Posts

Firm Pressure vs. Deep Tissue, what is the difference?

So many people do know the difference between firm pressure and deep tissue massage.  But there is a BIG difference.   A firm pressure massage is typically done using Swedish technique with long strokes using the palm of the hand and/or forearm.  It's typically not painful unless the area being massaged is sensitive due to a previous injury and sometimes triggerpoints. A deep tissue massage focuses on realigning deeper layers of muscles and connective tissue and may be quite painful.  Typically the finger tips/thumbs and/or elbow and leverage are used to apply pressure deeper into the tissue.  Deep Tissue massage can be helpful for athletes who are very hard on their bodies, post surgical patients to aid in the breakdown of scar tissue (once they have healed from their surgery) or anyone who has dense tissue who wants/needs to realign the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue.  Again, this type of massage can be very painful even if done prop...

From The Owner: "I'm JUST The Owner!"

One of the questions I get asked most often is "What do you do here (at Texas Sports Massage and Day Spa)?  My answer:  Well, I'm not a Massage Therapist, Esthetician or Cosmetologist so I'm JUST an owner!  I also joke that I'm the toilet scrubber, dish washer, trash taker-outer and whatever needs to be done.  But its no joke!  I scrubbed the toilet just this morning!  But make no mistake, I'm busy everyday.  My number-one job is to make sure the phone rings and people are booking appointments.  I spend countless hours on Google Adwords, Yelp, Facebook, Constant Contact, Blogger and our website creating ads, posting, updating, writing and so on.  I work on budgeting, payments and finances.  I research and purchase supplies and products.  I research new services that will complement our current services.  I schedule and attend marketing and networking opportunities. I try to keep my team motivated, up beat and ready to provide n...

From the Owner: A Great Team

One of the most difficult  issues that business owners deal with is staffing.  It's so hard to find good people to do the very best they can to provide great services and exemplary customer service.  First, they have to commit to truly being part of the team.  Second, they have to be willing to do whatever they can to support the team.  Finally, they have to be consistent. Of course I'm committed, its MY business and I'm going to do whatever it takes to be successful.  But getting other staff members to have that same level of commitment is very difficult.  Believe me, I have definitely been through a number of employees.  It's not that they were all bad.  Its just that they either couldn't provide great services or weren't willing to give exemplary customer service or they just weren't committed to being part of the team. One of the hardest things to deal with in this business is how inconsistent the market is.  One day you might be...

From the Cosmetologist: My Journey to Becoming a Licensed Cosmetologist

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Some people that have known me my whole life have trouble believing that I became a beauty professional considering I have never really been a "girly" girl. My mom always talks about how when I was a little kid, I could care less about what I looked like. I was totally cool with not having matching clothes or disheveled hair. I truly didn't care. It wasn't until I turned probably 13 or so did I really start caring about my appearance. Up until then I was generally a hot mess (and I still am sometimes, haha). I will say that I always had a knack for hair and make up. I was always doing my friend's hair and make up for fun or for special events. There was a time where my mom gave me a box of make up that she didn't use any more and it was on on like flan! I would sit at my mom's vanity and play with make up and at times I would go a little overboard and end up looking like a drag queen (not that I am not fascinated by those ladies). I always loved getting ...

From the owner: The Struggle Is Real

I mentioned in my last blog that I would talk about how humbling this experience has been.  For me, talking to anyone about my finances is very difficult.  I'm very prideful and I don't like anyone to know I'm struggling financially. I really cant say why it embarrasses me so much, I guess its just my upbringing.  I was raised VERY poor.  I am the youngest of four children and we almost always had at least one other child living with us.  I really don't know how my parents kept food on the table and a roof over our heads but somehow they made it work.  But I'm thankful for that experience because it taught me so much.  Among other things, it taught me that I never want to be in that situation again.  It also taught me that if you consistently work hard, and are willing to do what other people wont, you'll be successful.  Those two things were ingrained in me at a very young age. As a result, I have always been very driven in my career. ...

A New Solution To An Old Problem

Hey Everybody!  Do you have a question about Massage or Spa services that you've always wanted to ask but didn't?  Well, today we are going to answer one of our Frequently Asked Questions with the help of David who is one of our Massage Therapists. We asked David, "What is the most common question that your clients ask you? He said, without hesitation, Why am I in such pain?" . Most commonly, the clients will also say they haven't done anything strenuous that would typically cause them to pain.  His answer: Most people who aren't athletes (tennis, cross fit, weight lifting, jogging/running, cycling, etc.) but they have pain typically are office workers who complain of low back, upper back, shoulder and neck pain.  They often underestimate the toll that sitting for long periods of time at a desk or computer takes on their body.  He states that the simplest resolution to this problem is to take frequent breaks to get us and move around.  There are oth...

More about the owner

As I mentioned in my earlier post, owning my own business has been very challenging.  I had a great job that was stable, paid well with benefits and security.  But I always knew that I wanted to own my own business some day.   So what happened to make me jump?  Well, I was turning 50 (a couple of years ago) and I was having the sort of reckoning that everyone has when they hit milestone years (mostly those followed by a 0!).  I was asking myself in the months preceding that milestone "What's next" and "Where are you headed".  I was having thoughts of leaving my great job and asking myself "Are you crazy?"  But the truth is that I was also being "called" to make this change in my life.  All I can say is that it was a "God thing".  During that year and the two since then, I have seen more miracles in my life than you can imagine!  I don't want to turn my blog into a preachy diatribe so just suffice it to say that I know beyond a ...