Do you have time for a Massage?

 

Do you have time for a massage?

While researching this, we came across a German physiologist called Karl von Vierordt, who lived 1818-1884:

 

He developed what has come to be known as Vierordt’s Law: a short duration of time tends to be overestimated, e.g. ‘you’ve only 5 minutes left in this short massage session’, while a long duration of time tends to be underestimated, e.g. ‘you’ve still got 30 minutes left in this long massage session’.

This relates to the duration we perceive or estimate in doing something, compared to the actual duration in doing it. It can also vary depending on how easy or difficult a task may be, e.g. ‘that’s a snip, it will take me 5 minutes’, when it may take more time actually; and ‘that’s a whole lot of work, it will take me hours’, when it may take us less time actually.

We may find, as in massage, that time goes quickly when we’re enjoying ourselves, as the saying goes, and we may find things ‘easy’ in this case. 

Yet we may have a treatment such as a Sports Massage requiring more pressure and which may be uncomfortable. We may not enjoy this as such though it will be beneficial, even if we find it ‘difficult’ and the time may seem to go slowly. 

Vierordt was involved with medicine, and created the sphygmograph: 

This is a contraption used to estimate blood pressure. It is taken to be the forerunner of the modern sphygmomanometer: 

Come and have a massage or other treatment. Whatever amount of time you may book. It will, we trust, be time well spent.

 

How does Serotonin help with my massage?

 

Does a lack of serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’ or ‘feel-good hormone’ contribute to the development of depression? Current research is trying to find out. 

5HT for short, and 5-hydroxytryptamine in full, is the chemical name for serotonin. 5-HTT is the serotonin transporter, with the extra T standing for Transporter. This is not related to HST, which are High Speed Trains!

Though it may be related somehow to HRT, which is Hormone Replacement Therapy, but just how this is so, I have not looked further into it.

There are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) which are used as Anti-Depressant Medications (ADMs). Serotonin is a chemical released from neurons (nerve cells) and travels via synapses. The ‘before’ nerve cells which release serotonin are known as pre-synaptic, and the ‘after’ nerve cells which receive serotonin are known as post-synaptic. 

The SSRI’s, as in their name, inhibit some of the serotonin from being re-uptaken back into the pre-synaptic nerve cells, so that more of the serotonin crosses the synapses and reaches the post-synaptic nerve cells 

 

With all this, serotonin, and other ‘good’ hormones that there may be, will be released in you when you have a massage or other treatment.  As in the previous blog, we thankfully do not need to understand all that may go on inside of us when we have treatments. Hopefully, this blog explains, if partly so, of the ‘why’ and ‘how’ we feel good, and find it ‘all good stuff’.

Come and have massage or other treatment, whether you are a scientist, biologist, chemist, or whatever your occupation!

Just a Minute. Or Two

 

Written by a customer of Daniel Beauty.

 

We all know ‘Every little helps’, whether we dash off to Tesco or not. We may also know ‘Every minute counts’ in various contexts. including massage.

But – oh no! – looking up one massage service in my local area, not Woking, it shall remain anonymous so as not to give it poor publicity. The details showed pricing as more expensive than Daniel  Beauty, and time before and after the actual treatment showed as 5 to 10 minutes included in the session booked, depending on what treatment is required, e.g. you get 50 or 55 minutes treatment, but pay for 60 minutes. Though at least this is explained beforehand.

 

It’s disappointing to read, and then possibly say ‘Oh, I didn’t realise preparation time was included in the sessions’. Also, it’s sneaky to shave off a minute or two before and/or after an actual treatment. In these cases you won’t be experiencing your full shave, waxing, or whatever treatment you have. It will have been shaved off time-wise though!

 This seems poor practice. It never happens at Daniel Beauty, and there are probably many other places too where it never happens. But every minute definitely counts, with, to spell out the costs, the rate in some cases being over £1 per minute. It is necessary nitty-gritty. We wouldn’t bother about 5 minutes if it only cost 5 pence!

 

Anyway, it advertised as "preperation" time, whatever that is! You want the best, and will hopefully find, or have found, Daniel and other colleagues at the same venue now and again, of excellent repute, as you enjoy your full allocation of the minutes you book. 

You won’t find any minutes ‘unjust’, in the sense of them being non-existent due to having less than your full time, so you won’t be short-changed for your massage either.

Can a Massage help with my aches and pains?

