Three Crucial Boundaries for Estheticians & Massage Therapists

Life saving tips from how to save your body to enforcing your cancellation policy. A must for the solo esthetician or massage therapist!

We all know (or are learning) that boundaries are a healthy dividing line we sometimes need to implement for our own well-being. The same is true at work. It can be intimidating, especially when we need to communicate directly with a client. Who else has felt their heart pounding when we enforce our cancellation policy?

This is why I'm covering three crucial boundaries for estheticians & massage therapists, that I have either learned very early on, or it's taken quite some time to implement. I hope you will use these sooner rather than later, so you may do your work with as much grace and ease as possible.

1. Say to yourself before each treatment, "I will not make my own body uncomfortable to perform your service."

Awkward positions. Hunching over. Raised shoulders. Weird hand positions. Enough!!! Skincare and bodywork can be extremely hard on the body, and it's crucial that we treat our body kindly so we don't have problems down the road. If you've developed some bad habits, it's time to stop. Now. Check your posture. Relax and lower your shoulders. If you need to stand up and move around, do it. (choose footwear and clothes that make moving around easy and quiet). Get an electric table so you can adjust height easily. Small bad habits lead to big long term consequences that will cost you money, time, and comfort. I truly believe that no service is worth being in any level of pain or discomfort for. If there's no way around some of the positions you need to get into, it may be time to consider changing the services you offer. I know many massage therapists that move to lighter touch modalities like MLD and Ortho-Bionomy because they just can't do deep pressure anymore. Think about your long term plan, and adjust accoringly now.

I read something recently by a practitioner who said for about every 10 services he performs, he recieves one. Find your number that keeps you in balance, and don't feel indulgent when you make appointments for yourself. The more you're doing, the more you need to refill your own cup.

2. You're allowed to say, "that is out of my scope of practice" and "I don't know the answer to that."

As estheticians and massage therapists, clients often open up. A lot. We become a bit of a therapist. And I'm fine with that. But we may occasionally get clients that expect us to be a doctor, an optometrist, a dermatologist, an ENT, and more. It gets trickier when you have a holistic approach- which is a whole body approach, but does not mean we are qualified to answer medical questions. It may be our nature to be nice, to do a little research so we understand the issue better, but at the end of the day, our specialty is what we are licensed in, and no more. As much as we may want to be helpful and offer advice we are not fully confident in, there is absolutely nothing wrong with reminding your client you are not licensed in that field and they may want to seek out a specialist or their primary care provider for these questions. Stay in your lane, stay true to what you excel at, and don't try to please everyone.

3. Expect your time to be honored.

Ahhh the cancellation policy. As long as you are working in an appointment based field, there will always be no-shows, last minute cancellations, and angry people that don't like you enforcing your policy. It's just the name of the game, and hopefully, it's a very small percentage of your appointments. As long as these incidences are relatively few and far between, don't get too angry. Let it go.

Having said that, it is crucial to cover your back with a written cancellation policy, and because people don't read anything anymore, try to put it in simple, brief writing in as many places as you can (booking confirmations, appointment reminders, say it verbally if booking over the phone, etc.) I recommend having a page on your website dedicated to your policies. This is your chance to lay it all out there- what you expect, exactly what will happen if a client is tardy, they don't show up, or they repeatedly cancel appointments. Make rules and consquences and outline them clearly. Err on the side of being strict (that way, you can always make an exception if the situation is worthy.) Now, with a designated policies page, you have an easy web link to send folks when they are tardy, no-showing, or wondering why they can't rebook after they no-showed. I just attach a quick note, "Hi! Are you on your way? Just to review, here are our policies." Or, "Hi! Unfortunately we are unable to reserve your appointment due to an outstanding fee from your previous missed appointment. You can review our policies here."

See? It gives you a solid claim of exactly what your policies are. It saves you from negotiating or getting too involved in any back and forth with the client. In this case, be robotic, not emotional, when standing up for yourself, like an AI bot that just keeps reiterating your policy. 😆 These situations are NOT worth your emotional energy. Do your best, then let it go.

Lastly, fire clients if you need to. You'll know the ones that are repeat offenders. Put that in your policy too- all the reasons why you reserve the right to refuse service. You put valuble time, energy, and money into your work, and anyone that does not respect that can go elsewhere. Creating your dream clientele sometimes entails clarifying who is not your dream client.

That wraps up this post! I hope these ideas will stick with you. Please be kind to your body, repeat that mantra before your services, know your strengths and what you excel at and let that be plenty, and enforce some rules here and there when you need to. Most importantly, I hope you work with gratitude and joy for what you do and all those that you help.

Until next time,

Aomi

Advanced Facial Massage Training

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