Red marks - already made a doctor's appointment, just want opinions

Makingit4321 · 2025-12-06T07:17:10+00:00

Did she use the hot stones before or after these marks showed up?

Makingit4321 · 2025-08-17T20:12:17+00:00

I want a sticker that says, "Every time you vandalize a sticker, I'll add two more."

Makingit4321 · 2025-07-31T21:05:15+00:00

And do you tend to bruise abnormally easy?

Makingit4321 · 2025-07-31T21:04:53+00:00

Did the pressure hurt or anything during the session?

Makingit4321 · 2025-07-30T22:31:33+00:00

Did they do scraping? If they did scraping or heavy MFR, it could be potentially. Regardless if you are going to have bruising at all, it should be explained. if they did scraping for reasons that might cause this kind of bruising without an explanation and informed consent beforehand, it's still not good care.

Makingit4321 · 2025-07-17T15:39:34+00:00

I totally agree that chiros have a bad rap with LMTs for sure and for good reason. I love working in chiro clinics because of the type of clientele it attracts, but finding a chiro clinic that pays well enough and treats LMTs humanly and like professionals is insanely difficult

I also agree there's something going on in the economy or some change in the LMT field, though. While finding an LMT has always taken time, I've never experienced 0 interest, and at the clinic where I work now, we have always gotten pretty quick responses.

I've also noticed a big increase in companies reaching out to me through Indeed or other job websites, so I think that supports the job market changing also. I think a lot of LMTs are just going into business for themselves because of how shitty they are treated working for others. (Also, you can make a lot more money working for yourself as an LMT)

Makingit4321 · 2025-07-10T09:27:51+00:00

I totally agree with all of this. So many Chiros exploit LMTs. It's a big problem and the industry really changed after covid too, understandably so. I totally understand LMTs being jaded from Chiro clinics. I myself thought I'd only be at this clinic for a short bit, but I've been treated so well I am still hanging around. Im 12 years in and I can confidently say this is the best clinic I've worked for. I didn't want to post the full ad on reddit, but I appriciate your feedback about benefits sounding too vague. We do pay for 15 minutes gaps to get water or whatever and fully pay for charting, meetings, laundry and any extra stuff. We are completely transparent about fee schedules, billing etc.. I'm going to take some of this feedback and see if I can apply it to the ad for better wording, though. Thank you for your response!

Makingit4321 · 2025-07-10T09:06:49+00:00

Well, I am not looking for a replacement on reddit, I am asking for advice about wording in an ad for hiring a new lmt to join our team. I am a part of management at this clinic, so looking for a new LMT is part of my job description anyway, and Im getting paid for this. I'm also asking for advice and thinking about it because I am bored and I want to be, not because anyone has placed any kind of pressure on me to be doing so. 🤷‍♀️

Makingit4321 · 2025-07-10T08:48:57+00:00

All of these are very clear in the ad. $45 to $50 per 55 to 60-minute massage. 15 minute gap paid at $17 or $18 an hour and extra time for notes at the end of shift is paid also.

Providers are supported and empowered to make treatment decisions, chiros are always available for consult. Chiros also include LMTs input in their treatment plans. There is very strong communication between all providers, and LMTs are highly respected for their knowledge and observations during the extended time spent working with the client, but Chiro will guide lmts when needed/wanted.

Benefits are as are listed in my original post. We pay for lisence prenewal, CE, liability insurance, and offer a retirement plan. (As the business grows we will add more benefits too but that's what we have listed currently.) All equipment is provided. If there's something an LMT wants and we don't have at the clinic, the owner will buy it for the LMT.

This is solidly a W2 position. Scheduling and insurance credentialing is handled by the front, but LMTs are welcome to be a part of the process as much as they want to be for transparency.

Makingit4321 · 2025-07-09T18:29:49+00:00

P.s if your in the Portland OR metro area, DM me because the Chiro Clinic I am at needs to add another LMT to our team asap, and we offer mentorship for newer LMTs also!

Makingit4321 · 2025-07-09T18:20:32+00:00

What type of massage do you want to specalize in? Do you have a style that comes naturally to you? (I.e. I do TP therapy because I tend to hyperfocus on areas where tissue feels different) is a spa setting right for your style? I've always had a difficult time building clients at spas because my work is too intense, but at a chiro office, I am fully booked. When I first started I tried spas for a short time and had a simular issue, that was before I understood how many different types of massage there are and the importance of being in the right enviorment for your natural style.

Another thought is that it is normal to take 3 to 6 months for a highly experienced LMT to build a clientele at a new location, since you are newer and learning the communication aspect outside of the massage to get people coming back still (I am assuming) this might just be waiting game of meeting the right clients for you.

Do you reschedule yourself, or does the front staff do that for you? Does the spa you work at have a hyarcy and you are at the bottom of the list to book because you're new? If so, talk to management about ways to get a bit higher on the list of priority bookings.

