Male Massage Therapist gets yet another annoying Sales Call

So there I was sitting in the sun having a late lunch during a break between a massage client and a male waxing client, when my phone rings.

My heart sinks as I can tell it's a Manchester number and therefore likely to be a sales call rather than a potential client wanting to book me for a facial in Surrey.

In a weak moment I decide to answer the phone and  soon ask the sales woman what she is selling. She assures me she's not selling anything but wants to give me some information...how many people have searched for male massage in Surrey in the last month and how many people search Google for waxing men in Surrey etc.

Then we get onto the sales pitch about how she can get me onto page one of Google..blah blah blah. It takes 3 attempts at me asking the same question: "So are you offering to manage my Ad Words Campaign?" before I get a straight answer.

Apparently they can manage 5 key words that people searching for my services would use to find me (for example massage in Woking, male waxing in Surrey, threading in Surrey and facials in Woking), for £165 +VAT..so I asked her what can she do for me that I can't do myself as I can manage my own Ad Words campaign thank you. Well they do "intensive research" on my key words should be and they can use "better keywords". Then I ask her: "As you don't know which key words I use, how do you know your key words are better than mine?"
 
She quickly hung up!

My brilliant new Massage Table

During the three years that I have been a full-time Massage Therapist I have used several massage tables. I have always had one for my massage therapy room and another lighter massage table which I use for out calls. 

As my massage, beauty therapy and male waxing business is going from strength to strength, I recently decided to change my massage table and get the best massage table I could find. So - lucky old you! - you will now be treated while lying on the most luxurious and comfortable massage table I could buy. 


It is electrically-operated; it not only moves up and down (so if you have difficulty getting up onto a massage table, I can lower it for you to get on, raise it to carry out the massage therapy and then lower it again for you to get off again.)  I can also move the "head end" upwards and the "feet end" down which is great for doing Facials and Eyebrow Threading.

If you decide to for a naturist (or undraped) massage to keep you warm, the massage table is covered with an electric blanket and I will also cover you with a heavy towel of the finest Egyptian cotton and if necessary another electric blanket on top. This is particularly good in the winter even if the heating is on full blast.

The new massage table also has an easily-cleaned, heavily-padded surface and a face hole that allows you to breathe easily while you are lying face down. I also use an orthopedic pillow to correct the position of your body. I am so good to you!

A great recommendation for a Massage Therapist

Massages are great for relieving stress. And just like everyone else I get stressed - either from working too hard or too many hours or any of life's other little problems. So I try to receive a massage every week or so myself.


As I work alone - and at home between West Byfleet and Woking in Surrey - I am always happy to meet other massage therapists to do a massage exchange (or a male waxing exhange for that matter). It keeps me up to date with what is happening in the beauty therapy industry as well as picking up new massage movements. We also use this time to swap hints, tips and ideas for running our own businesses. I think it's called networking but on a much less formal and forced basis!

One of my massage exchange buddies - until recently - was another Surrey-based massage therapist called Murray Mills who has met his ideal partner and moved to Spain to enjoy life and take it easy for a while.

As a consequence of this Murray has - very kindly - referred all his male waxing, male beauty and massage clients to me. For which I am extremely grateful and honoured. Murray Mills: I thank you!

New photos and videos for my massage and male waxing website

Last Sunday we had a good laugh having some new photos of me taken for my new male waxing, massage and beauty therapist website. Taking a few photographs - both inside and outside - on a lovely sunny day didn’t take too long. But filming for massage videos always takes much longer than you think doesn't it?

My eternal thanks go to Richard from Lion Television who filmed and photographed both me and my young male model Sebastian; he was extremely patient in coping with to the demands of the photographer - but then he did get a free male waxing out of it!

We did manage to film a video of Sebastian having a back wax and a few lovely photographs of him having a facial treatment. Hopefully - when Richard has edited the videos - we will be able to put them onto my website.

Another nail in the coffin of the cheque

Today I received my bank statement. As is so often the case I also got a load of leaflets with it. Most of the time I just ignore all the flyers and changes to terms and conditions (does anyone ever read this stuff?). But today one leaflet caught my eye. It was entitled CHEQUE GUARANTEE CARD SCHEME. 


As you will know if you have read one of my previous blogs about waxing men and massage  - I wrote about being defrauded by a client who not only bounced a cheque on me but drew a cheque on a closed account - this was of particular interest to me.


Anyway it turns out that the Cheque Card Guarantee Scheme is finishing on 20th June this year. So even if a customer presents a cheque  - along with a card containing a cheque guarantee hologram - it is no guarantee that the cheque will clear. Just one more reason to never accept cheques; just one more nail in the cheques' coffin.


Since I was defrauded I haven't accepted cheques and now I am sure even more small businesses like my massage, male waxing and male beauty business - won't accept them either.