- listen with your whole being
I have about twenty music CDs in my massage office and I am tired of every single one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I still love them. I appreciate that many of my clients are as attached to certain albums as they are to my massage but I need a new infusion of melodies in my life. And let me tell you, while the choices are infinite, there is a lot out there I wouldn’t massage my worst enemy to.
The music we play during our sessions is an integral part of our client’s experience. It’s as important as having the face cradle in a comfortable position or having the room at optimal temperature. Music has the power to put our clients into the right mood to receive our administrations. It can make us feel powerful, it can make us feel sexy, and it has the power to heal.
I love acoustic guitar and so finding music that incorporates guitar is a big plus to me. The artist that comes to mind who has soul-enriching guitar is Shastro. One of the songs on his album Shaman’s Healing, literally transports me to cruising the cliffs of Cartagena with my hands around the wheel of an expensive, low-slung convertible every time I hear it. He is amazing, he is uplifting, he is spiritual, and he has been done to death in almost every massage school, yoga studio, spa, or dentist office. You name the place and Shastro is playing there. I have many of his CDs but I find that not all of them are to my taste and not all are suitable for my style of massage.
Another artist I like is Gandalf. His music is flowing, rich, meaningful and sometime too “eastern” for some of my clients. I actually had a new client ask me when they scheduled to please make sure that the music I played contained no chanting or dedications either within the song or as the name of the song to any other deities except Jesus. They liked the Celtic fairies music, though
I bought a very expensive set at Barnes and Noble, one day by Peter Kater called the Elements Series. They are awesome! There are four discs- fire, water, air, and earth. Each are very different and each represent their element well but….I’m tired of them too.
I already have the assorted Celtic Fairies, Reiki relaxation, Dean Everson’s spiritual trips to Sedona and Shambala so I am ready for something fresh.
What do you all like in your collections? What artists move you? What styles influence your work? What songs send your clients off on astral-plane trips to their ancestral hunting grounds?
Light, love, happiness and inspired eardrums for all,
Michele
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xlnthands
Why dont you ask the client to bring his / her own CD and that way it is totally personal to them and you get to hear some new music and you can also let the music guide your approach a little bit perhaps
just a thought
I have a few clients who do just that. One likes classic rock and roll so we massage to anything from the Rolling Stones, Van Halen, to Bob Marley. I will say that I find it a little more challenging to perform a slow, gentle relaxation massage to ‘I’m Hot for Teacher’ or ‘Brown Sugar’, though. Another is very into Jazz, the Blues”ier” the better. He has given me several CDs and I have found several other clients who like them as well.
You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most people will agree with your blog.
Thanks Kevin, I have added a few new artists to my collection and happy for the present but if you have any suggestions of artists in this genre, please let me know. I have very ecclectic tastes.