As I'm sure everyone is we're last week was extremely difficult in many respects and on many levels. I am incredibly grateful for those of you that have reached out already in regards to mine and my families safety and that of the office which I lease. Being nine blocks from the epicenter of many of the unfortunate activities of looters and anarchist I've seen firsthand the devastation and destruction. For most of last week and the weekend I've gone to the office daily to inspect damage to the building and to request repairs from the landlord. My family is safe and our building has been repaired to look better than it did before last week. Sadly many of my fellow business owners were not so lucky I've tried to be there for them in every capacity I can.

In regards to this coming week many of you may have already noticed I have blocked off evening appointments. Because the situation is so fluid with curfew implementation announcements as well as highway shut downs happening ahead of schedule It does not make sense to leave the sessions open at this time. As I know more during each day I can open up those evening appointments as it is reasonable to do so. Please be flexible and patient as you all have been so far. Even though I have been open for several weeks already very few appointments have been scheduled for many reasons. I invite all of you to come back when you're ready. If you would care to purchase a gift card (found on my main page and booking page as a labeled button) for later use I will be happy to add it to your account. This will help me pay rent and other expenses at a time when COVID-19 has already financially strapped my business and unemployment is no longer an option.

My greatest hopes that this message today has found all of you healthy and unharmed. Your support over the last several months has meant the world to me. These times have only reaffirmed my love and dedication to this profession and to my clients. Should you have any questions please email me directly or you may contact me via text.

Tony Schwartz

Owner of Tony Schwartz Bodywork LLC

I sent this open later today to all of my clients in the hopes that it finds each of you in good health and the good health of those who love and care about. I have received many calls text and emails from all over the world from as far away as New Delhi, India looking in on my welfare. It has brought me a great deal of joy during some difficult days. It has only reaffirmed my love of this profession and all of the people I serve. I have seen a number of colleagues lose their businesses and even a few that have ended their lives. I have seen an entire generation of very talented therapists disappear and even some of the best schools in the country shut down forever. I'm sure each of you could share the good and the bad of these last several months. The world is starting to wake up once more and so we shall begin again. 

I am announcing that I will re-open my doors to all therapeutic clients on Monday, May 18. This was a difficult decision on many fronts. I was actually able to reopen on May 11 but I made it very difficult decision to remain closed pending the governors announcement last evening. As I'm sure many of you have experienced circumstances change hourly and that has certainly have for me as well. I can honestly say this will be the start of the most challenging my business has ever faced. I will lose my unemployment which is helped carry my family through this time I will only be able to be available for sessions on a part-time basis for the next several weeks as I am trying to also help businesses related to massage that are not yet ready to open but need assistance in doing so. Many of these businesses are running very low on cash I don't have the means compensate me yet. I also have several colleagues who will be using my space over the next few weeks to take in their therapeutic clients while they find alternative spaces. Your support by booking sessions or putting money on your account will be paramount to this companies survival. All I ask from each of you as my doors re-open is to be honest and be willing to make the subtle adjustments necessary to protect my health and those of other people will be in the space after you.

So what happens now? On Friday, May 15 (before 5 PM) the book a session page will reappear on my website. All adjustments to the schedule required for proper cleaning and sanitation will have already been made along with those days and times when I know I will be available. As before any open sessions you see are available for booking. I asked people to remember that these are for therapeutic services only. I am not legally allowed to take any form of relaxation services. I will be keeping my modified schedule most likely until June 1.

When you open up the book a session page you're going to notice a link at the top of the page regarding COVID-19. I'm going to ask you to please read that file before booking the actual session. If you have any questions about what you're reading please contact me before booking the session. Here are the simple highlights: 

1. Mask will be required before entering the building. If you forget to bring yours please call or text me before you enter the building and I will bring one to you. This is of paramount importance because social distancing will not be possible and many of the practitioners and clients in the building are older and may be more susceptible to catching the virus. 

2. Please do not wear gloves into the building. If you wish to wear gloves let me bring you a fresh pair before you enter. Gloves protect your hands but they also spread what is on your hands.

3. Please wash your hands when you enter the building and leave the building for your own protection.

4. You will be required to wear a mask during the session well laying face up. Due to respiratory complications the table has been modified to allow you to breathe while you were face down without a mask.

5. It is extremely important to arrive a 5 minutes early. Most clients assume that their session begins for example at noon so people arrive at noon. Noon is when I expect to have people on the table. Prescreening questions including the temperature check are still going to be required but should only take a few minutes.

6. The no call / no show policy will still be in effect. Your confirmation email will allow you to cancel or reschedule an appointment up to two hours in advance of the start of your session time. That means if you feel sick you still have the chance to cancel your appointment without penalty. But I want to make one thing extremely clear out of an abundance of caution for everyone. If you refuse to wear a mask when entering the building or choose not to submit to the pre-screening it will be treated as a no call no show and you will pay the 50% charge. As a private business I am allowed a certain amount of leeway on screening clients before they receive treatment. I am using that leeway to protect not only myself and my family but others who use building.

As I finish up this message I want to again say how incredibly grateful I am to all of my clients. This time has only made me realize how much I love my work. And how much all of you make my life better by choosing to come in and be a part of my practice. There has been a great hole in my life these last eight weeks and it was a space where all of you were. As much as this is a business it's about people more so. I look forward to seeing each and everyone of you.

Welcome Back,

Tony Schwartz

Let Me Know 2020

Its that time again! Please go to website and look for the banner or the link on my book a session page. The form will be available from now through June 1st. Please make sure to click submit and wait for the completion page to show special offers available as a thank you for completing the survey. This is just one of the sources I use to try and get feedback from all of my clients. Every single submitted survey is anonymous and is used to make every person sessions better. Every year I find something to improve upon so please take part!

What’s Happening in 2020

My Ask 

If any of you have every worked with a BNI group you have heard of something called: My Ask. For 2020 I am asking all my clients to submit a review. Reviews are a very effective in attracting new clients. This is something I am not very good at asking for but this year I trying to move out of my comfort zone as just ask. The most effective reviews are balanced and honest and that is all I ask. You can place them on the following public platforms: Facebook, Google (maps, or business), BBB.org, and Yelp. If you have already done a review in the past consider doing another on a different platform.

Table Upgrades

I have new table lift in the office! Yep, I invested in my body mechanics which will allow me to work faster and more efficiently with less strain on my body. These devices are commonly used in large chain massage clinics and hospitals. Please come and try it out! 

Another table upgrade is a new comfort face cradle. This is a relatively new device which attaches from the mount your face cradle attaches to the table with in the face cradle itself which creates an ultra soft zero gravity support for your neck and head. Enjoy!

Final table upgrade for 2020 is the purchase of a foot warmer. In the colder months I have heated the room as well as the table but occasionally I'll get clients with poor circulation or just generally more comfortable with warmer feet and after exhaustive research I have found that the electric warmers that are out there in booty form are just not up to par. As a result I've purchased a supplemental smaller heating pad which will go over the blanket and penetrate down into the table. This solves a couple of big issues and the most important is providing good head while still being able to keep the heating pad in a sanitary condition for multiple uses.

Special Note! This is so Cool!