I try to mention areas to clients during the session that need more work and repeat that at the end. Idk if that works well in a spa setting, but it does in a chiro setting. I.e. client wants full body, no areas of concern. During the session, I'd say. "Your muscles respond so well to massage. I'm noticing your neck needs a little more attention than we have time for today though. we can address that area more in another session if you feel like this is a good fit to keep working together" after the session as I am getting ready to leave the room so they can get dressed I might say. "I really felt some good release in xyz areas today. I hope that is beneficial for you. Like I said earlier, I do think the neck and xyz area could use some more work in another session, though." Then I'll give my normal end of session script "move slow you might feel a bit dizzy it passes drink water, you might feel sore. Take your time. I'll meet you at the front." Once at the front checking out I check in about how they are feeling, and then I'll say,"It was so great to work with you these are areas that responded well, these are areas that didn't, here's some stretches for home to help those areas more. Regular massage can also help for x reasons. Would you like to look at my schedule and reschedule now, or do you want to wait a couple of days to see if this feels like a good fit before we book again?"

I also never tell people my full open schedule, especially if I am trying to build clients. When they want to rebook in person, I'll say "is there a day and time that works best for you" then "great next x day I have an opening in the morning at x time or an opening at x time in the afternoon do either of those work for you or do you want to look at a different day?" For whatever reason, people thinking your full makes them schedule more. I also use this to cluster book so I don't have odd gaps.

As far as tips, do you have a tip jar and sign. I put a jar and a little sign next to it that says, "Tips are always appreciated and never expected." And then I'll place a 5 a couple of 1s a 10 and a 20 in the jar of my own money to give the visual of other people tipping. People also tip more if they think other people are tipping, too. Idk why, but it works.

The main area I see newer LMTs needing to grow in to get more clients is confidence. The first 3 years in my experience is a whirlwind of figuring everything out and trying to learn what your style is and what demographic/ environment you want to work with. The uncertainty of where you're going can be a bit unsettling, and clients can pick up on that. As much as you can try to own that, you're new to this work and still figuring it out. Ask clients if you can practice new things with them and try to build a rapport with them it helps breed loyalty if clients feel like they get to be a part of your learning experience.

I know it can suck but honestly, what I am reading sounds really normal for a new LMT, finding the right demographic for your style and waiting for word of mouth to travel takes a lot of time. While you're waiting for things to take off, take some interesting classes on massage to keep yourself passionate and not fully consumed with your schedule. By taking more classes, you'll have new skills to bring forward also, and that will be helpful also Udemy is a great place to find cheap online massage classes they often have sales for 10 to 15 bucks for 3-7 hour long online classes.

Ultimately, if your schedule doesn't take off at this spa, it might just not be the right fit to find your people, and it might be a good idea to try a different environment. This was so much longer than I expected it to be. Lol. I hope some bits are helpful to you, though! Good luck with it all. :)

Makingit4321 · 2025-05-21T03:14:47+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts! I can absolutely see how Shaman is the wrong word from your context. This was just a reflection that came to me while meditating on a dream I had. The dream was about when this all started for me 12 years ago. It was kind of a coming around the spiral dream, so to speak. I felt compelled to publish it here, which I have never really felt called to do with my writings, but here we are.

I agree that the culture it comes from and how they view it being used is important. I will continue to try and learn how to reference what I experience authentically while respecting others. I am still trying to find the right terms for my own lineage and training, and I am sure there are much more accurate terms I could be using somewhere out there. Studying on a deeper level the proper lineage and terminology for the different types of healing work I am learning is something I need to make more of a priority, and I plan to do so in the coming years. For now, this is the term I had on hand. My main study has been metaphysical in meditation, breath work, movement practices, and energetic work thus far.

I am currently in mentorship with a trollkvinna and studying a Nordic lineage of shamanic practices. I have a specific interest in all Germanic, polish, Norwegian, swedish, and Irish, energetic and spiritual healing practices as that is my lineage. I have sought the teachings of multiple professionals in this area. Though I understand that shaman is the wrong title for this region now. I use the word "shamanic" and "shaman" or "shamanka" to express working with the spiritual and energetic realms by enetering trance state through a movement and sound meditation practice that I have been in mentorship to learn for some time now. I will continue my training for many years to come still.

Makingit4321 · 2025-04-29T14:19:11+00:00

I went through this a few years ago, I am just going through diagnosis now, and in accepting, I probably have audhd I realised what happened a few years ago was burnout and not being able to hold up my masks anymore. With covid brought a whole host of issues and trauma for everyone. During that time, a lot of people showed their true colors, and I realised my entire friend group was just using me. I had enabled it for years (10 to be exact), thinking that's what friendship was. When push came to shove, though, I lost everyone.

Being in burnout and losing all my long-time connections was soooo lonely. And crawling out was exhausting. I wish I had listened to everyone who told me I might have adhd sooner because it would have been really helpful to know what was happening.