 In life, though this is not a thesis on the human condition, there may be various ailments, maladies, troubles, etc. These may be of body, soul, or spirit, or a mixture of these, as human beings. Aches and pains, troubles, illnesses, etc, may be short-term, medium-term or long-term. Some may be temporary and some may be permanent.

Massage and other treatments can play a role in helping to alleviate adverse or negative conditions we may have, whether to remove them partially or completely. It may depend on each individual, their openness to particular treatments. Or it may be just massage or whatever treatment for a treat, luxury, or pampering of oneself.

 

When we do not have something for a while, whatever duration of time we may be without it, it is sometimes only at those times that we miss it.

Though we might not have intentionally taken things for granted, but had been in a settled and agreeable state when we did not have it, e.g. we may have enjoyed good health, but then had some ache or pain that we did not always have, or never had before. But now we find we have the ache or pain, for some reason or cause, that may be known only to ourselves, or not know why we have it.

In this area, massage or other services provided by a masseur can hopefully be of genuine help to bring ease, freedom, lessening of troubles, etc. Or just to bring peace, relaxation, and pleasantness, if not affected by anything adverse or negative. 

There is a phrase ‘captatio benevolentiae’, meaning ‘seeking of good will’. We can recognise ‘benevolent’ in part of this phrase. This can surely apply to massage and related treatments that clients experience. Come along to experience it for a first visit, or for your ten thousandth visit - high hopes that you’ll find it that good!

 

Support your local Masseur again

This blog has been written by one of Daniel Beauty's clients

Time soon again to support your local, or maybe not so local massage therapist. But it’s worth it, seeing as I, as one of Daniel’s clients, travel as and when I can, not living locally. But whether living near or far, I am sure you will experience the unique professionalism and atmosphere of making a visit to Daniel’s again, or maybe for the first time. We can have a taste of how it will be, from reading the true testimonials on Daniel’s website, one of which is mine!

 As things hopefully continue to ease, come along to experience again, or anew, the ‘human touch’ in massage, or whatever other treatment you wish to have. You may recall good memories of relaxation and the atmosphere of the pleasant surroundings. Also, thinking of ‘how it was’, and ‘that’s good; I should like more of that’.

 There can be restoration of some things we have been deprived of, as it were, that were not possible in lockdowns. But also, you may consider massage and similar treatments as ‘essential’, though they have been classed as ‘non-essential’ businesses! Or at least, businesses where necessary human contact and touch have had to be suspended.

What with a massage, waxing, hot stones, or whatever, and maybe a nice haircut or trim, now that it is possible to have them again too, you will know simple pleasures and pampering for yourself – and may wish to recommend services to friends too.

 If you wish, and if and when you can for a massage – ‘Don’t delay; book today!’

 

 

 

Massages during the Covid Pandemic

 

Hopefully now that massage will continue with its momentum again, we may come for a massage or other treatment ‘for business or for pleasure’ purposes, as it were. Whatever the reasons, we can surely find sessions as enjoyable experiences.

If for pleasure, it may be a seasonal or non-seasonal treat, just to relax in the atmosphere and surroundings; to be calmed in body, soul, or spirit, or in all three of these. It can be giving oneself some time-out, plus helping the masseurs ‘trade’ at the same time.

After a hopefully pleasant time, one will be full of praise and admiration for the masseur, though not to the extent of flattery, which may get us nowhere! Yet one may have no hesitation in recommending the masseur to others, and so give him/her positive publicity. This causes two-way benefit, to clients and to the masseur.

Then one may look forward to more of the same, or other variations on massage or other treatments. 

Come along, try a first session, or another session, finding release or at least easing of any stresses and strains, particularly with the various ways that Covid has affected you over the past, or at present, or in uncertainties of the future. 

Not that it claims to be a magic wand waved over the situation, but massage and the other treatments doing what they can to contribute to health and well-being, as some of the many good things in life.

How to relax when having a massage

 

It’s easy to do, to have something on our minds and/or hearts that can distract us. Some things can be nebulous, as if neither here nor there, some worry about a yesterday that has past, or a tomorrow that has not come yet.

It surely helps to be in the ‘now’ moments when having a massage. Hopefully this will bring a sense of peace, if one can focus on the ‘now’, though one may not be able to automatically switch off feelings, emotions, concerns, etc.

The massage itself may bring some measure of peace, if the outward sensations affect one inwardly, and if one can relax as far as possible. 

It may be that things of yesterday cannot be changed, though we may have regrets about them. And for things of tomorrow, they may be sublimated or eased somehow or somewhat, and not appear as worrying as one thought when they actually come to pass.

