does the program blend in with your personal style?
6. Mobile Access for Staff and Admin
7. Mobile Access for Customers
8. Customer Service/Response Time:  How easy is it to reach tech support? How fast do they respond?
9. Price/Value
10. What special feature does this software offer that other developers should copy?
11. Is there a deal-breaker?  Is there any feature that makes this software totally unusable?

Hailey wrote:

Hi, I just found your site, and Id like to say thanks for all the infomation! I do have some questions. I am just out of Massage School and in the process of becoming licensed, I have been blessed with an opportunity to open up a small office located within a hair salon in my community. My question is this, I am young 21 to be exact and I am opening this business in a less than professional already established business. I want to feel ligit and offer relaxation,rehabilitation, and spa services. I also want to have a concultation before every (1st) appointment and charge a small fee of around $10-15. Do you think this is wise? To charge? I want to have a nice consultation with every client in order to educate them and to begin building a relationship with each person, but I want their actual session to be much different than an informal consultation. Do you think a totally separate consultation is a good ides? Do you think charging a small fee is a good idea?

Hi, Hailey.

Thanks for your question.

Can you tell me more about what you mean by “less than professional?”  My first advice is to not sign a long lease.  Keep your options open for the first few months.

I also have considered an intake session that is 90 minutes long and includes a consultation before a one-hour massage.  I think an extra $10-15 sounds about right.  But in my experience people aren’t so interested in a consultation with a massage therapist.  We are not trained to assess and diagnose conditions.  It is completely outside our scope of practice.

Would the consultation include some sort of testing?  palpation?  or would it be just an interview?  Do you have special training in a technique that requires a more thorough intake?  You could try an introductory promotion offering it for free for the first month or two.  Then see what kind of response you get.

What is “wise” will vary in each situation.   But I would say that you need to get more experience before you start charging for consultations.

Lynn

Whoa!  Check this out!

Google Body Browser

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Read this, then read the update on February 23, 2011

I have a new business opening in two days. (!) It will be a second location to complement my wellness clinic and will focus more on spa treatments. I spent two months researching every nuance of software services to find a new scheduling system that will accommodate two locations. I reviewed nearly 100 services and programs.

The first thing I did was an extensive Google search.  I found a few programs, but not quite what I was looking for.  I was very disappointed – and worried.  What I did find was a fantastic site that informed me about dozens and dozens of options:  Capterra.  It helped me reach the conclusion that I preferred an online service rather than a locally installed program.

I quickly chose spa-booker.com.  Two months went by and I realized that choice was a big mistake.  The program was tedious, inflexible and did not live up to promises made by the sales rep.  Some reps were nice to work with and some reps  – well, it was like having a conversation with a teenager trying speed for the first time.  I canceled my account, asked for my money back, and when they denied my request I enlisted the help of my credit card company to get the money back on my behalf.  They did.

I learned to not believe everything I read at Capterra as the information is submitted by the vendors, but overall it was a very helpful site.

Based on what I gleaned from Capterra, I created my list of criteria for the new business and started the search anew.  The list has 6 categories: must have, should have, would be nice, way cool if not too expensive, don’t know, and don’t need.  I downloaded free trials like crazy and tediously dissected online demos over and over.  I left no stone unturned.

Before I tell you my final choices, let me first say a word about genbook.  I’ve been using genbook for 2.5 years and highly recommend it for those who only need a scheduling system and don’t need the software to manage POS or the financial side of things.  It’s dependable, it easy to use, it’s beautiful to look at – well, relative to other options – and the customer service has been fast and reliable.  They supported me at every turn.   There is even a free option that is very usable for a moderate private or small group practice.  There is no excuse to not have online scheduling.  It’s free!  Probably 90% of my appointments are self-booked online, often in the late evening.   90% of new clients book online before I even meet or talk to them.  Seriously, it’s the best thing you can do to increase value and convenience for your clients – and therefore increase your revenue.  Another good program in this category is Bookfresh.  It has a free version, but it really is not usable for more than a trial period.

