Experts say the best defense is a good offense — and while we aren’t professional sports strategists, the point is that the best way to ensure the longevity of your career is to be proactive in protecting your health and well-being.
Because massage therapy is so physically demanding, you have to take care of yourself to do your job. These are our top ten self-care tips for massage therapists, complete with actionable steps on integrating them into your practice to keep your body, mind, and career in top shape
1. Use Proper Body Mechanics to Prevent Injury
Body mechanics involve how you move your body while doing regular daily activities. You probably learned about proper body mechanics and how they apply to massage as part of your therapist training.
Using good mechanics does more than help you apply massage techniques more efficiently. It also helps protect your muscles, joints, and spine from injuries both at work and outside of work.
Proper body mechanics = protecting yourself from injury = the biggest self-care practice you can have.
So, what does “use proper body mechanics” actually mean in practice? It means:
- Don’t rely on pure strength to apply pressure
- Do use leverage, gravity, your own bodyweight, and other natural mechanics
- Maintain good posture by avoiding excessive slouching and reaching
- Adjust your table height as necessary to fit your needs
- Stay balanced when standing by staying close and square to the area you’re working on and keeping off your toes
These strategies also help protect your most important professional tool: your hands.
Take Care of Your Hands
Maybe we’re stating the obvious here, but it’s important enough to mention anyway: you must take care of your hands.
Due to the nature of the work, massage therapists are prone to repetitive strain injuries like tendonitis, carpal tunnel, and even arthritis. The consistent use of good body mechanics helps reduce your risk of developing conditions like these.
Additional hand-care tips:
- Use elbows and forearms in addition to your hands during massages
- Use other tools, like rollers, when possible
- Strengthen your hands, wrists, and fingers through exercise
- Warm up and stretch your wrists, hands, and fingers before your first session of the day
- Protect your skin from cuts, scratches, and drying out by using moisturizers and gloves
2. Work Smarter With Massage Tools
Like body mechanics, using the right tools helps reduce the strain on your hands and body. Likewise, digital tools help reduce the mental strain of managing business tasks like scheduling and recording your SOAP notes.
Physical and Ergonomic Tools
Bodywork tools come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and purposes. Some — like stones — may require additional training to use correctly, but most are affordable and easy to incorporate.
Tools to enhance your services and save your hands include:
- Thumb savers
- Massage sticks and rollers
- T-bars and other trigger point tools
- Massage balls
- Gua Sha tools
- Cupping tools
- Electric massage guns and other devices
- Stones
Digital Tools
Digital tools include client management software and apps for booking, scheduling, and billing. Apps can also help you track and organize your SOAP notes, and some are designed to do all of the above.
What digital tools can do for you:
- Automate processes like appointment reminders, emails, or client intake forms
- Provide secure storage for digital client records
- Create invoices for clients’ health insurance
- Simplify booking appointments faster
- Make accounting and payment processing faster and easier
- Help create and implement marketing plans and/or materials
If this sounds like a business tip instead of a self-care tip, it’s because it’s both. When your business is more streamlined and easier to run, you get more time for you. And time for yourself is the foundation of self-care.
3. Schedule Regular Breaks
When we say “make breaks part of your schedule,” we mean actual breaks, not just two minutes between clients for a bio break. And no, clean-up and set-up between clients doesn’t count either. Breaks are essential for combating burnout.
Building breaks into your schedule means blocking off a dedicated time during your day where you do not work. This can be as simple as a midday lunch where you sit, eat, and relax for 30 minutes.
Remember: no working through your lunch or dedicated break time. Your brain, body, and hands will thank you for it in the long run.
4. Prioritize Rest
You wouldn’t encourage your clients to work more and rest less. Neither should you.
Rest is more than “doing nothing.” Rest means all kinds of things, as long as they allow your mind, body, or spirit to recharge. A rest and recovery day could simply be spent doing things you enjoy or with people you care about. Plus, these activities usually cost much less than an international vacation.
Rest also looks like:
- Getting massages for yourself to ease the tension in your own body
- Taking days off
- Going on vacation or a “staycation”
- Meditation
- Getting plenty of sleep
Get Quality Sleep
Getting enough sleep is another one of the most obvious but important self-care habits. The quality of your sleep affects both your mental and physical health, with regular “good sleep” helping to:
- Improve your heart health and immune system
- Boost your mood and overall cognitive function
- Facilitate your physical recovery from exercise and stress
- Reduce your risk of some chronic health conditions
Pro tip: The CDC states most adults need at least seven hours of sleep per night.
Improve your sleep quality by:
- Maintaining a regular sleep schedule
- Limiting your blue light/screen time before bed
- Managing your caffeine and alcohol intake
- Establishing a relaxing bedtime routine
- Exercising regularly
If you don’t take the time to rest, your body will likely end up forcing you to take it later.
5. Establish an Exercise and Stretching Routine
Regular exercise helps prevent injuries by building strength and improving flexibility. Plus, physical activity also helps improve sleep quality.
