massage therapy journal

keeping you in touch.

  

Spacing

One of the biggest problems people have is using scale and proportion when putting pieces in a room. You want to make sure that you have a comfortable distance with room to move. Three feet is the minimum space to leave to walk comfortably around pieces. Of course, more is better, says Molony. A client doesn’t want to feel confined to a room. Shoving everything against the wall doesn’t help make a small space look larger, either. Paying close attention to doors and entryways is key. Create some drama around the entrance to your treatment room so it’s clear to clients that they are leaving the “world” behind…for the next hour, at least.

Containing your clutter

Before adding anything to a space, think about what you can remove or hide . Organization is the key to running any business, and clutter is not appealing. That doesn’t mean you have to toss everything, provided you can disguise it, says Molony. Use pretty boxes or cubbies available to store clients’ shoes and clothing, and then hide the cubby storage unit with a simple curtain. For the advanced crafters, decorate storage containers with fabric for a clean, cohesive look to your space.

Clean lines are also important. Molony says this can be easily done by embedding things like your stereo system in a closet and then running small speakers throughout the space.

Too many things in a room sends a bad message and can be overwhelming to clients, says Rodika Tchi, BA, MSc, CFSC, a feng shui specialist. Simplicity goes a long way. You need to be aware of the message that your space is sending out. Miller says clients will pick up a sense of your space way before ever entering it, so the signals you send have to be the right ones.

Getting back to nature

Feng shui is a focus on design that brings outside beauty indoors. This can be achieved by adding some nice, lush plants, big river rocks, crystals and images of the ocean or healthy bodies, says Tchi.

Having worked on numerous projects, including several international projects as a communications consultant for the United Nations in New York and the Information Agency in Kyrgyzstan and Turkey, Tchi believes that health is deeply connected to the environment in which you live. She now calls Vancouver, Canada home, where she consults and collaborates internationally with furniture designers, architects, artists and building contractors.

Tchi advises her clients to use the five elements in normal, balanced proportions when designing their space: earth, metal, water, wood and fire. However, for a massage therapy practice, she says, not too much fire or metal should be used.

Anytime you can bring the outside in is a good thing, Miller says. “My designs often include opening walls to views of the garden, touches of direct sunlight and flowing shapes and spaces that feel good.” Plants are a great way of incorporating nature—working planters into your design would be a great addition, says Miller.

Typically, in Western design you start with a bulldozed plot of land and build, and once the structure is completed there is very clear sense of being indoors and being outdoors. With Eastern architecture, the indoor/outdoor elements have some overlap—a design element such as a tile may start on an outside patio and be continued inside.

There has been an increase in Eastern philosophy being embraced in the Western world. There are studies in health care showing that hospitals that adopt an Eastern sense of design actually have a faster recovery in their patients and happier staffs, says Miller.

Finding your sense of style

The less visually stimulating a room is, the more calm it will be for your clients. Keep things neutral in every sense of the word. “Eat in moderation for your figure; buy in moderation for financial safety and decorate in moderation for a more pleasing space,” says Molony.

You can still incorporate your personality into a space without overdoing it. If you have a flair for antiques, then mix in a treasured piece with a more modern setting, says Molony. Not everything has to look like it was purchased at the same store. A great place for a signature piece may be in the waiting area.

At the end of the day what it comes down to is loving your profession and taking pride enough to invest in it—whether that means saving up to take continuing education courses, or spending some serious time getting your space to look its absolute best. If you’re passionate about your practice and profession it will show in your repeat clientele and continuous referrals.

Back <1 2 3 4> Continue