For those who need more, here is my list.  You are welcome to add your recommendation for software in the comments and I will tell you why I rejected it.

In alphabetical order:

Book4time
Millennium
MindBodyOnline
Rosy by Floydware

Millennium is WAY COOL but actually turned out to be too complicated and WAAAAY too expensive.  Thousands of dollars.   And with two locations the price is doubled.  Every little feature added extra cost.  Customer service wasn’t so great, either.  Book4time is also  expensive.  The set up fee is about $1500 and the monthly fee is about $200-400 depending on sales volume.  It just squeaked into the affordable range as it has so many cool features that it seemed I could make up the expense with the extra bookings that it would generate.  And all the features are included in the base price.  I decided to go with book4time.  However the customer service went from bad to non-existant.  The sales rep was difficult to get a hold of and when I left a message saying I had picked book4time, he didn’t return my call and I haven’t heard from him since.

This left Rosy and MindBody.  Both excellent choices.  There really is no wrong answer between the two.  Rosy has the advantage of being more user friendly and more affordable.  It would have been about $80 a month for me.  It is also a bit more rudimentary than MindBody.  MindBody is more rich in features including payroll integration and an online retail store.  It costs about $170/month at my level.  I would have chosen Rosy except for the fact that my payroll is going to be very complicated.   Rosy does not have payroll integration nor does it calculate commissions.  So Mindbody was the winner.

It’s been a few weeks now and I have not regretted my decision.  The customer service has been stellar – i.e. fast and effective.  It’s a complicated system and some of the processes are tedious.  But I have a lot of control over the features.  I can customize them to suit my needs.  That means a lot to me.   It was missing one item from the “must have” column.  It currently does not support the booking of multiple services.  (They assure me it will be coming soon.)  On the other hand it has a few items from the “way cool” list including memberships and class enrollments.

So there you go.

Living with chronic pain is exhausting.  It gradually wears on a person until there is simply no energy left to do something about it.  We know that getting a massage or taking a vacation or even getting in for a regular check up with the doctor would be really good for us.  But do we schedule that appointment?  No.  Life is just too busy, especially if we are busy caring for children, parents, or managing a big project.  We put ourselves last on the list of caretaking duties.   We get tired, irritable, just downright unhappy.   But what if you knew that your happiness, or lack thereof, affected everyone around you?  Well, it does.  In fact, not only does it affect those around you, but also those around them, and those around them. Happiness seems to spread like a contagion and researchers repeatedly find clusters of happy and unhappy people:

Clusters of happy and unhappy people are visible in the network, and the relationship between people’s happiness extends up to three degrees of separation (for example, to the friends of one’s friends’ friends). People who are surrounded by many happy people and those who are central in the network are more likely to become happy in the future.   Fowler and Christakis, 2008

So, when you are putting yourself last on that list of people to make happy, you are actually perpetuating their unhappiness.

…clusters of happiness result from the spread of happiness and not just a tendency for people to associate with similar individuals. A friend who lives within a mile (about 1.6 km) and who becomes happy increases the probability that a person is happy by 25% (95% confidence interval 1% to 57%). Similar effects are seen in coresident spouses (8%, 0.2% to 16%), siblings who live within a mile (14%, 1% to 28%), and next door neighbours (34%, 7% to 70%). Effects are not seen between coworkers.  Fowler and Christakis, 2008

“Effects are not seen between coworkers.”  I would love to hear your thoughts about that!

Conclusions People’s happiness depends on the happiness of others with whom they are connected. This provides further justification for seeing happiness, like health, as a collective phenomenon.  Fowler and Christakis, 2008

So pick up the phone right now and make that appointment.   Take some days off.  Start treating yourself better and dozens of people will benefit from your good work.   Earlier this week I received the best testimonial yet.  My client said “I was singing yesterday.  I haven’t caught myself singing in – well, I don’t know how long!”   That made me happy.  Oh! See?  It works!