For those of you that would like to gift a session to someone I want to provide some clarity. If you would like to give a gift of a session you have a couple of options: 1. Buy and eGift Card online! https://squareup.com/gift/VKHYJJP6GY3EE/order.  2. Book a session for someone (or let them) and have it billed to your account. by placing you name in parentheses in the last name field of the booking form (please send me a text to me to confirm your allowing me to bill you). If you want to pay for it and not have it billed just use the pay link upon booking.  Questions? Just contact me or ask at your next session.

See You on the Table,

Tony Schwartz

Owner of Tony Schwartz Bodywork

I'm reaching out to every single client at this very difficult time in which we all find ourselves in. As government officials take measures to ensure the health and safety of all of us it is important to recognize that this is an emotional time as well. Many of the strangest aspects of this viral outbreak are the result of emotional reactions to what is happening including things like rampant hoarding and buying of stable goods.

Many of our government and health officials are requesting that business including event venues limiting gatherings to a few hundred people in order to slow down the rate of infection. This is a very reasonable idea considering that the early stages of this infection are respiratory in nature. I'm sure a number if your employers have also started to discuss working from home when possible or rotating shifts of employees into facilities over a long period of time in order to limit the number of people in your work places.

I want to impart my greatest hopes that this virus will subside as quickly as it has come and that life may return to normal soon. I am continuing normal operations until otherwise noted on my social media accounts and website. The daily cleaning rituals that I use (and are considered industry standard) will remain in place and enhanced for the period come. Every day I work with people with compromised immune systems or require special sanitary needs in order to prevent Infections that are carried by a normal healthy people. These include HEPA filtration, the use of UV sterilization, cleaning wipes and aerosols. Most of these cleanings take place in between clients that you never see (that is one of the reasons why I limit the number of clients I see every day). Every therapist in our building has also begin cleaning all of the common areas more aggressively. 

I would encourage everyone to maintain as normal of life as possible while taking practical precautions. During this difficult and stressful time I will be there for all of you (while ensuring our mutual health) through sanitation and sensible precautions.

If you were starting to feel the effects of stress or physical pain in my opinion it is important to continue to address those needs as much as possible. I plan on continuing to work as many people in the healthcare profession have chosen to do including our chiropractors, physical therapist, personal trainers, and countless others in the medical field. 

Thank you everyone for your time and I will see you on the table,

Tony Schwartz
Owner - Tony Schwartz Bodywork LLC

Thank You for another year of allowing me to spend time with you. In hopes of finding all of you well and with that this newsletter is to inform you about changes coming for 2020 that EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW.

Prices

At the start of the Affordable Care Act I made a decision to hold my prices steady in order to allow all of my clients to adapt to the rapid price changes happening in the marketplace until 2020. After more than a year of looking at survey results from all of you and study in the marketplace for the type of massage clients receive I have revised my price and policies to reflect current conditions. One of the most important changes that everyone will see in 2020 is a single price model that more accurately reflects the behavior of most clients. This means that the $10 off discount for coming in once a month or for money on account will end at the end of 2019. This will reduce the price increase and reflect the reality that over 80% of our clients coming into see me are receiving the discount anyway. 

With the single price and model and also means that every therapy I offer is included in the price of your service so that whatever is necessary to make you feel better is available to you at no additional charge. When you factor in sales tax, gratuities, and membership fees I believe that every client will see increased value in my services when compared to my closest competitors. I have always believed in creating value for every client and treating people the way I want to be treated.

Hands for Heroes

The hands for heroes program still continues and after experimenting with a different time allotment and pricing strategy I have made some changes for 2020 they are as follows: Each veteran that comes in to see me will be given three hours of bodywork at no charge. There will also be a discount of $10 on any additional services beyond that. The eligibility requirements when we mean the same. This means that all active duty, retired are eligible. However this does not extend to family members. Unused hours cannot be rolled over into the following year.

New Sessions

There also be three new kinds of sessions at it this year. There will be an individual 30 minute still cupping service, an individual 15 minute light therapy session (more on that shortly), and a new 30 minute follow-up appointment session.  Just a brief word on booking sessions: I've noticed how many people have embraced the new online booking software introduced in late 2018. I do want to let everyone know that in order to better manage my time as well as to be convenient as possible any open sessions visible online can be booked or canceled within four hours of the date and time you're attempting to select. If the service time is not visible on the date you want it means that the session time has already been booked or that I am not in the office during that time. Please coming in before the start of your session time. My goal is to have you on the table working at the scheduled session time. Please allow me to give you all of your session time. 

CBD Products

Another interesting item that came up during the service this year was the use of CBD oil in massage therapy as a treatment for arthritis among other things. After consultation with my insurance provider and looking at the product availability and independent lab testing for many of these products I have made the decision about any client who chooses to bring in their products will follow the same guidelines as those are use for people with allergens. Any client who wishes to use the product in conjunction with their service may bring it in but it is the clients responsibility to decide how much can we use doing their service and I will be using gloves during the massage in order to not transmit any of the oil onto my skin directly.

More Value

In 2019 I made a decision to complete another 64 CEU’s this year all of them in the area of orthopedic massage work. As for 2020 I will be concentrating on the national licensing exam which is not required in Minnesota but hopefully will be in the next several years this is a test at standardizes the basic knowledge required to be a massage therapist and be licensed in all 50 US states. Minnesota is an unregulated state when it comes to massage for the most part and the test is not yet mandatory. However I do get many individuals I travel in from other states and find the certification comforting when trying to find a new therapist.

LED Light Therapy

Final item is by far the most exciting in my opinion because it is a therapy I think will benefit every client and I hope that everyone will take the opportunity to try it. After almost a year of consideration and investigation into a therapy that would benefit the most common problems I see coming through and clients I've made the decision to introduce LED light therapy. This therapy is not new however with the recent advances in medical technology now allows it to become very affordable as well as enhancing the therapeutic effect it provides. For those of you that may be familiar with the term cold laser therapy this is its newest generation of technology so instead of refocused laser light these LED panels and met the same basic with links of light that happen scientifically proven to be beneficial on the body but work a significantly larger area of the body. I have been traveling and consulting with other massage therapist and other medical professionals in order to see the benefits myself as well as how are they for integrated it into their practices for the maximum benefit of their patients. I think this will be a very interesting and exciting time to come in once a therapy has been put into place. In order to maximize the effectiveness of this new therapy I have invested a significant of amount of money and a medical grade device used by professional sports teams in beauty experts alike. This therapy has many benefits including some of the following: deep muscle therapy which will help soften muscle tissue, aid in the removal of internal scarring, aid in the removal of surface scarring of the skin, increase and elastin production which is key to the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. Increase in blood flow and healthy self replication to aid in injury recovery of all types of body tissues. 

There will be two forms of light therapy treatment offered: in office treatment and home treatment. In order to maximize effectiveness of this therapy light therapy sessions are typically done daily or weekly depending upon the goal of the client. Client will be able to receive light therapy as an individual service lasting approximately 15 minutes in length as well as an at home component of which they can purchase a reasonably priced high quality light machine for use at home. This therapy is now available and I hope that every client will at least consider taking it for a test drive. If you have any questions regarding anything in this newsletter please contact me directly through email or during your next visit.