There can be relaxation for body, soul, and spirit in a massage. One has to face the future, yet being in the ‘now’ is surely not escapism, nor ignoring things as if saying, ‘Cheer up, it may never happen’. 

Having experienced a massage, one can find it wholly beneficial, and helpful in promoting peace of mind, so that one goes from these ‘now’ moments, on to the ‘not yet’ moments that are the future, with a better sense of well-being to face whatever one must, or needs to, face in life each day.

It’s true, if one may make such a claim, that undoubtedly there are psychological as well as physiological benefits in massage.

Massage and Covid 19

What to write about massage, when there is no massage at present? Here are some thoughts.

Extraordinary, Unusual. Unprecedented. These are some words to describe the current coronavirus crisis. In many places at present there is a notice of temporary closure shown in shop windows, on websites, etc. The emphasis is on ‘temporary’ with that word often being underlined, or in bold type or capitals. This is so with your friendly masseur here.

We know we are not being anti-social on purpose, but all doing our vital part, hopefully short-term for the long-term good. Though terrifying in one sense – do follow rules, or potentially die, being the stark options.

Some emotions at this time may be feeling hurt or pained, whether because of our own situations, or the general situation of everyone. There may be the stress too of remembering to observe social distancing, and an essential walk to shops and back home, or going out for permitted purposes, such a walk or exercise, can feel like walking through a minefield. This can work two-way – come not near me, and I will not come near you, in case......we all know why.

When the crisis eases, come along to experience a lovely massage or other treatment, even if involving a bit of unavoidable pain to obtain what you wish through particular treatments. There is, for example, Sports Massage and Waxing. Meanwhile, maybe try gentle self-massage, relaxation, meditation, or other things to calm mind and body.

With trusting that ‘normal service will be resumed as soon as possible’, a massage may seem extra-special, and a treat to pamper oneself with. This will be when we are not two metres apart, but two inches next to each other, as it were. Or at least meeting in person with each other again for a massage, remembering and experiencing what we have all had to do without for a time.

What Should I Do Before or After a Massage?

In a quiet corner of Horsell Common, not far from my home in Woking, off Monument Road there is Muslim Burial Ground, now a Peace Garden. 

A visit there can bring peace, whether needing to settle one’s mind before a massage or other treatment, or to maintain a sense of peace after a session.

Nearby is an area of tall trees, the setting for H.G. Wells’ ‘The War of the Worlds’, in an atmospheric and mystical environment. There need not be anything alien about treatments though. 

For example, the therapist will put you at ease if it is your first visit, hopefully making you soon feel relaxed and ‘at home’.

Taking a stroll to, or from, an appointment through this area of Horsell Common on a fine day or light evening can be very pleasant. 

Even passing the area if travelling by car, one can see the natural beauty of the surroundings. All this can contribute in some way toward the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of treatments, giving heightened awareness; a sense of holistic help; experiencing a peaceful and stress-free encounter, giving lasting benefit.

There is also ‘The Martian’ sculpture in Woking Town Centre. But then again, there is nothing spooky or suspicious in the treatments. You won’t have set foot on another planet, though you may feel you have, with a luxurious massage. 

Neither will your encounter be of ‘The Third Kind’. But all will be well, with friendly human care and attention given, not alien, which can often be hurtful, harmful, hostile. 

And yet – bring a camera if you wish. You might see E.T. if he has not gone home, or the Loch Ness Monster in the Basingstoke Canal if it has moved South!

Why Should I have a Hot Stone Massage?

It is true that massage is a ‘hands-on’ experience, or it could be called a ‘stones-on’ experience if you are having a hot stone massage. In this, there is the benefit of human touch from a masseur, whether as a general help, or to relieve particular aches or pains or stresses. One can trust to the masseur for the session, not having to do anything oneself, but simply to relax and enjoy the session.

The masseur’s hands and temperature of the room will be warm enough to be comfortable and pleasant, along with the atmosphere of the room, helping to give a relaxing ambience. 

There is the experience of feeling the masseur’s hands, whether gliding softly, maybe with oil, or maybe more firmly where needed in certain areas. With hot stones there is the feeling of the stones on one’s body, and gradually decreasing in heat until newly-heated stones are applied. 

One may have some unusual reactions from massage, though not harmful. They may arise, in some cases, from one’s subconscious, such as tingles or shivers, even on a warm day, or extra warmth, even on a cold day. One can go with the flow of these, as nothing sinister or dangerous is happening.