A client asked me lately how to get rid of those little bumps that are common on the back of the arms and thighs.   I recommend dry skin brushing just before a shower.  It exfoliates dead cells and brings blood to the skin.  A quick Google search for “dry skin brushing” uncovers a lot a sites that talk about the miraculous effects of skin brushing.  Evidently it cures everything from eczema to cancer.  <sarcasm> Amazing! Will it whiten my teeth, too? </sarcasm> Eh, unlikely.

Look for a brush with natural bristles, like this one from Yerba Prima.  The bristles are firm, yet soft enough to be comfortable.

It’s that time of year!

We are officially in the “flu season.” There are three versions going around. 1) the regular flu with aches and congestion, 2) a version that includes just a fever and a dry cough, and 3) the H1N1 virus. I hear the H1N1 virus is particularly miserable to have.

Don’t be casual about the risk this year. Even if you don’t mind being sick, you could be the carrier that infects someone else who is at greater risk of complications. Do your part to be a dead end for the chain of contagions.

Usually the flu is just an inconvenient annoyance. But this year it is especially important to be diligent. At the least, being sick could mean lost income from missed work. Not good in this economy. At the worst, it could put someone at risk of death. You don’t need to panic, but please don’t be cavalier.

Here are my top ten suggestions to help therapists and their clients to stay healthy, including a surprise at #1:

10. Should you come in for an appointment is you are feeling sick? If you answer “Yes” to ANY of the following questions, you should stay home:
Do you have a fever of 100 degrees or more?
Do you “expel” more than once every 20 minutes? (“Expelling” means coughing, sneezing, wheezing, dripping, sniffling, etc. )
Do you have to breathe with your mouth open because of congestion?

9. That being said, you don’t need to be afraid of people with the flu. If you are around someone who is sick, the best thing you can do for them, and for yourself, is to be friendly. A smile can go a long way to boost the immune system. A fist-bump is safer than a handshake. In fact, a HUG is safer than a handshake.

8. Wash your hands. Frequently! This the THE most important thing you can do to stay well. You don’t need to use antibacterial soap. Any soap will do. Lather for 20 to 25 seconds, scrub under the nails, then rinse. But the water and soap is only half the story. The other half is DRYING your hands thoroughly. A quick wipe is not good enough. A good towel is essential, especially if you don’t have soap handy. Moisturize after washing to keep the skin soft. I prefer Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. Until you have washed you hands, do not touch your eyes, mouth, nose, or ears.

7. Keep bottles of alcohol hand sanitizer handy (like Purell). I have a bottle in my massage room and in the waiting room. My favorite brand is EO. But don’t use too much. You don’t want your hands to get dried out from the alcohol. It should only be used as a back up. Rub it all over your hand up to the wrists, between each finger, under the nails. Rub until dry.

6. Keep the vulnerable areas clean: Ears, nose, eyes, and mouth.

Where is the most vulnerable site for the virus to enter your body? It is the eyes. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES. Your eyes do not have the same natural defenses that other membranes do. If your eye has an itch, use a tissue or your shirt to gently scratch the itchy spot.

What should you do after possibility of exposure?

Rinse the eyes with saline or “fake tears.” Do not use the anti-redness kind of eyewash. The hydrating kind is more expensive, and worth it.

Gargle. Use a solution of one part Listerine Antiseptic and one part hydrogen peroxide. DO NOT SWALLOW HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. Alcolol rinses should only be used on a short-term basis, not every day. Another good mouth rinse is a drop or two of grapefruit seed extract diluted in two tablespoons of water. This is also a good hand sanitizer.

Rinse your nose with a neti pot. If you really don’t like that option, just get your finger wet and swish it in your nostrils, then blow.

Wipe ears with a wet washcloth. Or, when you use a hand sanitizer on your hands, use your finger to swish a bit in each ear.

5. At the end of each day, perhaps after each visitor to your home or office, wipe hard surfaces that may have been touched. This includes door knobs, door frames, counters, desktops, wood arms on armchairs, light switches, etc.