While overall strength and flexibility are important, you’ll benefit more by including additional grip and forearm exercises in your routine. Some exercise examples for massage therapists include:
- Wrist curls
- Stress ball squeezes
- Towel twists
- Wrist circles
- Prayer stretch
- Rubber band finger extensions
6. Eat Well
To feel your best and keep your body working properly, you need to fuel it properly. That means — you guessed it — eating your fruits and veggies (and protein).
Iced coffees, energy drinks, and good vibes can only carry you so far before crashing. Avoid the crash out by consistently including nutrient-rich foods in your diet. Don’t worry! “Consistent nutrient-dense meals” is not the same as never eating your favorite comfort foods.
“Eating consistently well” essentially means eating balanced and nutritious meals most of the time (the 80/20 rule diet is an example of this idea). Tips for eating well most of the time*:
- Find whole foods, meals, and recipes you enjoy so meal time doesn’t feel like a punishment
- Include water-dense foods in your meals to help with hydration and fullness
- Limit your sodium and added sugar intake
- Find a registered dietitian or use a publicly available tool like the USDA’s MyPlate to help you create a general meal plan
*These recommendations are based on general guidelines and may not apply to all individuals, especially those with dietary restrictions or other medical conditions
7. Stay Hydrated
Chances are, you probably need more water than you think. General guidelines recommend your daily water intake as half your body weight in ounces.
For example, based on this recommendation, if you weigh 160 pounds, you need at least 80 ounces of water per day. However, the real amount you need goes up if you’re relatively active, have a physically demanding job, live at altitude, or spend time in a warm environment.
Tips for staying hydrated:
- Incorporate water-rich foods into your diet
- Keep a refillable water bottle with you at work
- Drink regularly throughout the day (set reminders on your phone)
- Substitute sugary drinks for low- or no-sugar-added alternatives
- Track your water intake (manually or with an app)
- Set up a reward system for yourself for meeting your water intake goals (something as small as a new water bottle sticker at the end of the week can provide that extra bit of motivation to follow through on your goals)
Pro tip: Don’t like the taste of plain water? Try squeezing a little lemon, lime, or other citrus juice into your glass.
8. Set Firm Boundaries
Setting boundaries is key to maintaining a sustainable work-life balance, which is crucial for avoiding burnout. Boundaries apply to your relationships with clients, your work/workplace, and yourself.
Boundaries include:
- Setting clear and specific work hours – stick to your stated work hours and avoid working all day, 6-7 days a week
- Establishing clear expectations with clients around communication – inform them of your preferred contact methods and when you’re available to reply
- Knowing your limits – aka learn to say “no,” especially when you feel overwhelmed already
While it can be hard to say no to clients or additional work, especially for new therapists, your long-term health depends on it.
Pro tip: Listen to your body. Some fatigue is normal, but pain may be an early sign of injury or an increased risk of injury.
9. Lean on a Support Network
Support networks are the groups and people you can rely on for emotional or practical support. Support networks help:
- Handle stress
- Problem solve
- Improve mental health
- Provide advice, guidance, and emotional support
In addition to friends and family, your support network could include professional groups, other massage therapists, and coworkers.
10. Break Up With “Bad” Clients
They’re not a bad person, but some clients are just not right for you. And that’s ok! It might seem difficult, but sometimes “firing” a client is the best thing for your sanity and well-being. Signs you may need to part ways with a client:
- You dread their appointments
- They leave you feeling anxious, angry, or exhausted
- Your day or mood are “ruined” after seeing them
- Any interaction with them stresses you out
If a name immediately popped into your head while reading this, don’t feel guilty. We’ve all been there! Tips for making the “break-up” easier:
- Have a referral ready for them
- Prepare what you’ll say
- Practice the confrontation
- Fib politely as needed (you have to adjust your schedule, you’re reducing your work hours, etc.)
In the event you have a client who is outright rude, disrespectful, or inappropriate, it goes without saying you have every right to fire that client right away.
11. Reduce Risk and Stress With Liability Insurance
Becoming a massage therapist, starting your own business, and navigating the industry are stressful enough tasks as is. Self-care is about creating healthy, sustainable habits to reduce these mental and physical stressors.
One more bonus tip for reducing the stress of running your business is to reduce the worry around accidents, client injuries, and financially devastating claims or lawsuits. Massage therapy liability insurance from BBI is a quick, easy, and affordable way to protect yourself from things like these.
For just $9.99/month or $96/year, you get comprehensive liability coverage to add to your professional support network.
Frequently Asked Questions About Self-Care for Massage Therapists
How Do I Stay Energized Throughout a Long Day of Bodywork?
To keep your energy levels stable during a long day of massage clients, aim to:
- Get a full night’s sleep the night before
- Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your work day
- Schedule breaks
- Don’t skip meals
- Keep quick, nutrient-rich snacks on hand, like fruits or nuts
- Avoid heavy meals or overly sugary foods between clients
What Are the Common Causes of Burnout?
Burnout is more than just feeling tired. It’s described as a state of persistent physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion due to excessive stress over an extended period of time. Some of the most common causes include:
- Excessive or unmanageable workloads
- Lack of professional and/or social support
- Poor work-life balance, or working too long without rest
- Lack of control
- Lack of sleep
