Opinion – Page 3 – The Snow Monkey Spa

No gratuities accepted, but thank you!

October 11, 2020 admin Leave a comment Opinion

Why not? Don't you love free money?

Sure I do! But I want clients to put that money towards getting another massage, sooner rather than later.

I don’t want someone who is low on funds to feel pressured to give more than they can, or worry over how much is enough to not hurt my feelings.

I’m trying to relieve your stress, not add to it. This is one less thing you have to worry about – no tips!

If you really believe in what I’m doing and want to show your appreciate, the best way to do that is to pay full price for services, or double up when I offer discounts. Patronage is the best compliment a girl can get!

What to Expect for Your First Massage

September 6, 2020 admin Leave a comment Opinion

Your First Massage!

A massage is intended to be a calm and relaxing experience. But if it’s your first massage, you may feel a little trepidation. Don’t let that hold you back. With a little information about what to expect, you’ll walk into your first massage feeling like a confident pro!

Expect Communication

Expect a lot of questions at your first massage appointment. I’ll need to know a little bit about your health history and what your goals are for that session.

When you book an appointment, you’ll get a confirmation email with several questions that I will need to have answered before our massage. You can answer them online (preferably) or we can go over them in person. I require just 4 of the most important questions before you can even book your massage, since I don’t want to bother repeat clients with the same somewhat lengthy questionnaire every time they schedule.

Your clear and honest answers will help perform the best massage possible for you.

We’ll talk about why you’re coming in for a massage and what your goals are for the session. Are you having pain? Do you need to relax?

I’ll show you the massage room and walk you through the process. We’ll decide what to prioritize and how you should lay on the table (face up or face down, or on your side) before the massage.

Expect to Dress or Undress to Your Level of Comfort

What does that mean exactly? Many people worry about having to be undressed for their massage.

Most massage techniques are traditionally performed with the client unclothed; however, what you wear is entirely up to you. Simply put: you can leave your underwear on or take them off. I tend to have a more Esalen style approach to massage, which means I will often undrape the side of the body and do gliding strokes from the shoulder to the foot without breaking contact. Since underwear would break the contact for that particular movement, I tend to take it as a hint from the client that they want a more conservative approach to their massage, whether or not that is the case.

I’ll leave the room so you may undress, get on the massage table (it’s super-cozy), and get comfortable under the draping sheet & blanket.

Movies and TV shows always show massage clients naked on a table with just a tiny towel for draping. That’s not what real massage draping looks like! I use sheets that cover your whole body. You’ll stay covered throughout the massage, I’ll only undrape the part of your body that I am massaging right then.

Expect More Communication

When I come back into the room, I’ll help you get comfortable with pillows or bolsters. Don’t be afraid to adjust and fidget as needed during the massage to stay cozy.

It’s great if you can let your body relax and sink into the table. If I need to move your arms or legs, etc, I’ll do the work! This takes practice, you’ll probably try to help me. I’ll remind you. I usually try to remind you nonverbally by jostling your joints so your body has no option but to relax. If you remain tense, I’ll check in and see if I’m causing you pain with whatever movement I’m asking of your body.

It’s really important for you to tell me if any massage techniques I use cause pain. Pain is not okay. There may be a certain level of discomfort and ‘good ache’ if we’re working on a problem area. It’s important that you tell me about that, too, so we can tailor the massage to be most effective without causing injury.

I’ll check in with you as we go, but please speak up if you become too warm or too cool, if you are not comfortable on the table, or need another pillow, or if you just hate the music!

I’ll tell you when the massage is over and leave the room so you can slowly get up and dressed.

Expect Some Final Instructions

You should expect to feel mellow and relaxed after your massage. Keep things simple for yourself by not bringing in anything extra and not having to be anywhere right after your massage. I’ve had clients forget their wallets and even their shoes!

We’ll talk about how you feel and I may show you some self care stretches or share some tips to keep you feeling great between appointments. We can also talk about how frequently you may want to get massage to keep on feeling great.

If we addressed pain issues, you may immediately feel a reduction in pain, or it may take a day or two before you feel that relief.

You can make the most of your first massage by knowing what to expect and asking all the questions you like so you can feel cozy before, during and after the massage. See you at your first massage!

Monkey Tail in Quarantine

March 21, 2020 admin Leave a comment Opinion

Some things I'm doing during the corona virus quarantine

Watching relevant movies

One of my former professors joked about watching Outbreak, so I watched it. It was pretty good and I decided to set a goal to watch one movie per day about quarantines and disease outbreaks.

Outbreak - 1995

Watched 3/18/20.

Dustin Hoffman, playing a military doctor, argues with Morgan Freeman, his higher up, about how to handle a disease outbreak. Unbeknownst to the doctor, it was due to the production of a top secret biological weapon.
A monkey was one of the stars of the movie!

