
Gayle Steffens of TherapureBODYworks LLC and ImaMassage.com
Gayle Steffens is a massage therapist in California and co-owner of TherapureBODYworks LLC and ImaMassage.com. She shares her personal experience in the health and wellness field and offers advice for new massage graduates below.
What made you decide to become a massage therapist?
The first time I remember hearing the word massage was when I was about 10 years old. I would watch my friend’s mom always complain about her back and ask my friend (her daughter) to massage her shoulders. I thought it was so neat how great her mom felt after she was done. I remember her mom saying, “Oh Annie, you just have the strongest hands! You’re going to grow up and massage all those football players!” I remember thinking that that’s what I wanted to do…more massage, it didn’t have to be the football players.
Skipping forward to high school. I would work on the girls on my volleyball team while we waited to play, but the true turning point when I knew for sure that I wanted to practice massage was when I took a class on reflexology. I started doing mass research on massage and reflexology and the benefits it had on the body. Imagine that something as little as working on a hand or a foot could down-regulate the nervous system, affect the back, and even help aid in digestion…or if done improperly, [could cause] constipation! Massage seemed to fit in my personality to help teach people and to help heal people.
What advice would you offer to a recent massage graduate?
I hope as you were going through school you made great acquaintances and friends, because they will help you greatly on your path! Through the friends I’ve made I’ve been connected to other forms of practice like Reiki and hypnosis.
Also I would suggest getting your state certificate or license right away! I suggest having your own table. The first table I bought was a OneTouch table! It still is with me, but now I use it for events.
You need to know whether or not you want to work at a spa, at a chiropractor’s office, or for yourself right away—if so, do you want to have your clients come to you, or are you willing to go to them?
I think it’s smart to start off someplace and build clientele until you’re able to go off on your own. I started at a fitness club called Equinox. I now have a sturdy clientele where I wouldn’t have time to work for a spa or club.
Know you have the right to refuse to work on anyone. I choose my clients; when I first meet them, it’s an interview for me as [much as] it is for them.
Know your price and don’t veer from it. Know your worth.
Looking back, what would you have done differently starting out as a massage therapist?
Honestly, I don’t think I would have done much different. I probably would have saved for taxes a little differently and also would have added the tax amount into my charge. I would have added the tax into the fee so I get paid my “x” amount that I want and know I can live off of.
What is one thing that has really made your business take off?
Word of mouth is what greatly helped my business. Going to events and volunteering services like 10 minute chair massages can explode a business, especially if you collect contact info. When you go out and touch people, it lets them get to know you and your touch so [that] if they can’t hire you, they could possibly refer you to someone that can!
I used different techniques, and I didn’t treat my clients like I was forced to work on them. I am grateful for every client that I have.
What keeps your clients coming back?
Honesty, listening to the client’s body, and suggesting ways to self-maintain are how I keep my clients coming back. The majority of my clients are weekly clients.
I also spend quality time with them. From the moment I enter their home we are talking about their body, how they’re eating, what they’re doing for exercise, and how it relates to and affects their body. I only offer 90 minute sessions and up, unless your body really can’t handle that.
Besides telling my clients the truth, I don’t know what keeps them coming back! You’ll find that some people will absolutely love you and others will find a different therapist that works best for them.
About Gayle
Gayle Steffens has been a licensed massage therapist since 2009. She is a graduate of California Healing Arts College and the co-founder of TherapureBODYworks LLC and ImaMassage. Originally from Minnesota, Gayle moved to California right after high school to pursue a career in wellness! She loves dogs and being active. Surfing, painting, smiling, rock climbing, karate, and hiking are some of her favorite things to do, outside of studying Japanese and healing modalities.