Thanks

Tony Schwartz 

Owner Tony Schwartz Bodywork

First and foremost THANK YOU to every single client who came to visit in 2018. Last year represents the single largest year of growth that I have had since moved into 4161 Minnehaha. Your continued commitment to your health and your continued confidence in me has also allowed me to make several improvements including a new automated scheduling software system.

The 2019 let me know survey will be posted on the website as well being as posted on my social media starting April 1, 2019 continuing through May 1, 2019! This is a very important year of big questions so let me know! Please take the time to complete the survey because it allows me to learn more about how you view my services and what things you'd like to see improved. All survey results are anonymous (there is no way for me to track the information back to a single client). I encourage people to be as honest as possible. Every year your sessions are improved directly because of these surveys.

As always I ask every client to consider writing a review for my business. Last year I only had three new reviews posted by clients. The more honest reviews people can see the greater the potential that new clients will come in! You can post reviews on different platforms even if you've posted reviews in other locations. Due to my Better Business Bureau accreditation standards I cannot offer incentives to clients for posting reviews I can only encourage people to submit honest reviews. Again, please consider writing a review below you will find a list of all the locations online where you can post a review for my business so that other people can read them:

Facebook Page: Tony Schwartz Bodywork - Review Tab

https://www.yelp.com/biz/tony-schwartz-bodywork-minneapolis

Google

https://www.bbb.org/us/mn/minneapolis/profile/massage-therapist/tony-schwartz-bodywork-0704-1000004189

https://www.tonyschwartzbodywork.com/reviews

Corporate and Community wellness is still going on so let your company or community group enjoy savings. No contracts, just good bodywork. If you or other decision makers have any questions please contact me directly. Chair Massage is also a great option for your event! 

Try something new! I offer Cupping, Medi-cupping, Craniosacral, and for those who know anyone who is expecting prenatal massage. I do charge by time and not by the service so everything I offer is at no extra charge. Feel free to talk to me during your next session.

Tony Schwartz 

Owner Tony Schwartz Bodywork

Thank You, 2018 is on track to be my best year ever and I have all of you to thank for it. Please help me grow with honest reviews and referrals. Every dollar spent goes into making your sessions better and providing for my family. Thank You. No one who comes to my door is a number. I hope to serve each and every one of you for years to come. 

Like I mentioned in the spring news letter price changes coming for NEW clients in 2019. All current clients will remain at my current rates until January 1, 2020. Please keep in mind that all new prices for NEW CLIENTS ONLY will posted on the website. There is one change that will be taking place in 2019 regarding no call / no show and non-emergency cancelations. The fee will no longer be a 50% charge only a $45 charge to your account to be paid before your next session online. If you have questions please contact me directly. 

Thank you to everyone who took to 2018 client survey. Several changes have taken place as the result of those results. Another survey will be up in the spring of 2019. Please take the time to respond to the questions because they are used to make yours and others sessions better. 

A NEW STREAMLINED SELF BOOKING system has been tested and has been running sense August. This new system allows everyone to choose the session duration they want and see every open session up to 60 days in advance. You can book and cancel up to 5 hours in advance of your session. I will always take your session requests by phone or text everyday from 8am - 8pm as well.

The Hands for Heroes program has been apart of my practice now for some time and I have made the choice to change and expand it’s use in 2019. After getting feedback from a number of clients, other massage therapists, and others I will be providing the same number of no cost hours to each vet in 2019 but expending long term care options at a discounted rate.

Corporate and community wellness is a service I have been providing for several years. Invite me into your local business or pre-event and get a fantastic great on chair massage as well as ongoing discount for employees who choose to come to my office. Contact me for additional details.

Thank you everyone. I hope the end of 2018 brings you health and happiness. I also hope that everyone has a wonderful start to 2019.

Tony Schwartz

Owner of Tony Schwartz Bodywork

So let's briefly take a moment to discuss the current state of the spa and bodywork industry in and it states and how it is currently divided up. There are two main branches of massage there is the relaxation portion and the therapeutic portion. Many of the relaxation aspects of the massage industry are things that people would call spas. The other branch would be the more therapeutic side and that would be health spas and clinics. As a side note, here I would like to clarify something that Massage Envy has done for years which is to call their spas clinics. This is not the correct use of the terminology. Massage Envy has an extremely regimented protocol for each service and for legal reasons chooses not to allow their therapist to work in any therapeutic capacity whatsoever. This would be more properly turned a spa. In my opinion this is a deliberate distortion of the term in order to low customers into a false sense of confidence in the professionalism and knowledge of their therapists. The relaxation branch of massage is the one most people know. These massage are intended to be relaxing with no real focus where people tend to pay more for the soft music and pleasant environment. There are usually two budget categories within us that of the luxury aspect which massages tend to be done and very large elaborate spas the other tend to be done in more confined budget price ranges that would be places like Massage Envy. Therapists are typically those out of school with no therapeutic skills whatsoever other than the necessary to prevent harm. These therapists and spas tend to be open on nights, weekends, and holidays. Continuing on with the second branch that would be therapeutic massage the sessions are strictly focusing on health and different aspects of the massage that can enhance your current health through the use of tried-and-true techniques. Most of these practitioners work with and chiropractic clinics physical therapist offices or other medically based office settings. This also means that they work more 9-to-5 type of jobs and do not except tips but in some cases do take insurance (Insurance companies  are slowly pricing out these services).

So as a point of full disclosure let me discuss where I am within these two branches and why I am choosing to be there. That will give us a framework for discussing these new massage on-demand apps. When I started out in the massage industry back in 2009 all I wanted was to get a job (and it really did not matter to me where). Being a male in the industry right after an economic downturn jobs were sparse to begin with. Slowly over the years I received advice from a number of people including other therapist who had been in the industry longer one of the things that was brought to my attention was the fact that clients find you and you must examine who they are. So overtime I found that people came to me to feel better physically not necessarily to relax. As people would come to me with, and aches and pains I realize that their perception of me was not so much that I could help them relax but I could help them feel better through helping them with pain. I slowly started to go off into the branch a massage that was more therapeutic in nature and therefore did not do well in spas. Today is most of you would recognize me in the therapeutic realm many of you may not realize how particular of a therapeutic technique I use which would put me off into a very small subset of the therapeutic massage world. I continue to choose this as an option because it tends to gravitate the most clients towards me as well as excites my interest. The human body is an extremely complex machine and there's just too much there for one person to fully understand.

So let's not get to the point of discussing what this new technology is and how it fits into the relaxation and therapeutic realm. Massage on-demand app services have only been around since 2014 and only popularized in 2015 and 2016. What it provided you is the ability to at any point in your day from almost anywhere in the world find a qualified massage therapist for your needs (as of right now relaxation needs) who will come to you. Some of you might say that this is simply an out call service which are pretty common. The added twist is the use of the apps to dispatch people to you. Like taxi services and Uber there are some differences between outcalls and these apps: Out calls are set by the provider directly not the customer. The provider is typically pay directly and I'll call versus an app where they receive payment electronically. And the apps take limited responsibility for local laws and ordinances regarding days and times of a sized can be received or as service providers doing out calls must know those regulations and must obey them (this means like Uber drivers they are simply working at there our risk and sometimes against the law) (* special note here, in Minnesota it is illegal to work within cities without a permit and these apps do not take that into account and do not force the provider to provide those permits as required to them to verify their skill set and background checks with the individual cities that would be affected. Within the Twin Cities area and app services could send someone to as many as five cities in one day all of which we have different licenses and permits that the therapist may or may not choose to receive in order to do massage legally).