The andromeda strain - 1971

Watched 3/19/20.

Based on a Michael Crighton novel, a mysterious substance from space kills a town upon contact, aside from an old man and a crying baby. Top scientists are brought to a secret underground lab to study the material and the survivors. There are some fun graphics and video editing. And again – monkeys!

Containment - 2016

3/20/20 – 3/22/20

A Netflix series set in Atlanta! In the first few episodes, this one concentrates on the politics of setting up a city-wide quarantine. No monkeys yet.

Band Projects

My band is the Silkworm Smugglers. I play the flute with a mandolin player, cellist, and various guest musicians as they are available.

ear training

One day, I heard my neighbor’s kid practicing his 4th grade clarinet skills. I picked up my flute to see if I could play those same beginner tunes by ear. Through our apartment doors, I was able to play London Bridge is Falling Down, then Mary Had a Little Lamb, but then he played a video game tune I had never heard. By this time he knew I was playing back his tunes by ear, and he could tell I was having trouble with that one. He repeated it over and over for me to figure it out.
My boyfriend could tell I wasn’t quite getting one of the intervals, so he got his guitar out to figure it out for himself. Now we had a little band, with this 4th grader behind a door as a our leader. It was amazing.

Learning appliqué

I have a 4’x2′ piece of fabric that I am designing into a sign for my band, Silkworm Smugglers. I spent 5 hours at the craft store earlier this week to explore all possible options for decorations and read some books on appliqué. It turns out it’s a lengthy process involving stencils, marking, cutting fabric precisely, and embroidery techniques. Wish me luck!

Making Jewelry

For band merchandise – jewelry seems more viable than photography, so I’ve been transforming my photos into wearable art. It’s been a learning experience!

March Covid Update

March 17, 2020 admin Leave a comment Opinion

COVID-19 aka Corona Virus Update

As of 3/16/20:

Over 100 people in Georgia have the corona virus. The World Health Organization has characterized it as a pandemic. We are in a national emergency to contain the spread of this highly contagious disease. As far as we know, according to the CDC, “spread is thought to occur mostly from person-to-person via respiratory droplets” (source).

So what?

As a healthcare professional, I always take necessary measures to sanitize myself, my equipment, and my environment to protect each of my clients from possible contagions. I treat each client as though they may have a contagious disease. It would be unethical for me to act any differently. Some people may be contagious without even knowing it themselves, so I always err on the side of caution. The CDC recommends health professionals to follow standard protocol of sanitation when handling patients with COVID-19, with minor changes.

We don't know enough

We are navigating uncharted territory with COVID-19. Our healthcare system doesn’t have the capacity to handle the amount of our population likely to get ill. It appears to be far more contagious than other flu strains. One change I would need to make to my practice would be requiring clients to wear face masks upon entering the building, but our country has a shortage of masks.

Furthermore, many cities are shutting down businesses where more than 25 people gather – gyms, restaurants, etc. From my personal interactions with people, it appears most of them don’t know that it is specifically regarding large groups of people inhaling and exhaling the same air.

Regardless of how small and sanitary my business is, the fact remains we don’t know enough about COVID-19. None of us should be taking risks with this deadly virus or adding more pressure to our healthcare system if we can avoid it.

How does this affect me?

Unfortunately, my income is entirely dependent on massage clients scheduling appointments.

However, I had been entertaining this idea of providing online sessions for quite a while and I never had the nerve to go for it! So I finally created the option of booking an online guided meditation, ASMR, or a relaxing session of watching me massage my dog or cat. Hey, I don’t know what people might want! If you have a suggestion, let me know.

Another option for supporting me is to check out my photos of silkworms in dollhouses and ordering a print, or even a framed piece.

I have been working on silkworm and moth art as it relates to my band and silk road smuggling. As of today, I have one digital photo available for sale on my Etsy page. I’m not sure how I would pack and ship anything yet, but I spent 5 hours at the craft store today to get enough supplies to make art for the next 2 weeks while I’m out of massage work.

I also play the flute, and my band is called Silkworm Smugglers. You can hire me for a meditative flute session, or my band for a more upbeat experience. Here’s a video of our music. You can get us cheap. We are not only a new band, but we are all dependent on this crumbling gig economy right now. Our one upcoming gig for the Entomological Society (!) was canceled, and our AMAZING cellist is struggling with dozens of cancellations as well.

Donate

If you don’t see anything you would pay me for, I will accept straight-up donations on Venmo. My username is @silkwormsmugglers.

Please stay safe and don’t inhale air from other people. Don’t touch your face. Wash your hands frequently with soap (any soap! It breaks down the virus itself). When you can’t get soap, use a sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol.

Have a great introverted and soapy couple of weeks, everyone. I care about you.