Travel and Massage: Tips to Know
Many clients have asked me over the years if they have time for a massage what are some tips they should know before booking one for #vacation. I have a couple of simple guard rails that I think it just makes sense and many of them you might already know because you've had #massage before while living your normal every day life. Some of these suggestions may seem simple but often times people might forget them because they're traveling. On the other hand some of these might be regionally dependent especially if you're traveling overseas in which case it's always a good idea to look additional guidance when you get to your destination if you still have some questions.
Make sure you have time and then if you're traveling with another person please make sure they have some thing to do. There's nothing like feeling rushed when you're trying to relax and you're wondering if the other person you're with or people you're with are having a good time while you are getting a massage.
Read reviews! Most of us do you read reviews and I also think that many people can tell when a review is motivated by an honest person given an honest assessment and when it's somebody who is simply exaggerating and or reacting to something that simply might be the way things are done (Karen’s and Ken’s). Don't just look for #reviews on a persons business website but look at multiple websites if it all possible.
Look to see if the prices fit those of the area. If something needs to be extraordinarily expensive in an area that is not typically there's a reason. Understand the reason so that you don't get caught off guard. To go along with this point if something seems extraordinarily great value figure out if that's just the base price and they add a bunch of smaller fees on top of it but eventually get you to the same price as a standard service by a competitor. This is very common in the airline industry but it's also very common and the personal services industries as well in many countries including the United States.
Do not guilt people into getting a #massage service with you if they don't want one. This is very common among couples and groups of friends they travel together. You're better off scheduling breakout times for each person to do their own thing rather than try to coax someone into something I mean I really want to do especially when I cost money. If you feel unsafe going somewhere by yourself there are always simple things you can do to help protect yourself. A good example is make sure you're traveling companion knows the address of where you're going and that you will text them when you arrive and you'll text them within a reasonable period of time after your session is over to make sure that they know you're safe and that they have a record of where you have been and what you've been doing should something happen. It's also a good idea when you're traveling back from anywhere by yourself back to your party that you're with because you wanna make sure that the drivers are taking you to the correct locations.
Make sure you understand tipping and tipping culture for that area in some countries tipping is suggested sometimes it is considered an insult. Generally speaking if the custom for most surface situations is there is a service fee that is considered the tip which is automatically added to your bill and in some countries like the United States were tipping is very much a cultural affect but make sure you do bring enough money for tipping a reasonable amount typically 10% to 15% when it comes to tipping in cash it is now becoming the norm that tipping is not done in cash when the rest of the payment is done by credit card.