But here's what the apps will provide for you. Depending on the app you can get the profile of an individual therapist who may or may not be fully qualified to serve you anytime of the day or night to come to your home or office and provide you with a service. All the services would be for a set price and you only have to pay the service provider you don't have to pay the therapist directly which means that you'll always pay one price. I've actually had the chance to meet a number of people who are receiving the services and that he'll provide the services and each of them has their own unique feedback. The most common when I hear from the clients receiving services is that the services can be either very good or they can be just plain. From the providers point of you it gives them the opportunity to make money without having to work for somebody else which in the younger generation seems to be a very important thing. I will say I have yet to find a therapeutic service provider who chooses to use these apps because they do not typically offer features that allow you to adjust prices for a particular skill set (these are typically prenatal massages or cupping services or other types of massage that require particular certifications and education).

So where does this leave you the client? I think it leaves clients in a unique situation in that you're taking a very intimate service and you're bringing it into your home. For some people to neutral ground of a spa or clinic seems to help them separate certain aspects of their life and in some ways up them relax. In another sense to provide you the opportunity to create a brand new convenience that like with many other apps provide enhance a certain aspects of your life. I believe like many of the other app based services that have come out over the last few years there will be many bugs to work out that will take years to work themselves out. I believe that many of the budget spas and high-end spas on the relaxation side of the industry really do have some problems ahead if they choose not to adapt. I believe at that freedom of choice there will be a large segment, that will choose as therapist to work for themselves and that means perhaps some of the best service providers will  go to app services and not traditional spas.

Where does that leave therapeutic service providers you might ask? The simple answer is we don't know yet. Because so many therapeutic service providers in a number of states rely on the licenses of medical doctors, chiropractors, and others to take insurance the ability to create an app is there but the willingness on the part of the industry may be much different. I believe the biggest obstacles will be with her insurance companies will be: to allow billable services to take place on location (similar to a CNA) or could the liability for certain types of therapeutic procedures be too high. Also the availability of fluctuating rates depending on the specialty and needs of the client or the qualifications of the practitioner. Personal trainers are dealing with the same issue and I must admit I'm watching their industry very closely. The other issue is time consolidation because some of these services are come to you services. .The number of appointments people can take is very limited and when you add in long commute times could make it much worse. This could mean that some therapeutic procedures and equipment that is required to produce the results necessary could be cost prohibitive and therefore limited to a higher price point which might be out of the price range of some clients who need it.

Lastly, there might be a few of you wondering what I plan to do as a result of this change in technology. For the moment I feel I've taken a neutral position for several reasons: the first being that because almost all of my work is therapeutic a nature in the industry has not quite figured out what to do with it I feel like I have some time to learn. I'm trying to meet most clients halfway when it comes to physical accommodations for therapeutic needs. As many of you know I work in an office that is on the second floor of building that does not have an elevator. As some of you may also know I will do all calls by request with some notice to allow me the opportunity to get the necessary equipment and timeframe needed to perform the service. Because at present these service request or not very often made I do not charge extra. This is completely counter to the rest of the industry. As a caveat of course unlike the rest of the industry I will only do out calls right now for those individuals who cannot physically get to the second floor of the building or it might be too given their current medical condition. I can of course change these policies based on many different factors but I would like to think that I've tried at least at this point to find a happy medium. I believe defining yourself as a practitioner is a very big part of setting the expectations and what role you can fit into peoples lives.

- Beginning January 1, 2019 All NEW clients will be subject to new prices, these prices reflect current business taxes, trends in orthopedic training, and keeping pace with changing massage business models. 

All current clients will NOT be subject to these changes for a full year (2020) as part of the grandfathering set in place back in 2016. The grandfathering clause was a promise to my customers to keep their cost of massage stable during the roll out of the Affordable Care Act. I understand the need for some kind of constancy in a rapidly changing healthcare marketplace. Many of these changes have begun to occur allowing the market to somewhat stabilize. 

IF YOU KNOW ANYONE who could use my services make sure you have them come in before the end of 2018 to take advantage of current rates.

Website information that will reflect these changes will be published on January 1, 2019.

Also, for those of limited circumstance I have always provided pricing accommodations upon request and after review. If there are circumstances that come into your life and you wish to find out what options are available to continue your care please contact me.

• Your reviews make all the difference! Please provide one for my website or through a review site (Yelp, Google, Facebook). Honest reviews carry more weight than ever in attracting new clients.

• As of January 1, 2018 I became the most qualified M.A.T. therapist in Minnesota. These skills allow me to work more effectively to achieve the best results faster than ever. Thank you all for supporting that effort through your continued patronage. I plan on continuing training through 2020 making +120 CEU’s in total.

• Please keep on eye on my website and social media for updates about Tony Schwartz Bodywork.Those things can be found on Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram, YouTube, and The Bodywork Blog.

- Please don’t forget to take the LetMeKnow2018 survey! This allows you to tell me about your services and what can be done to improve them. Every word of every response will be read and considered. Many of the things that make your services great now came from suggestions from all of you. There was also a special section on app based on demand services and I would greatly appreciate your feedback in this matter. Please take the 5 minutes out of your day to answer these questions and trust that all feedback is anonymous.

Yes, it is that time of year when we start to wrap up the year. So before we get too close to the end of the year here is the newsletter. Please don’t forget I do post to FaceBook and other social media platforms to provide everyone with news and updates (vacations, last minute openings, surprise deals about Tony Schwartz Bodywork.

I do have a recent policy change for first time clients. As always I have a no cost consolation for new clients to make sure there is something I can do to help them. If someone wants to book a first session there is a $40 deposit requirement. This deposit is to help prevent no call / no shows. A full 90% of all no call / no shows are first appointments. I love new clients so if you know someone who wants to come in please let them know my door is open!

Looking forward to 2018 and 2019 I will be completing at least 3 more continuing education credits directly related to orthopedic massage and rehabilitation. As stated in the 2016 winter newsletter there will no consideration of any price changes until the end of 2019. 

One last item, Corporate and Community Wellness program is back! From the bottom of the first page of my website you will find a link to a page with all the information you will need about prices and offerings. Please consider passing this information on to others.

To all of my longtime clients and new clients this year I would like to say a heartfelt THANK YOU. Without all of you I could not do what I love so much while making a living.

With Best Regards,

Tony Schwartz

Owner of Tony Schwartz Bodywork

www.TonySchwartzBodywork.com

4161 Minnehaha Ave South #2

Mpls, MN 55406

612-202-2531

TonyJSchwartzMN@gmail.com

So let's first classify it for purposes of this article what would constitute a taller person. In general those I see with these unique problems tend to come in over 6 foot tall. Generally taller individuals will need to deal with some problems going through their day-to-day life that will affect her body and most of those are very understandable however there are some more subtle ones which I'll cover today as well. Not to say that shorter people don't have an interesting way around the world but for today's purposes let's just focus on those individuals 6 feet and taller.