4. Sleep. Rest. Change bed sheets regularly. Change the pillow case frequently.

3. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, use the inside of your elbow.

2. Avoid sharing objects like pens, cups, utensils, etc. If you must, clean or wipe the item before use it. Are you self-employed? This is the perfect time of year to have pens with your logo and phone number on them. After a client uses the pen, they can take it with them! Keep tissues handy to grab objects like door knobs, or use your shirt sleeve.

…and the number hint for keeping well? As I mentioned above, hand washing is THE most important thing you can do to avoid spreading germs. And mostly we do a good job of this. But there is one precaution that is completely overlooked by most people:

1. Keep moist with a humidifier. Yes, drinking water is important. But we gain and lose most of our moisture through respiration. I prefer to use a “hot steam” humidifier over one that uses a fan to evaporate the water. You want to keep the membranes moist. Any dry spots can crack and provide an entry site for viruses. If your kleenex is a little bloody after blowing your nose, you are at greater risk of infection. Moisture will also help the body to maintain its natural defense: watery phlegm. Sticky phlegm, not so good. No phlegm, worse. Watery phlegm, best. Indoor humidity should be around 40 to 50 percent. It is important to keep the humidifier clean, free from mold and bacteria.

Whew! That is a long list. The extra care is worth it.

Disclaimer: This is an original work written on 10/15/09 by Lynn K. Patricia. I am not a doctor, nor a nurse. I am a massage therapist. These suggestions are not informed by scientific expertise. They are the result of my personal experience. Don’t take my word for it. Use your experience to confirm or deny the ideas for yourself. Feel free to share this list with others. Please include my name as the source.

… and here are some extra hints just for my friends. I have had great success with a product called “Esberitox.” It is an herbal remedy that I get at The Wedge. It has Echinacea, etc. to boost the immune system. I start taking it at the first sniffle or tickle. It helps a lot! Check with your doctor before using. I am not a doctor. Also, I have found Kombucha beverages to be very effective in loosening phlegm and lessening congestion. You can find them in the beverage case at a natural foods stores. They come in many delicious flavors.

Thanks for listening.

Jessica wrote:

“Hi, I have been practicing massage therapy for 3 years. I love it. However, I am torn about what CE’s to take. I have an opportunity to learn Lypossage. What do you think?”

Hi, Jessica.

Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to write.

I also have struggled over which CE’s to invest my hard-earned money in, not to mention time. Ultimately I believe that my money is best spent on things that excite me. In other words, if I half-heartedly participate in something, I won’t succeed at it.

I had never heard of Lypossage before, so I browsed the internet to learn about it. I have to say that I am not very impressed. It seems like more of a gimmick than a true therapy. It is not something that I would be interested in. But you should decide for yourself whether it is something that you can do with passion and enthusiasm. In the right hands, Lypossage might be therapeutic. I personally am drawn to techniques that help me focus on specific muscles, like stretching or structural integration.

There are days at work when I literally fall to my knees and say a prayer of “thanks” to whatever forces guided me into this profession. I have requested to have this same job in my next life. Even if I have to have the exact same struggles and problems that I had in this life. If they are required to get me to this spot, then bring it on! It was all worth it.

One colleague of mine is very passionate about pregnancy massage, another is very excited by doing energy work with clients, and so on. What excites you? What would make you spontaneously fall to your knees because you are grateful to be so privileged?

Lynn Patricia
The Massage Geek

Here is a video about the history of chair massage. It is surprisingly fascinating!

Thanks to Mark at www.chairmassagecanada.com.

Mark also alerted me to this little tidbit:

FEASABILITY STUDY
The effect of chair massage on stress perception of hospital bedside nurses

Conclusion?
Incorporating chair massage into a nurse’s hospital shift is feasible and a 10 min session reduces the stress perception of the nurse more so than the standard “coffee break”.

Read more about the study here.
See Mark’s blog here.