Sustainable massage practise

Sustainability is a concept that more businesses are starting to consider. Sustainable resources are those that are used at such a rate that the source is never too depleted to regenerate, so is still available for future generations. Three main areas requiring sustainable practise, are environmental, social and economical.
Because the earth is a limited resource, it is important for the environment to be conserved as best as it can be, to prolong the life of our natural resources, because once it’s gone, it’s gone. Environmental sustainability can be carried out in a number of ways, for example using solar power to heat our rooms instead of heaters, using recyclable materials when possible, and by using natural based products, all help to keep our planet healthy. As a massage therapist we can be more sustainable by using solar panels to heat our clinics, and using eco-friendly washing powder when laundering our drapes. Using natural based waxes in recyclable containers also increases the sustainability of our products. Another good idea is to buy an adjustable wooden table, as the production of a wooden table emits a lot less toxins into the environment than the making of a metal table, and having an adjustable table means you are unlikely to out grow it, so it can last the whole of your massage career. This in turn means less wastage which would damage the environment. Living Earth Crafts (2008) are working to preserve the environment by planting a tree for every massage table they sell, which is a great way to sustain our forests!
Social sustainability is the idea of having a social network in which you can keep in contact with other professionals and existing and potential clients. For example, for practising massage therapists in New Zealand, MNZ (massage New Zealand) is a good network to become a member of, because without the inclusion of other people (to help motivate you to keep up a professional practise, and obviously paying customers) you would be unable to achieve a successfully functioning business.
Lastly, economic sustainability relates to the amount to revenue coming into the business. Obviously you need to be making a profit to keep your business running successfully. To increase and maintain the economic sustainability of a massage practise, you need to make sure you keep your clinic up to a professional standard by keeping all client records confidential, providing adequate services but always stating and keeping within your scope of practise, having relevant qualifications on display, and keeping clinic and personal hygiene at a high standard. By sticking to these criterion, your business should run smoothly and keep the profits up.
As discussed above there are many ways in which a sustainable massage practise can be achieved. By using natural and environmentally friendly products and prolonging their lifespan for as long as possible, joining a network like MNZ which will help you keep in contact with other practising therapists and help you to build a client base, and by making sure your clinic is client focused, will help you build a practise that encourages environmental, social and economic sustainability. A sustainable practise is also more likely to have a superior reputation with the public, so your practise should continue to run smoothly into the future.

References

Living Earth Crafts. Massage Tables: Environmentally friendly massage table certification (2008). Retrieved August 25th from http://www.massage-tables.info/

Ministry for the environment. Sustainability, a definition (2009). Retrieved August 25th from http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/sustainable-industry/tools-services/definition.php