Modern Work Studio
8790 F Street
Studio 824
Omaha, NE 68127
Just finished 2 new blankets to go with some cute new linens.
Today I decided to revamp the website. I added a few things, changed a few bits here and there, but mostly it’s color scheme and home page changes. Still far from a perfect website, but I’m doing what I can with my customizable website builder.
Modern Work is getting cooler all the time. We got some fresh paint and some fresh art. Soo cute 😍
You know what’s better than a 90 minute massage? A 120 minute massage.
And maybe a 180 minute massage would be better than that, but let’s leave it here for a minute ;)
You can now get 2 hour massages for $150 a session. And the hot towels, aromatherapy, and foot treatment can still be added on.
Packages can be purchased when you're scheduling your next appointment online 😄 Before you finalize your appointment, it'll ask if you want to add a 60 or 90 minute package. The package will apply to the massage you're booking and be automatically applied to your future appointments.
OR… If you're a little confused about it, you can always purchase a package from me in person 😉
!!!Summer Foot Scrubs!!!
The Sweet Feet Treatment starts out with a sugar foot scrub. Next, we use hot towels to get all the scrub off. Then we get your feet smelling sweet with some super sudsy Lume soap. MORE HOT TOWELS!! And then we finish up with Lume deodorant lotion to keep you sweet all day.
Tl;Dr- Clients will no longer be required to show a vaccination card in order to be mask free during their massage.
I've been mulling over the decision of when to lift my mask or vaccination card policy. There aren't a lot of guidlines for individual businesses, but most places have fully opened up without masks and our Nebraska Covid numbers are looking good. So, starting tomorrow, May 3rd, I will no longer require clients to show their vaccination cards in order to be maskless during their massage.
Will I still wear a mask? Maybe. It's been two years wearing a mask, so it might take me a little bit to be comfortable without it. Maybe I'll only wear it sometimes. I'm not sure. I'll see how I feel every day.
I do want everyone to be comfortable, if that means you keep wearing a mask and would like me to wear a mask, then we'll both stay masked. If you'd be comfortable with only me wearing a mask, that's cool too. Just let me know what you'd like to do.
Refills for the Silver Spruce and Lavender Sage foot treatments came in the mail today! They are my most requested foot treatments, with Clean Tangerine coming in third. The Warm Vanilla, a distant fourth
Let's celebrate by adding aromatherapy to your appointment for FREE!
Alright alright! The mask mandate has been removed for Douglas County. That means we are back to our previous mask policy. Vaccinated folks can be mask free, non vaccinated folks still need to be wearing a mask. Masked or no, you can still get that free aromatherapy added on 😀
Starting the fall season off early with a new pumpkin lotion! Try the new pumpkin pecan waffles scented lotion while supplies last. Add a scented or any of the aromatherapy lotions to your massage for only five dollars.
In the next few weeks I'm going to be getting in more supplies and testing out a new foot treatment. Hot towels, an extra 10 minutes of foot massage, and some good smelling Lume products
The month of July was really rough for folks cancelling last minute and just not showing up. No joke, people texting 15 minutes before their appointments to cancel. Two clients on the same day who scheduled during their work day, and then their boss scheduled a meeting they couldn’t miss. One day, my entire day of clients cancelled… Like whaaaat?! is happening?
But, it wasn’t just me with this problem. When I went to the Nebraska Massage Therapists group on FB, soo many LMT’s were having trouble getting clients to show up to their appointments in July. Though, some LMT’s were having that problem less, the ones that required a credit card in order to book. And when it did happen, they could offset their loss of income with a late or no-show fee.
I have clients who have been with me for years, who are wonderful and consistent and have helped keep me in business so far. No one likes change, or giving out their CC information, so I held out for as long as I could. It’s true that requiring a CC at booking is, or is becoming, an industry standard. But the truth is that this last month was just so erratic and unstable with newer clients that I needed to change things for my own protection. I don’t want to charge people fees, I want people to show up and get their massage. Hopefully the change will make people plan better so I don’t have to charge anyone.
You can check out my new cancellation and no-show policies under the ‘Policies and FAQ’ tab.
!!Big Announcement!!
If our county wide mask mandate expires on Tuesday, there will be changes to my mask wearing policy:
-If you ARE fully vaccinated and wish to be maskless during the massage, please bring a copy of your vaccination card. Without proof of vaccination, you will be required to wear a mask during your appointment.
-If you ARE NOT vaccinated, please bring a comfortable mask to wear during your massage.
I have been fully vaccinated, but will continue to wear a mask during all appointments.
As always, if you are feeling sick on the day of your appointment, please give me a call to cancel.
I just reserved a space to attend Eric Stephenson's 'Deep Tissue without Thumbs' CEU coming up in October!
Eric is kind of a rockstar in local massage circles. Before coronavirus, he would come into town every year to teach a 3 day, 24 ce credit class at Mahoney State Park. It's not clear how covid-19 will effect the common procedures of massage classes in October, but I am still super excited to be attending this class.