The biggest problem that I see the color people have when they get onto my table or come to me for the first time to be assessed is that a larger and larger portion of their time as they age is spent in a seated position with equipment that is typically used by someone of average or much shorter height than themselves. If you're taller certain sports 10 to appeal to your physical strength more than others for example basketball. This can in some cases create patterns from very young and life and more importantly injury patterns that can persist through adulthood. Everything from ankle or knee problems to something as simple as low back and neck pain from sleeping in places that are not designed for someone of their height. Other issues with height, as we grow into adulthood and start to do things like driving and working in workplace that may or may not allow you to sit or stand to your comfort level.

One of the most common things I see you from taller people that come into my practice is a lack of uniformity and muscle tone from right to left in the lower half of their body starting at their pelvis going down to their feet. Most often this occurs because they tend to sleep on their side or they have to be in vehicles for long periods of time that do not allow them to sit comfortably or ergonomically for the task. Cars are a wonderful example of how tall are people are not exactly accommodated to the fullest extent though I am will say in defense of the auto industry in general as a height of Americans has increased some car manufactures have to better job building cars that are more ergonomic. The most common issue tends to be the ratio of inches between the edge of the seat and the steering wheel and the Seat to the gas and brake pedal also including the gearbox. When you look at a proportional ergonomic seating pattern for a driver there is a ratio between the length of the arm and the leg. In other words if you're tall you don't want to be driving a car were a few pull back the seat too far so that you can comfortably reach the gas pedal's that you were unable to reach the gears box or the steering wheel properly. One of person lives on their side as well because a person's legs are longer there's also a greater fulcrum affect on the pelvis which can cause some steep muscle imbalances.

For all those tall people who are in relationships with people who are shorter than them there's often a problem with the peck and shoulder region. Similar to that of people who have tight shoulders and necks what is exacerbated by the fact that if your lover is shorter than you there's often a need to bend down to hug them which can cost on the back problems but also to simply be asked to do war wide variety of activities that involve height such as rage and a high cabinets to grab things that are not needed very often but still could be very heavy like cooking appliances are large dishes which also have an impact on the fulcrum of the shoulder. 

One final thing for Taller individuals to deal with more often than others has to do with the idea of the amount of force placed on the lower vertebrae in the spine. The lowest portion of our spinal column support a great deal of weight and pressure over our lives patellar people proper curvature of the spine is absolutely essential to preserving function and reducing pain. When we look at the actual weight of the opera body forget to realize sometimes the distance between the center mass of the body and it's extremities can cause a great deal of force on the joints throughout the body but also in the spinal column as well especially in the area of the mid thoracic column where most of the twisted action that we were doing our day-to-day lives in simply cause greater straight out somebody who is taller and has longer limbs.

When I work with taller clients one thing I like to do during their initial appointment is talk to them about all the sports they have played as well as some of the more particular topics I just discussed to see how much those things affected them as an individual. During the diagnostic palpation and visual assessment there are many detailed notes that need to be taken in order to properly document the specific challenges of that client that should be addressed in a very particular order. Even for those clients who are receiving a relaxation service do need to have these considerations coming to play to some degree because you do not want one side of their body to be tighter than the other from the onset and apply equal pressure to both sides there should be a little bit less pressure placed on the areas that cannot take the additional force provided from the practitioner. A great example would be the middle of the back because if there is a muscle tension problem from twisting or simply bending over a great deal want to be careful how you apply your pressure to make sure it's relaxing and enjoyable service without causing additional pain or stress on the muscles and other tissues.

So what do I mean by the title of this particular posting? As a professional soft tissue therapist we are trained not to chase pain now when we are in school but as a career is involved and we learn more about our industry and we start to choose to interact with the most senior members of our industry. This simple few words can greatly define your career as a bodyworker and thus reflect your beliefs as your clients will see them. It's not only about how you project yourself as a therapist but also the perception that your clients get for the work they receive and one of the greatest things that I have learned is that there must be a balance between communication and understanding. 

At our most basic level of training massage therapists are taught that unless we are addressed by a client during a service we are not to speak unless it is necessary to get information from the client regarding what's currently happening and that should be as concise as possible. The other thing we are taught is that we are not to speak unless we are spoken to first if the client wishes to have a more lengthy conversation during their service. What we should be taught in addition to that is that we must clearly convey that we have listened to our client not only verbally but the type of work we performed should reflect that. That could be as simple as immediately addressing an issue about a shoulder when the client came in with that as her number one priority. I simply initially palpating the area we demonstrate that we now only understood them but that we are taking direct action as a result of it. Many of you I'm sure I'm reading this saying this sounds like customer service 101 and yes you would be correct but in a massage environment for some reason this fact is been someone ignored by many of the massage schools and is not fully grasped until years after graduation.

In many cases the sources of pain are not in the areas in which we feel the pain presented itself from this is simply the mechanics of the human body. That is why I believe in discussing topics with clients very carefully before any service begins and to make very clear communication during a service as well as doing the required paperwork after the service to have a clear record of what did take place. On average it will take me approximately 15 minutes after her client has left my office to complete all of the necessary paperwork in order to then clear the room and prepare it for the next client which means I often give myself 30 minutes between services just to make sure that the last client is well taken care of in all respects and that the next client will get that same service when they come in.

When a client comes in complaining of pain in their neck for example I will oftentimes ask several follow-up questions which helps we need to form an idea of what could be a possible cause or a possible aggravating factor. By starting with the simple research before hand it gives me the opportunity to let the client tell me really what they don't want to be feeling when they leave. In the case of a sore neck there could be several contributing factors several causes and several different points elsewhere in the body that could present themselves as that pain but are not actually coming from the neck. When someone gets on the table complain of neck pain as their primary concern the first thing I will do is make sure that I've done a proper diagnostic palpation. Diagnostic palpation is simply a term used to describe the process of interpreting the information my senses like my sense of touch will get from the tissue and start to form a mental picture of the anatomy that will help me better understand how to mix proceed with the problem. This is a technique that takes years to develop and tested because there are miscommunications that can occur during a pre-chat session in which case I need to then tell the client what I think I am saying and give them some possible more concise or accurate words to describe the pain that's been going on so that we have a mutual understanding before any further treatment is conducted.

When it comes to the case of a neck that we are discussing in the scenario I will often times have people face up because the weight of the neck and head often times act as a pressure barrier which will prevent me from going into deeply causing the least amount of discomfort. There will be particular patterns in the muscle tissue that will start pointing me towards causes that I can look at. But before I work on the neck I will always work on the back and shoulders simply because most of the time the neck and shoulders are being stretched from the the front of the body. If you let off the tension in the shoulders first will oftentimes allow the neck to relax and become much more pliable. Creating this pliability in advance of actual direct contact makes the experience much more comfortable and it takes significantly less time complete the network that will result in a long lasting effect. What makes my work different from so many others is that I will tell someone before they get on the table but general game plan which would mean that I would let them know that they would start in the face down position to allow me to look at the shoulders first in plain terms I would say why the same as I have explained it here. This is by far these most simplify explanation of what I try and do every day for my customers to let them know that they are now only being heard about listen to.

If you find yourself in a situation where you feel you're not being listened to here are my recommendations for how to bring your provider and you're closer together when I comes to communication. 

