Massage is Weird: How to Beat Burnout and Kick Butt as a Massage Therapist by Ian Harvey
This book is actually very much a breath of fresh air in the massage industry. It’s a return to logic and common sense with a bit of social psychology thrown in and none of the usual social media mother-henning and overly emotional responses.
He addresses self-doubt, boundaries, educating clients, germs, creeps, trauma, business topics, client communication tactics, different causes of burn out, massage myths, and of course Ian’s specialty, massaging like a sloth! In short, anything that seems to professionally contribute to burnout, he’s covered it. And it’s all delivered in a coherent, gentle, and well thought out manner.
Overall I found this book very well organized. And while there’s nothing earth shattering or even new here, I would recommend this book for every new or struggling massage therapist because the information is succinct, applicable, and accessible. The layout is such that you can locate the topic of interest without having to read the whole book to find what you need. I do recommend reading the whole thing through at least once though. For those of us who have been around a while, I recommend reading it to support our industry cohort and to see the unique perspective his background offers to our work.
Happy Reading!
Ian Harvey’s Massage Sloth Website is here if you want to learn more about him and his Massage Sloth style.
Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!