In Nebraska all Licenced Massage Therapists are required to complete 24 hours of education classes every two years, license renewal happening in November of every odd year. Most of those hours must be in person, hands on learning. We have more availability options than ever before in terms of class times and duration. Some CEU providers do short classes of an hour every month, or a one day class, or they host a big 3-day weekend like I'm attending. Personally, I like the 3 day classes. It gives the information time to sink in and gives more opportunities to practice what we've learned. And to remember techniques that I haven't used in forever.
The other day I had a client leave a voicemail, looking to come in for a last minute massage. So I checked that nothing was available and gave her a call back. Her family had traveled in from out of town and taken her bedroom so she was sleeping on a recliner (ouch). But I had to tell her that I was all booked up until after the Thanksgiving holiday. She asked would I call her if there was a cancellation and do many people cancel? I said actually it is very possible as sometimes I get a cancellation a day because of possible covid exposure.
There was a pause…”oh…” And I wondered if I had said too much. If I'd scared her. But she repeated that I should call her if there was an opening. I promised I would.
It was only after I got off the phone that I thought about it, 'Did she just tell me that her family had travelled over the busy holiday and were living in her home?’
I wonder sometimes if it's like eating m&ms, or Hershey kisses. We don't realize how many we've eaten until we got the bottom of the bag, or go to throw away ALL of the wrappers. I wonder if it's the same mechanism that has us buy a coffee here or a $5 impulse buy there, wondering where all our money went before we check our bank statement. The same mechanism that minimizes how many people we have contact with and how much danger we are in from Covid-19 exposure. The CDC tells us not to travel and not to gather with people outside of your house. But it's only two people… forgetting the contact with hundreds of other travelers to get to their destination. Forgetting that every contact you make after that, exposes more lives to the risk of those two travelers. And only realizing it when someone turns up positive for covid-19.
But that's only one example of the way we minimize and forget the danger of infection. I have heard plenty of other examples from my clients and people in the office, enough to make me nervous about my own perceived safety. About a month ago I had made the decision to not take clients in the week after Thanksgiving. Being out of work is never an easy decision. Now I kinda wish I'd taken a second week off, so that those infected during the holiday get more of a chance to develop symptoms so they can choose to stay home instead of getting a massage. Because more than just the fear of getting sick myself, is the fear that I become a vector of infection.
I wear a mask and I sanitize as much as I can in my business. I self isolate to minimize my own personal exposure. But I can only hope that my clients make good decisions and stay away from my business when they are at high risk for contracting covid. Because if someone brings me covid, it's possible I could spread it to every client I touch. That's the reality.
I hope that my clients do have a Happy Thanksgiving. Whatever choice they make about how much contact they have with people outside of their own household, is their own. I hope that it's a safe one for themselves, and for all the people in their lives. Even their service workers.
Thank you all for patiently waiting, because I am now ready to reopen my massage practice! My first day open will be Friday the 12th. You can book as you have in the past, schedule online or give me a text.
There are some changes we need to talk about. The new health directives from the state of Nebraska outline some best practices and rules we need to follow in order to keep the health risks low during your massage. Here are some of the biggest changes:
1. Both of us will have to wear masks while in my massage space and during the massage. If you have a mask you feel comfortable with, please bring it. While the Modern Work building is not subject to following these rules, my individual space is. You can put it on in your car, or in the bathroom before we start.
2. You will need to sanitize your hands. There are bathrooms on the 3rd floor for washing, or hand sanitizer in the massage space.
3. You will need to sign a COVID-19 waiver for me. The waiver states that you do not currently have COVID-19, that you have no symptoms, and have not been in any hotspots or had contact with COVID-19 patients in the last 14 days.
It also states that you as the client understand the infectious nature of the virus, and that there can be no guarantee of safety. I didn't put that in to scare anyone. But any contact with other humans is a risk, even if it's a low risk. To be clear, I will try my best to keep all my clients safe. Heck, I want to keep myself safe. So please help keep me and my other clients safe by keeping yourself healthy and canceling your appointment if you feel you feel sick.
4. Some services won't be available. For now there will be no 2 hour massages and also no aromatherapy
There might be a little awkwardness as I figure out how to make everything work. I hope you can be patient with me a little longer and come in for a massage when you feel ready. If you have any questions, please reach out and ask. I am here for you!
Have a Great Week,
Natalie Faircloth
Last week I took a continuing education class (CEU) in Pierce, Nebraska. As part of the class on herbs and aromatherapy, I got to meet Rachel Lynn Liester, the founder of Red Road Herbs in Stanton, Nebraska. Rachel is a Master Naturalist, and has been curating and cultivating her land in Stanton with local plants and herbs. She and her family care for the land, harvest and dry herbs, make and sell herbs and homemade salves, teach class on herbcraft, and host events throughout the spring and summer.