First and foremost I think it is absolutely vital that a practitioner make every effort to be an open book to their clients in terms of being able to speak openly and to encourage that openness when it comes to initiating communication before, during, and after a session. Unless a practitioner conveys this repeatedly by not only their body language but by simply stating very clearly that if they should want for anything only need do is ask. The second thing you can do is to make sure that you convey that you plan on communicating during the session should you want anything and that goes for whether the practitioner has made that environment for you or not. I would also encourage every single client to remember the name of the practitioner who is working on them at the time so that if there is a concern you can address them directly this sounds like a fairly simple thing but it actually helps the practitioner because it allows them the opportunity to know that they are being directly addressed. So often you'll find individuals will simply start talking and you don’t quite always know whether it is a general comment or whether it's been directly asked to you so coming from my side of the table I always prefer that people tell me they want to communicate with me by using my name. The third and final thing I would say is that if a practitioner does not necessarily confirm what they want to do before they do it in light of the information you have given and what they have on in your body if they go into an area that you don't quite understand why I would strongly suggest that you ask! If you have pain on the right shoulder and the practitioner is only there for a few minutes but seems to spend a significant portion of time on the upper shoulder working it much harder in my opinion the best advice I can give is to simply ask "I know I told you that I wanted work done on my right side but I'm having a hard time understanding why you would want to spend so much time over on the left, why would that be?

This is actually a very good reminder for the therapist working with you at the time. In my humble opinion I believe the greatest away the client can get the best service I've ever had this by simply communicating and making sure they are understood. If therapist does not have the confidence or the training to do that to your satisfaction I believe in most circumstances the therapist will have the technical skills to meet your requests, they just simply need to be reminded that communicating and educating the client is their responsibility and then you welcome it.

A parting note I do not want to leave anyone with the impression that bodyworkers need to be taught customer service when really customer service should have been done when they were in massage school. I don't consider it an excuse I do consider the idea an explanation and why so many clients sometimes. But I will say after years of being a professional practice full-time that there are things I reflect upon often but I wish I had done better sooner this would be one of those areas I am glad however that I have surrounded myself with wonderful mentors and colleagues. And I wish to convey the simple message to all my current clients and those who are reading this around the world. The truly great customer service is a refined art that takes time to develop and with such an Internet service I believe it is vital that trust be built based on communication driven in the long term by could results.

With that I wish every client and therapist out there the very best sessions they will ever have. I hope in some small way this has helped.

The modern world is very much a lean forward society. What this has created over the last few hundred years has been an epidemic of people who feel pain in the upper neck and back also including the shoulder blades themselves. This is the result of leaning forward and bending the head downward towards the chest more often than not raining the head upwards towards the sky. As a result of many people make the mistake of the game or muscles especially in their neck and shoulders are just tight or as I often hear it "I carry all my tension in my neck and shoulders”.

The truth is that in almost all cases that a client brings to me of tightness or pain in the neck and shoulders it is that the muscles located in and around the neck and shoulders are being stretched like a trampoline instead of overworked. Think of it this way: if you were to take a plastic bag and place it into a firm grip in one hand and then place the other end of the bag into perhaps a Workmans device and start pulling it eventually what you would find is the areas are most stretch near the anchoring points not where you are pulling the bag with your hands. This analogy works very well because it mimics almost exactly what the human body is doing internally.

When we lean forward so often and use our hands and arms to perform task directly in front of us the muscles in the front of the neck and tectorial muscles in the front of the chest stir to shrink because the body gets the message that they do not need to go to their full range of motion because that's not what we are demanding of them. As a result the body starts to reduce the muscle mass and length of each muscle in the front of the body. Most often they can be felt in the scalene muscles of the neck and as well in the pectoral muscles. As a result of the shrinking mass the muscles on the shoulders in the back of the neck are pulled forward and stretched like a piece of canvas leading people to believe that the muscles are tight as in they are knotted up. This might sound like semantics but to someone who is trying to figure out how to help someone that can be somewhat deceiving which means that diagnostic palpation is always required to verify what someone is saying compared to what their body is saying.

So when the opening paragraph I discussed that there would be a simple thing you can do to help deal with this problem and here it is: we must simply learn to stretch the muscles in the front of the body back out more often which would tell the body that it can indeed function within the full range of motion. This is achieved through subtle reminders and exercises completed by a client between appointments. The reason that I often give people homework in this regard has to do with the idea that if someone is willing to do some of the work at home it makes the time they spend with me more valuable because then I can tackle the bigger issues in that area that require my special skills. It also allows me enough time to investigate other areas of the body that may be of interest to the client.

The most simple stretch I can provide people is to simply lay on the edge of the bed and place their head on the edge of the bed in such a location as to line up directly with the point of the skull meeting the spinal column. Go back approximately the length of your index finger and keep your head perpendicular to the sailing you're looking at in front of you. If you wish to enhance the stretch put out your arms straight out to your side. Move your head slowly over a period of approximately two months all the way off the side of the mattress. Is important to remember that in this particular stretch want to make sure that your only holding that straits position for 30 or so seconds it does no one any good to overstretch the area so quickly. Over the period of approximately 30 to 60 days the particle get the message that those muscles need to lengthen that are short in the front of the body and neck. This will then intern slowly release pressure from the neck and shoulders. 

For some individuals they may still have their full range of motion and the stress and tension they feel in there tissue is simply a psychological stress reaction manifested in the physical tissue. This is far more rare than people anticipate and should be treated as such that means during a bodywork session it is often a good idea to have some time to simply relax. I do offer many of my clients the ability to do a meditation massage service which is a guided meditation done during the massage to allow those physical stress reactions to stop for a duration of time during the service which will make my job much easier and make people feel much more comfortable. These manifested physical stress reactions are major problem in the sense that if people make the assumption that it is all a physical problem then they never address the psychological one that is causing it. A sure sign that this is a psychological causes in my opinion is simply asking yourself how are you sleep at night. If people in general have a problem sleeping at night and there is not a physical problem involved then it's typically a psychological problem of their brain slowing down and allowing them to sleep.

If you have enjoyed this blog post please make to follow the blog post whatever it is found including my website or if you have any additional questions please contact me at TonySchwartzBodywork.com.

It's survey time! Please go to my website and click on the banner which will link you directly to the survey page. Your survey should take about 10 minutes or less to finish. All of the responses will be anonymous. Please leave any additional information or comments in the space provided at the end of the survey. Your responses directly affect how your services are conducted so please be honest and thoughtful. The survey will be open untilJuly 1, 2017. At the end of the survey that will be a special offer you may want to take advantage of!

The start of 2017 has brought some changes and I hope that everyone will enjoy them. The decor in the office has changed a little bit hopefully making it more inviting and interesting. One of the big highlights is that new draperies that block out 90% of the light have been installed. From 11 AM to approximately 4 PM the sun gives almost perfect sunlight directly in the window this can sometimes prove to be annoying or distracting when laying in the face up position during your service. I hope this makes change makes a better service for everyone.

I am asking for your help with over the next six months is to please consider writing a review. Reviews are incredibly important for my advertising compared to most other bodyworkers. You may submit more than one review on more than one medium for example: if you wish to leave a Google review please also consider a Facebook review. If your Yelp user consider writing a review or even submit a private review at the Better Business Bureau website. All of these things now bring up my search results closer to page one. Real reviews from real customers give people confidence that they are making a good purchasing decision. Of course as always I encourage people to write honest reviews to give new potential clients an honest impression.

