According to Paula Curtiss, Founding Director for Healing Hands School of Holistic Health (HH), as a Certified Massage Therapist, YOU are your business! Because of that, it’s essential to create a professional and positive reputation for yourself. To do that, you will need to be mindful of your attitude, energy, appearance and treatment of clients in every interaction, every day of your working career. That said, having a “good reputation” is one of the best ways to attract clients, earn their loyalty, and inspire them to refer friends and family. 
How do you want to be perceived by your clients? Keep in mind, for clients, perception is reality. The perceptions (opinions) they draw of you will come from more than your therapeutic skills. It’s important to be aware that your reputation is also determined by how you dress, how you speak, how hygienic you are, and how you educate and interact with clients inside and outside the therapy room. Everything you do, post, write online, or communicate publicly reflects on your reputation and can positively or negatively impact your business reputation, so take care to nurture and protect it.
Your aim should be to project a trust-worthy image of a competent and happy professional who values their career and their clients. Your reputation should convey that you are prepared and eager to provide your clients with extra special treatment to speed healing, diminish their physical pain or discomfort and enhance feelings of well-being.
Controlling your image is important also. Be prepared to receive negative feedback from clients from time to time. Rather than take offense, ask questions to find out why. For example, if your client reveals they felt uncomfortably sore for more than 3 days after a Deep Tissue treatment, you would learn that you need to reduce your pressure next time, check in on pressure more often, or go more slowly. Although you may not be able to change what has already happened, asking questions will reassure your client that you care, and keep you from repeating the same mistake with another client.
Serving residents through three regional campuses, HH is considered a trail-blazer for Holistic Health Education in Southern California. To date, HH has prepared more than 7,000 students for rewarding careers in Massage Therapy and can do the same for you! To find out more about our 80+ massage and holistic health classes, visit us at www.healinghandsschool.com or call us at (949) 305-2722 in Laguna Hills, (760) 746-9364 in Escondido, (858)505-1100 in San Diego.