Rachels’ class was my FAVORITE part of the CEU! She has so much knowledge. I am seriously considering heading out to Stanton to take one of her herbal classes or to visit during one of her open public events. The prices are more than reasonable, though Stanton is something like 2.5 hours from Omaha. But as we are beginning to see spring, all the trees beginning to bud, I can only imagine how beautiful and interesting the plant life is at Red Road Herbs.
They are having an open house on Arbor day, April 27th, with a walk in the woods. And, National Herb Day on Sunday May 5th they’ll be giving away a plant to each visitor. You can find info on other retreats and private herb classes at: http://www.redroadherbs.com/
Nebraska takes its massage regulation and licensing very seriously, requiring 24 hours of continuing education for its Massage Therapists every two years in order to renew our licensing. LMT’s do get a choice in which classes we take. The local massage schools offer classes, and some independent companies and massage therapy entrepreneurs travel around the country to teach these classes. This renewal cycle, I decided that the special techniques and aromatherapy class hosted by the Universal School of Healing Arts in Pierce, Nebraska. It was the first time I’d ever been in Pierce, the first time I’d been to Norfolk even. But the subject seemed interesting enough to travel the 2.5 hours from Omaha.
The first day focused on holding and light touch techniques that come from the same school of thought as Ortho-Bionomy, Myofascial Release, CranioSacral, and energy work in the neck and shoulder areas. This work is often hard for us massage therapists to wrap our heads around. So much of our work is movement and firm to deep pressure. And yet, when we practiced on each other, we couldn’t deny that it felt good to have someone just hold your neck or lightly move our muscles. It’s slow work. Our nervous systems were able to calm and allow deep relaxation. Even in stillness, you get a feeling that something is happening. In myofascial work it’s referred to as unwinding. Reiki practitioners might talk about it in terms of energy movement. But whatever was happening, as a client I loved it!
The second day focused on the arms. Some of the pressure remained light to work with the facia. Other techniques were more traditional massage, with stretching and range of motion at the wrist and elbow. We also made our own still point inducers. We attached two tennis balls together with athletic tape for a very low cost self-care DIY. These devices are meant to place pressure in one static place, usually in the neck but also along the spine and back, by laying them on the floor and using your own body weight to apply the pressure.
Day three was focused on the use of herbs and essential oils to create oils, salves, and creams for treatment of our clients ailments. We learned a bit about the growing, harvesting, and drying of herbs and how to make oil infusions. We also learned about the safety and medicinal possibilities of essential oils, and got to make some goodies. We got a little hands on experience with mixing in beeswax in order to make salves and creams. I walked out of there with all kinds of adorable tins and jars of salve and raw herbs for the future making of plasters and teas. It would be impossible to learn everything about so many herbs and oils, but it was a fun introduction to getting creative with the making of my own product.
Overall, it was a lovely CEU. The LMT’s I met were all interested in the subject and we all had fun learning. And of course, it’s always nice to spend a weekend getting massage work. It was interesting traveling to small towns and seeing a bit of the recent flood damage. And I have some good smelling product to try out on my clients.
The Importance of Touch
I'm sure you've heard of the power of touch. There's article after article about the importance of holding babies, how physical touch is such an important factor in whether we thrive, and the life-saving effect of kangaroo care on preemies. But what about adults, do we just grow out of needing touch? Not at all. Studies suggest that physical touch is also important to the mental and physical health of adults.
Physical touch increases levels of dopamine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters that help regulate your mood as well as help your body relieve stress and anxiety. Dopamine is also known to regulate the pleasure center in your brain that is a good counter to feelings of anxiety. One study on breast cancer patients found that massage therapy in the form of stroking, stretching, and squeezing helped relax participants and increase dopamine and serotonin levels. It also releases oxytocin, known as the "feel good" hormone. Oxytocin helps inspire positive thinking and maintaining an optimistic outlook on the world. The role of oxytocin for bonding also extends to helping generate feelings of compassion during interactions. This can contribute to an expansion of trust among individuals during social situations, helping to reduce social anxiety and stress.
Touch has been found to lower heart rate and blood pressure. And particularly in women, to lower the level of cortisol in the body. Cortisol when elevated, impedes our working memory and, most critically, the immune system’s resilience. Studies also show that touching patients with Alzheimer’s disease can have huge effects on getting them to relax, making emotional connections with others, and reducing their symptoms of depression.
Physical touch has great transformative possibilities in adults. And there are all kinds of positive touch in this world: kissing, cuddling, and hand-holding for and more intimate, familiar touch. And for more platonic touch: a pat on the back, high five, hug, or getting a massage. But whatever forms you choose, just make sure that it's consensual.
Thank you for reading
-Natalie Faircloth
For a more in-depth article, check out this link:
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/hands_on_research
Massage: It’s not just good for our muscles; it’s good for our entire physical and mental health. -Dacher Keltner
2323 South 144th Street, Suite #8, Omaha NE, 68144
(402) 658-1737