As a reminder to all of my clients I do provide a transition service to another service provider if you should choose to leave Minnesota. In 2016 nine clients moved to different states and at no additional charge I helped to find them another therapist in the area in which they would be living and working. I will look for their state license number as well as verify their education. I will also then dive deeper and contact the potential therapist directly and try and get some direct impressions from them about how they run their practice and whether it would be the right fit for you. If you so choose I will also send any records from my practice to there’s at no additional charge.

I wish to say a big thank you to all of my customers. Without all of you I would not be able to take care of my family and I would not be able to enjoy my life nearly as much because all of you allow me the opportunity to do what I love. I feel so very fortunate to have earned your business and I hope that throughout the end of 2017 and beyond I can continue to serve you with distinction and integrity.

Tony Schwartz

Tony Schwartz Bodywork.

So let's begin by describing the basics of cupping itself: there are several different styles of cupping by styles (I am indicating how they apply and in some cases even materials that compose the cups being used). First we have two general categories of cups: first of the two is called “still cupping”. Still cups are those that are set into position for a specific purpose and are simply removed after the allotted period of time. The second is called “moving cups” these are cups that are placed in one location for a period of time and then are moved while still creating section. This general type of cupping is relatively new by comparison to still cups with the advent of modern technology cupping has been taken to a new level and now has a much wider use. From those two general categories let next discuss how each one can be used and the general method involved.

Still cupping is a method that originally started as a way of clearing blockage is in major joints and in certain areas of the body to assist in the cleansing process. In Traditional Chinese Medicine clearing blockage is around major joints was considered critical to health. The idea is to assess the individual and place them in strategic locations are all major joints and major meridian lines. They would be left there for a relatively short for your time say around two minutes and for others it could be more than 30 minutes. This is the method that is most often seen on television during the Olympic games or seen by more and more individuals on the street as they walk by someone with marks around the top of their neck or base of their skull. Many traditional practitioners find the term “bruise” offensive when describing the marks left behind by the cups. Cupping does not leave a bruise is actually a side effect of lifting and separating tissue and allowing blood flow into an area that was not receiving the proper blood supply before. The suctioning effect of the cups also tends to pull debris upwards towards the skin making a more visible to individuals. I tell people think of a vacuum cleaner clean your floor the section in effect of the vacuum for polled a pre-upwards out of the rug itself and into the bag. But in actuality the one body does not simply allow itself to lift the debris out of tissue it must be cleaned out by the lymphatic system. These marks are typically only there for short period of time but an extremely were cases can last several months so it's usually something you want to do when you know you're going to be covered for example during the winter months. These marks or painless and if need be can easily be covered by make up. In most cases I tell people to take a shower when they get home because occasionally the skin can leach out some of the debris this is often the case when you work on peoples back shortly after a major surgery or if they tend to be heavy smokers. Still cup session can last as little as 10 minutes or as long as 40 minutes and still allows you to go back to normal activity after the treatment is completed. Depending on your activity level sometimes it is recommended to make upping only once in a great while for major athletes and also dealing with injuries coming in every other day is necessary.

Let's move on now to gliding cups now so you can understand their function and application. Moving cups allow practitioner to open multiple meridian points in the same application this was the first evolved form of moving cups in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Like acupuncture the idea was to remove any blockages in the meridians a renter out the human body that transfer life energy into all the tissues of the body cupping was a more mechanical method of traditional acupuncture and so the moving of the cups allowed practitioners to not only get very particular point but also have a broader general impact on those same meridian lines throughout the body. There's also a modern version of the movie cup which is something called Medi-Cupping this is done by using textured glass and plastic cups which are designed to separate connective tissue and muscle tissue similar to a still cup application but over a broader area. It has many applications most popular which I have found is as a substitution for a foam roller on the area of the legs. Instead of compressing the tissue which can be very painful to the person doing the rolling the use of the medi-Cupping technique allows relatively painless means to achieve the same and in many cases can be done significantly faster. Sessions can vary in length from the slowest 10 minutes to as long as an hour and a half depending upon the needs of the client and the particular application of the preferred but practitioner.

To close out this information I thought would be best to give you more general information that's true for both methods and also how you may go about deciding if it’s right for you. In general conference sessions are priced by a practitioner either in units of general time (as I do with all my treatments) over they can be a standalone service which may be priced differently depending upon the application as requested by the client. Most cupping session in general will be priced between $20 and $50 and if they are gliding cups are typically priced in the unit of time. Every qualify practitioner should have some kind of a certificate from a reputable continuing education provider. Also these cups need to be washed carefully so you want to look for someone is following basic hygienic standards like a UV sterilizing light and is using a specific method for washing the cups in an approved cleaning product like bleach (this will of course be different for the type of cup used). It's also worth noting is that those who are pregnant and those who have bleeding disorders are strongly advised not to have cupping done unless cleared by an M.D.. One other great point to mention is that cups can be made out of a variety of materials from bamboo, glass, acrylics, even rubber.

I hope this information has been helpful if you have any questions you're welcome to contact me at Tony Schwartz Bodywork in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

So getting to the idea title of this posting I have been considering several different options that would allow individuals to have greater control over the money they spend with me in the massage room. My getting printable since the day I open my private practice has been to treat people the way that I wish to be treated as a consumer. To that end there is a line that could be crossed that would not allow me to remain objective in the face of what the consuming public expects from the business community with the use of modern technology and the overall changes in the values society puts on customer service and customer service policies. 

Some members of the consuming public would rather pay a little more for better quality services and superior customer service. There's another group that is only looking at the price of a service but still holds a very high regard to the standards in which they receive service. There is also another group next in between those two and that is the most consumers who wish for you to be open all of the time at the lowest price with no regard for the employees or their compensation. In between both extremes in the middle there are most business owners including myself and for that reason there's a constant debate myself and my principles.

When I was a younger therapist starting out in the massage in history it was very difficult for me to find a job and an industry that is typically staffed by females. I felt that my superior education would help sure me at least a reasonable amount of interviews to give me started in the industry. It's debatable whether my thought process was correct in that matter but more importantly I first started working in membership-based spas. With the same very long contracts and long commitments I immediately began to see how all the businesses had attempted to create value through constraints (membership contracts). When I had not fully understood at the time was that the membership price was actually no great savings over the independent therapist market rate in our area. The customer believes there's a value in being able to get an appointment seven days a week for approximately 13 available hours a day. The unseen the staffing in that this would be paid 30% (which is historically is at an all time low) and asked to work unreasonable hours repeatedly over to meet up with strings of the general public for very early or late appointments seven days a week. 

There is a strong argument in the opposing direction from independent therapist who tend to believe that the extremes of the general public's demands for certain features in massage and spa prices and availability could be better tamed by simply bring back the time honored tradition of respect between the customer and professionals who serve them. Therefore many therapists will have much more customer friendly policies but have fewer hours available for appointments and typically charge the same if not slightly more than a membership-based system. To me member based customers never bother to look for independent therapist simply because they're advertising is as prevalent as many of the membership-based programs. Most of the general public never gets the opportunity to honestly compare what will best fit their beliefs and their pocketbooks.

