How to prevent therapist burn-out
Burnout of therapists is a real problem for our industry and usually means that their passion is gone. When they lose their passion for their work it is very difficult for therapists to treat client well and provide the much needed wow factor.
We often don’t realise how much burn out can negatively affect the quality of the treatment delivery. This goes much deeper than merely dealing with a therapist who looks unhappy on the spa or salon floor.
Management can help therapists to recreate that passion by connecting them with the deeper reason of choosing this profession in the first place.
Remembering that the therapist’s body is their tool, what they eat, the quality of their sleep, they way how they treat their body will affect their work.
Its important when a therapist is facing several massages in a day that they need to stretch their body at the start of the day. Their muscles and joints needs to aligned and warm up, like every athlete would do before and event or a dancer before their performance.
There is also need for mental preparation: even five minutes of meditation in the treatment room, before starting the shift will make a huge difference. Breathing exercises and visualization can make the difference between a good or a great day.
Staff should also be instructed to stretch their body between treatments. Simple full body stretch or few side bends will make a difference.
To conclude the day staff should be encouraged to reflect for few minutes what they learnt today and what needs to be improved.
By Beata Aleksandrowicz
Beata is an expert on massage and the creator of the Pure Massage Spa Training Method® which provides spas worldwide with advanced training in a modern concept of massage. Beata is a powerful advocate on educating people about the important of touch, massage and spiritual growth.