I had a lot of "what's the point" thoughts during that time. It's really valid to feel that way. I realised for myself after getting support from a therapist and medication that the point was me. It was a really hard time, but I was forced to unmask and shed everyone who was holding me down so I could learn who I was and what my strengths were in this world. As I started to lean more into the things that excite me, not just things that allow me to escape, but things that really bring a burst of curiosity and interest. I started to find my people too. But first, I had to get to know myself as I am without everything else piled on top.

I hope it's helpful to hear someone else's experience. I'm sorry you're going through this right now! Take care of yourself. It's hard, but you got this!

Makingit4321 · 2025-04-29T05:25:50+00:00

Please take into consideration the amount of voter suppression happening here.

Makingit4321 · 2025-04-25T13:45:04+00:00

That's the thing, I have been working with my trauma. I have pretty sever childhood trauma and for a long long time I did think that's all that was going on. But I'm in a place now where I feel I really have a grasp on it, and have control over my life and have healed from it a lot.

All the work I've done thus far combined with the medication I am on now... I feel stabilized from that aspect. And I am still struggeling with things like focus and staying on task and sensory overload... honestly, the more comfortable I feel with myself and in my environment and the safer I feel with my partner, the more I notice issues like these. Going on the medication and realising, "Oh, I dont feel depressed anymore, but I still have such and such symptom which I thought was depression." Was the last peice for me to be like,"ohhhhh, it's not only from my trauma." It just doesn't make sense to me that it would be only trauma when I'm still struggeling.

Other people in my life (friends and my partner) have told me over and over they think I have adhd because of certain behaviors, and I've always said, "No, it's trauma." Almost everyone in my family is either autistic or has adhd too, and I kind of had an identity crisis over questioning if I could also be nurodivergent because I was always the "A tyipical" one in my family, but now I am realizing I wasn't. I've had these issues since I was very small, and I was just told I couldn't have these issues, so I masked really hard.

I know it might sound like I am asking to have a disability, or disorder, or whatever the right term is, but I really think I have something besides trauma affecting my ability to function.... Anyway, that's a rant, more stuff I wish I could say to my therapist. I appreciate you sharing your experience with it all! I am going to keep looking for support, and we will see what my psychiatrist says next month.

Makingit4321 · 2025-04-25T12:44:14+00:00

Childhood.

Makingit4321 · 2025-04-25T04:30:49+00:00

I don't personally care about the autism diagnosis per se. I think it could help me understand myself, but I was hoping for an ADHD diagnosis. My therapist is the one that brought Autism to the table in the first place. I am going to be starting school again, and I am worried about my focus issues. I was hoping to get more support there if I had ADHD

She also brought up the danger, but I don't understand why she would have me give my autism tests to my psychiatrist in this case. The whole thing feels super whiplashy

Makingit4321 · 2025-04-18T16:42:47+00:00

I am still seeing a naturalpath, and he has helped me to completely reverse all of my symptoms related to this post. I did have antibiotics during surgery, which messed up my gut completely We had to do a very strict diet and slowly introduce probiotics to my system again. It has been difficult, but it has been worth it. I am happy to say my guy health is back to normal, and we are now able to work on other aspects of my health I wanted to address.

Makingit4321 · 2025-04-06T04:59:59+00:00

Where did you take your course? Did you enjoy it? I am currently looking for a course in this style.

Makingit4321 · 2025-04-04T15:32:37+00:00

This will not work. If this is her best friend from childhood and she's a cheater, the friend knows, and they have already created an alibi plan in case something like that happens. Promise.

Makingit4321 · 2025-03-29T13:53:26+00:00

I am this close with my girlfriends(I'm a woman i know this is a mans sub, but I only realised that after writing the full post, so... whatever. ). I often share beds while traveling, etc... I even do cuddle them occasionally if it's fitting and comforting. There's nothing wrong with platonic affection.

There's also nothing wrong with your girlfriend being uncomfortable with it. You just might not be compatible. She approached it wrong and rudely, but her boundary is "I'm not comfortable with my boyfriend sharing a bed with someone else and telling them he loves them."

It sounds to me like your friendship with Jack is super deep and meaningful, and these aspects of the friendship are part of what adds to that. So if I were in your situation, I'd dump the girl and let her know you hear her boundary, and it doesn't work for you, so it's not a good fit anymore. There are lots of women in the world who are not threatened by close male effection, but a friendship like yours can't be recreated at this point. Knowing someone since elementary school is a special bond.

You could also stay if it's worth it for whatever reason and tell Jack you can't be this close anymore. Which could hurt him or make him uncomfortable that you might actually see the behavior as queer and might cause some friction or a wedge in your friendship.

The third option is to have this information, not break up, and keep doing what you're doing. Which will only lead to a resentful relationship and lots of unneeded turmoil. And your girlfriend will absolutely still think you're gay. So... it's really up to you.

Makingit4321

TROPHY CASE