So as I stated I have struggled with the question of pricing and availability most important by with mechanism to high provide the most value in my time or in my price. So many therapists have tried a hybrid solution to their membership programs and as a result many of them have found real success. For others or independent they have offered packages which bring in significant cash flow but require a real customer service commitment from the practitioner to follow through with their promises of service and to keep the customer happy with much more mutually respected professional and customer policies.

 As many of you may know I do have a want to hear sale where I provide small but affordable packages to customers who cannot afford to work on the right membership model due to cost or availability. For sometime I have wrestling with the idea of providing permanent packages which could be available any time of the year. My packages were originally designed for those people who could not make it in a regular basis to receive the maximum discount or who do not need the maximum discount. They were meant to be used over a long period time but many of the purchasers of these packages use them immediately. My intention for the use of the packages was not the result and therefore has bang the question of providing packages on a regular basis for all customers or to simply provide people the opportunity to put credit down in an account and discount will be applied as each client became eligible for such discounts.

I share all this information and hope that clients reflect on not only their own buying behavior but also to have an understanding of what goes into making the policies and prices for a business perspective. I honestly believe that many business owners I know want to make a living and they do so within a wide berth of ethics which can bring them as many clients as it does repels. It brings me to many questions without answers. Questions? Just ask and I will show you how going from a membership to a package and now to a pre pay system will change how you spend your hard earned money.

Many of the national organizations out there in 2009 to about 2012 or in a constant battle for industry supremacy with many of those issues not resolved I felt good about possibly joining a trade organization again to keep up-to-date on some advanced techniques. Just like any other industry large trade organizations rely on some of the very best and most powerful therapists in the industry to contribute not only content for their members but also to sponsor of the organizations events and publications.

One of the leaders in the industry Dr. Erik Dalton was one of the leading contributors to trade publications. What really spoke to me about him and his techniques is that he did not claim necessarily to be an industry leader but an innovator in the area of bringing multiple massage disciplines together and evaluating each on their own merits. His vast amount of education with modern massage therapies founding fathers and mothers hope to create a very distinctive set of protocols which he calls Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy (MAT). In my opinion I would consider him the guy who read all the books went to all the classes and remembered everything. Does he have more combined recorded education than most therapists he also has an incredible memory and an incredible ability to look at the attributes of age and figure out which protocols work best in a unified system.

Four years later I am now just beginning my journey to understand the myoskeletal techniques that he created. You might be asking the question: “Why would they wait so long?” The answer is actually very simple: his techniques are considered some of the most advanced in the industry they require an exceptional understanding of anatomy and physiology along with basic understanding of Orthopedic Massage, Stretching, and Myofascial Release. Many people that begin to study his protocols never complete them simply because they are too difficult for them to understand. So I decided instead of setting myself up for failure four years ago I wanted to take the time to get more experience as a full-time professional as well as to give myself time to go over some of the vital prerequisites that would be helpful and succeeding like those I have just mentioned.

There have been several cases in my career that I just feel I do not have the technical skill to handle quickly and effectively for clients in which case I have always refer them out. Most often on refer them out to therapist with the training I am now receiving. Is my greatest hope to create faster more effective outcomes for clients. And I would say at the greatest to service I could use any client is to guarantee the results. Any medical professional no matter their level of education she never promised anything to a patient but I believe that if I can help people more affectively in a shorter period of time at a significantly reduced cost I should make every effort. 

My hope is that this training will be complete in approximately one year and as my training is completed I will be updating my social media sources as well as letting clients know when I'll be away from the office to complete the training. Should you have any further questions about this technique I would suggest doing a basic Internet search or contact me directly for questions I may be able to answer for you.

And I want to reassure all of my current and future clients that the reason I am so passionate about my work is because I want to help people. But I would never try and do so if I was not fully qualified to use techniques on the table that I have learned to the fullest possible extent. So yes I am refining my specialty down but that does not mean I cannot do a good basic relaxation massage or good prenatal massage or wonderful reflexology work. I hope this information have provided a good basic preview of what is to come for Tony Schwartz Bodywork. 

Thank you all,

Tony

Dowager’s Hump is a common term used to described a change in the shape of the upper spine that causes the head to move forward and the arms to fall forward as well. The clinical term is kyphosis what one time this was considered to be an older woman's problem as osteoporosis set in the weight of the upper body but slowly crush the spine into a forward curvature. Now you see the same younger people and in both genders more commonly because we are a downward looking forward facing society. 

One of the most prominent changes in the body gives us an indication that there is a problem is self-assessment and a mere. A simple way to find out if there's a possibility it could be developing a hump is to place your heels against the wall with your hips touching the wall your back of your head touching the wall and both of your shoulders touching the wall. If you find this position painful or it takes a significant amount of effort to create this proper posture the second step is to have an independent qualified practitioner observe your body.

If you think you see developing as stated in the last paragraph it is important to speak to a qualified practitioner. This may be a chiropractor, orthopedic massage therapist, physical therapist, or general medical practitioner, even a properly certified personal trainer may be able to do a reasonable assessment. If a qualified practitioner can identify the poor posture in the beginning of a slide in the upper body forward it is important to then get it confirmed with an MRI or x-ray to confirm there are presently no bulging disc's or serious degeneration of bone in the upper or lower spine which can also cause the same effect but has an extremely different treatment. If the test come back negative for serious spinal injury the next step is to begin to counteract the effect of the movement forward this means given signals to the central nervous system to loosen hypertonic muscles and to tone isotonic muscles (make a tight muscles loose and make the weak muscles tone. Depending on how much the kyphosis has preceded there are several steps involved to getting rid of the hump altogether. 

The most important thing is to counteract the movement forward this can be done in several ways over a long period time and the most important thing is to find out early and prevent further damage because want to hump starts to show eventually a buildup of fatty tissue will occur this is the very distinctive narrow home that many people remember in their parents and grandparents. 

Very quickly this fat filled area will start to become very rigid and is the body's natural way of attempting to counteract forward movement affected by creating a counterbalance that is very rigid that pulls back the soft tissue of the body as much as possible this intern severely limits your range of motion. Current studies indicate that there is a significant increase in the number of children with this problem and this would tell us that looking down at cell phone screens and poor posture from our very cushy furniture and beds will also greatly contribute to this problem.

Another reason you’ve found the best massage in Minneapolis, Tony Schwartz Bodywork…see you on the table!

The truth is that now that I have much more effective tools at my disposal to determine the postural issues of others I have become much more interested in helping people get back to a more natural posture. That however, does not mean that gives me the chance to push anyone into a treatment they don’t want but rather to work smarter. So I say use your technology, enjoy that couch you love so much, and live a little. All I would hope for is that when you body starts to show signs you can’t get away with it as much as you used to that ya listen and take responsibility for helping to fix it. My thought process is really simple: I want to go with realistic expectations than preach to a deaf crowed. 

Here are the cliff notes on today’s topic: Technology is really cool but keep the screen at eye level so you don’t get a “granny hump” (kids are getting these at very young ages). Your body will always change as we get older but we should “feel old” when we are old. If you can’t find time to destress then your too stressed. DONE.

So for the best massage in Minneapolis come to Tony Schwartz Bodywork…see you on the table!