By Pauline Baxter
Whatever happens on the 19th July it certainly looks as though businesses are being encouraged to get their employees back into the office and the ‘work at home where you can’ limitation may no longer be encouraged. This could prove to be significant for corporate massage practitioners. As companies begin their phased return to the office, some practitioners have already returned to corporate massage. In many cases, the return involves a ‘hybrid’ way of working, with some work time in the office and some at home.
However when each company chooses to return, there is little doubt that there is encouragement to return for several reasons including, boosting the economy and greater human and social interaction. Online platforms have proved invaluable over the last 18 months and they will still have greater ongoing presence compared to pre- pandemic. However, it is not the same as meeting in person and it is definitely not the same when it comes to massage!
Without a doubt, massage is ‘best served’ in person by a professional, fully qualified and fully insured, massage
Recent announcements from the UK Government suggest that from 19th July 2021, England will be ‘released’ from the majority, if not all, of the remaining limitations. I have yet to hear what the remainder of the UK plan to do and by when, but presumably they will be along similar lines. By the time this article goes to print then there will have been many changes, I’m sure.
Pre-pandemic, there was a growing awareness of mental health and how this can be in?uenced by daily life and work/life balance. Lockdown has highlighted this and so there is a greater focus on improving mental health. The corporate world has taken this on board and there are many schemes to support the mental health of their employees. Massage fits incredibly well into this strategy.
Seated Acupressure particularly so, as it has the advantage over couch massage of being easy to take to the company, is applied through the clothes, little outlay for the employer and whilst the massage can be relatively short, it is extremely effective. If you haven’t yet been proactive in marketing your corporate massage services, then I suggest you get onto this straight away.
Don’t wait until everyone is back in the office before you approach companies as you will probably find that someone else is already providing massage, or there is no budget left to introduce the service. Assuming you have secured the contract to provide Seated Acupressure, are there any changes to the massage itself that could be implemented to increase the resulting benefits/ effectiveness You may be wondering why you may need to make any changes to the massage.
Indeed, you might not need, nor want, to make any changes, other than any adaptations that may be required when taking into account cautions or contraindications relating to you and/or the client. However, it is worth considering so let’s look at the massage itself.
General Order of Working
With a health questionnaire completed for Seated Acupressure and no issues or concerns, here is a possible order of working on a seated client; ◆ Initial contact then warm up the whole of the back ◆ Left shoulder, upper back and arm ◆ Right shoulder, upper back and arm ◆ Lower back (LHS) ◆ Lower back (RHS) ◆ Neck and top of shoulders ◆ Client sits up for stretches and head work ◆ Percussion to finish This is not the only order of working but is one that is widely implemented.
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with continuing to work in this way, but for the purpose of this article, let’s assume this is what is being considered. Before suggesting any changes, let’s take a brief look at the impact the last 18 months may have had on your clients from a mental health point of view. We have all had to deal with additional stress and have managed the situation in different ways, with varying levels of success. As we continue to emerge from near hibernation, we face a new range of stressors on our mental health.
It would be remiss of us as practitioners not to acknowledge the possible increased mental anxiety faced by clients.
As Seated Acupressure Massage Practitioners, Can We Help With This?
Obviously, you will be working to Covid-19 safe protocols at all times. Some of you may hold a suitable qualification that specifically addresses this aspect, but for those who do not, consider what changes you can make to the massage itself to help ease mental anxiety. The most obvious area to work on is the head as it houses the powerful and in?uential mind. Most practitioners of Seated Acupressure will include some element of head massage, but often not until at least halfway through the massage, or even at the end.
We all know how calming and relaxing a head massage can be so it makes sense to include this nearer the beginning of the massage. I would still always have your initial contact from gently placing your hands on the shoulders of the client, followed by general warming up techniques that work over the whole back. The lack of physical human contact has been devastating to many and this initial, empathetic contact on the back and shoulders is invaluable.
From there, I would suggest some soothing head massage techniques before working more specifically on the back, neck and shoulders. With the client in this position you can comfortably work on the neck (stand at the side) and a large portion of the head (stand in front of your client). A mixture of slow, finger petrissage type movements and acupressure on specific points can be incredibly soothing, calming and relaxing. Remember that there are also acupressure points along the neck and occipital ridge which, when worked upon, can significantly help with mental clarity and general relaxation. A very powerful point is GB20 on the gallbladder meridian. The point lies on either side of the neck, approximately mid-way along the occipital ridge.
B10 on the bladder meridian is another excellent point on the neck to help improve mental clarity and release tension in the neck. It has the effect of refreshing the mind, almost as if the head has become lighter. This point is located a little below the occipital ridge, on the descending band of the trapezius muscle. The third point to which I want to draw your attention is GV20 (Governing vessel meridian), found on the crown of the head. It can be quite sensitive, which you will note if you massage your own head.
These are only some of the points you would work on around the head area and they are very effective. They are often sensitive to pressure so bear this in mind when working on your client. Once your client is sitting upright, the more vigorous head massage techniques can be applied so they feel refreshed, awake and invigorated before returning to their desk. Light hacking and plucking techniques over the head are great ways of invigorating your client.