Also during the massage one may breathe deeply in and out, all helping to contribute towards the balance, or restoring of balance, between body, soul, and spirit. This can enable us to feel human again, if feeling stressed out, and give a true impression of massage as wholly therapeutic. Hopefully clients find the massage is, or has been, well worth it.

How will having a Massage help me?

If you have never had a massage before and are a bit nervous or a little apprehensive about what to expect, please don't be.

There's Deep Tissue Massage, Swedish Massage, Sports Massage, Shiatsu Massage, Hot Stone Massage, Indian Head Massage  - as well as Thai Massage and Ayurvedic Massage.

There are so many types of massage - so where do you start? How do you know which one is right for you?

In a nutshell all you need to do is relax, trust your therapist and be willing to let go
 
Swedish massage  stimulates blood flow and lymph drainage which removes toxins and waste as well as helping oxygen to flow more easily.

Massage also has a dramatic effect on the nervous system.

Massage can help engage the parasympathetic system which helps you to restore the balance and calm you down.

This is something that we are often unable to do ourselves with the demands and pressures that everyday life can throw at us. You might find it difficult to switch off when you go to sleep, and end up sending emails to yourself to remind yourself to do things the following day.

Massage can also energise you by helping you sleep better, improve mental alertness, improve mood and ease anxiety.

We can cope with some stress - we need some stress in our lives but not too much! And not for too long

We just need a break from that stress from time to time. And massage is the answer.

Would you like to become a male Beauty Therapist?

Recently Marcio and I did our Level 3 Intimate Male Waxing practicals at Omni Academy of Beauty in Walton-on-Thames (formerly ISIS Beauty - I can't think why they wanted to change their name!)

Anyway, we got talking about the lack of potential male beauty therapists. And how few men are interested in training to do male waxing, male massage, facials etc.

The academy wanted to know how to attract more would-be beauty therapists to their training courses. As there are so few male beauty therapists in the industry - and few men go beauty salons - maybe there is a huge potential for growth. Or maybe men are just not interested.

Or maybe salons should change their marketing to be less feminine and be re-branded as Grooming Parlours (unless that sounds too much like it's intended for dogs!)

Maybe it is just a difficult cycle to break. Lack of male therapists means the salons can't attract male clients. Lack of male clients means there is no work for male therapists. How do we break this cycle?

And if young men don't apply for courses like this, how do we get them to even consider it?

Here at Daniel Beauty we are doing well - and maybe that is just due to a lack of competition in for male waxing in Surrey.
 

How massage can help with neck pain

Neck pain is a general term to describe any pain felt in the neck and surrounding area. The cause of the pain will vary from person to person as will the type of pain felt. Many people who work on computers all day and other things that can put pressure on the neck as one of the most common causes.


If your neck pain is caused by stress on the neck then you may want to make changes to your lifestyle to reduce the pressure on the area. In addition there are a large number of alternative therapies that can help with neck pain. For example you could consider body work therapies like swedish massage, indian head massage and shiatsu massage.

Daniel
http://www.danielbeauty.co.uk/

My new Massage Therapist

This is my colleague and fellow Massage Therapist Marcio who now works with me on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Marcio is qualified in Male Body Waxing and Male Intimate Waxing.

He is also a qualified Massage Therapist. As a Junior Therapist Marcio offers Massage treatments at just £60ph.

This is my colleague Ricky who runs the office. He books our appointments. You may see him on arrival.

We all look forward to seeing you soon!

How good are my competitors for Massage in Surrey?

From time to time when I get the chance I like to check out my competition for massage, Laser Lipo and male waxing in Surrey.

I know there are a few other home-based male masseurs in Woking – I even have one of them work for me from time to time. But this latest foray into checking out other beauty therapists was prompted by Groupon offers.

(As an aside Groupon does not allow me to participate as I am home-based; I looked into it to give discounts for my Laser Lipo treatments but the business must have a registered business address – although I don’t really know why.)

The first of visits to check out massage in Surrey was in Weybridge. I thought that this one would be fantastic – it is Weybridge after all. Not so. They had looked at installing fish pedicure tanks and the place was awash as they had gone wrong and half the floor had come up.

The massage I received was pathetic. In fact I wouldn’t call it a massage – some young girl just rubbed oil on my back and asked – in the way that is normally associated with hairdressers who ask you if you are going away anywhere nice this year – “do you often get back massages”. Hmm. Yes. But obviously not today.

To read about my experience of a massage in Woking click on my next blog.

How to run a Laser Lipo and Massage Business with Builders

No one said that running a business was easy. Especially a Laser Lipo, Massage and Male Waxing business when you are the boss. Long hours. Spending the weekend doing accounts and catching up on paperwork.


