25 26 | MASSAGE Magazine | September 2015 | www.massagemag.com | What challenges might I face when working in a spa? Providing massage in a spa can have a unique set of challenges you may not have encountered before. In a spa, employees have to work as a cohesive unit. Common obstacles can arise on a daily basis, sometimes several times a day. For example, imagine looking at your schedule for the day and noticing you have seven sessions scheduled back-to-back with no scheduled break. When you ask your spa manager about this, she says you have 10 minutes between each client to take a break. As you know, this buffer time can be lost by just one client running a little bit late. Now, not only have you started the day stressed out, you also know that the quality of your work will decline by the third or fourth massage. Burnout and high turnover of spa massage therapists and clients are a result of situations like these. Welcome to the spa. Spas’ challenges There are many challenges in the spa industry that do not rear their heads in other places of employment. When the top priority of management is financial gain and the top priority of staff massage therapists is client care, this combination can be a fiasco. In spas, there can be many complications, in part because the spa industry is growing quickly. Many new spas offer cheap monthly rates and lower pay rates. I am personally aware of spas that do not value continuing education; or, where continuing education is required, spa management will only pay for online classes. Some spas even discourage proper note-taking. One lead massage therapist told me he was instructed to refrain from note-taking as it “takes up time and causes arguments.” The lack of professionalism at some spas has created a misperception on the part of the public that spa PIXLAND/THINKSTOCK Nichole L. Kucharek, P.A., L.M.T., B.C.T.M.B., responds M| Expert Advice Ethical Easy | www.massagemag.com | September 2015 | MASSAGE Magazine | 27 massage therapists may be untrained or undereducated. I have met clients in the spa setting who were surprised I had gone to school for massage; a former spa coworker told me, “When I was working in a particular spa, I felt like there was a constant struggle of trying to prove I was educated to my manager, [and] I know I was not alone. This created an environment of animosity and high turnover for the spa, until that manager was no longer employed there.” I have witnessed seasoned spa massage therapists perform modalities they were not trained in, just to appease managers or out of fear of being ostracized for refusing a client. Some spa managers tell massage therapists to perform modalities they are not educated in or to work on clients with contraindicated conditions because the company would “have their back.” This is uncalled for—and dangerous not only for clients, but for a spa massage therapist working as an independent contractor, for the liability risk raised. We have a responsibility to be honest about our credentials and to only work on clients when it is deemed advantageous. I have also been privy to new therapists coerced into thinking that learning to perform a hot stone massage in the manner the workplace wants it done is equivalent to being trained in the modality. Another area of concern is client confidentiality, which may be jeopardized in a spa. Client intake forms are usually not massage-specific, and include questions for estheticians and cosmetologists. (See “Are You Compliant? What the Latest HIPAA Rules Mean for Massage Therapists,” MASSAGE Magazine, February 2015.) Alcohol is yet another area of concern in spas. Many spas offer a complimentary glass of wine with the option to buy more. Many also have amenities such as hot tubs, saunas and heated pools. Although these are great selling points, combining alcohol with hot therapies makes clients vulnerable—and even more so when bodywork is added into the mix. Personally, I have been pushed 1How to respond when asked to perform a technique you are not trained in: A positive aspect of working in a spa is not every massage therapist is educated in the same modalities. As a contained group, we can play off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses; meaning, refer this client to a coworker. 2What to do when scheduled to perform seven massages back-to-back: If this is a common occurrence, become educated about classifications and labor laws so that you understand your rights as an employee. If you are an employee, contact your local National Labor Relations Board (nlrb.gov) for assistance. 3What to say to a manager when asked to perform massage on a client with a contraindicating condition: If you are trained in a modality that is not contraindicated for the client, such as reiki, inform your manager of this. If your suggestion does not appease your manager, decline to work on that client. Consistency is key to protecting yourself and clients; meaning, always respond the same way in this type of situation. 4How to respond when colleagues are gossiping about a client: You might be ostracized for being mature when it comes to gossiping; however, do not allow yourself to be sucked into negativity. Tell your supervisor that this type of behavior violates confidentiality, your professional standards of practice and your personal code of ethics—not to mention the Health