But that is made all the harder when the builders move in. Earlier starts - and even later finishes as we have to schedule some massage clients after 4pm.

Still I am sure it will be worth all the pain in the end. At least that is what we tell ourselves as Andrew, Ricky and I sit just a little bit too close to each other for comfort or hygeine - cramped into one tiny office for weeks on end.

Thankfully most of my clients are very understanding and are intrigued by what is going on rather than disturbed by the noise, mess and disruption. I also continue to offer appointments in the evenings and at weekends when it is quiet.

I suppose it doesn't make too much difference to someone having a Laser Lipo treatment, Threading, a Facial or Male Waxing once they are in my therapy room. Some of my clients are even happy to have a massage while the builders make a racket!

And for that I remain very thankful - builders aren't cheap.

Should a Massage Therapist advertise on Facebook?

Today I got not one but two calls from one of those God-awful sales people.


You know the type: they sound like they are - or want to be – your best friend, use your name in every sentence and are just a little bit too excited on the phone, except you can hear their colleagues shouting at their potentially hot leads in the background too. Oh how I pity those poor souls working in call centres. It must be very depressing for them.

Anyway, if you have read this massage and male waxing blog before you will know how annoyed I got by endless sales calls from morons thinking they could ”manage” my Google Ad Words campaign and charge me a fortune for doing something I am quite capable of doing myself.

Today I got a call from a guy who had a space – and only one space mind you – for a massage therapist in my area (Woking Surrey) to advertise on Facebook. Now I had been discussing whether you can advertise locally on Facebook with some friends recently and they told me that it is possible, so I had been considering the possibility anyway.

I let this over-excited over-friendly desperate-for-commission salesman go through his irritating patter and asked – what can their company do for me and my massage business on Facebook that I can’t do myself? Apparently Facebook encourages you to spend £300 a week and they can do it for half that. Why? Bulk buying I suggest. A suggestion that Mr Over-Excited leaps upon as correct: Oh you are smart Daniel!

A quick look at Facebook – and five minutes filling in a form to create an advert – reveals this to be complete rubbish.

If I decide to advertise my male massage business on Facebook – rather than Google Ad Words, I shall be doing it myself and spending as little or as much as I decide. Much like Google’s Ad Words really.

The only question in my mind is: Which is better – Ad Words or Facebook?

There’s only one way to find out…… Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

The downside of being a Self-Employed Massage Therapist

Often I tell friends and family that I love not only being self-employed but working from home: setting my own hours, the oh so long commute from upstairs to my  massage therapy room downstairs (also used for male waxing and facials by the way), deciding to take a day off if I want to or have a lazy summer's afternoon if the whim takes me.

However more often than not it's quite the opposite..you end up working 7 days a week and long hours to boot. But when it comes to the middle of December, and people's minds turn to other matters...like partying hard and visiting family far away from my massage practise in Surrey..well then, dear reader, the business just dies. For two whole weeks at least.

Add in a tiny little bit of snow and well, I might as well go on holiday myself...

Thankfully it is now February and business is picking up again nicely. Phew!  

New beauty therapies for a waxing therapist

I know that I haven't blogged in a while but I have been very busy (that is until the snow came and all my clients disappeared but that's another story!)

Until I was left twiddling my thumbs this week, I have been deciding what other beauty therapies to offer my clients alongside what I offer from my home in Woking Surrey already:  shiatsu massage, swedish massage, indian head massage, sports massage, hot waxing and strip waxing.

I have been training in facials, have completed the practical courses and I am now half-way through doing half a dozen free facials to prove that I can actually do it! Oh and then there is the paperwork. Oh how I hate paperwork.

So anyway, back to this snowy weather and my lack of clients; everyone stays at home unless they have to go out. I have taken this quiet period to get a plumber round and he is now half-way through installing a sink in my therapy room; I need the water so that I can do facials without running into the kitchen every two minutes!

So let's hope I get busy again very soon...

How to cure neck pain

Do you have a pain in the neck? And I am not talking about your wife/husband/parnter!

The cause of the pain - and the type of neck pain - will vary for each person. If you sit at a computer all day, this can put pressure on your neck; it's one of the most common causes of neck pain.


If your neck pain is caused by stress you should consider making changes to your lifestyle to reduce the pressure on the area.

There are several alternative therapies that can help; you could consider body work therapies like swedish massage, indian head massage and shiatsu massage.

Daniel
http://www.danielbeauty.co.uk/