please help :) tired grumpy therapist on therapy laws

[x man P]

hello
apologies if i have stumbled on the wrong road, my naviagtion skills are not that good lol.

i was wondering if any enlightened ones could help me,
i am currently working in a spa, not as a beauty therapist but doing massages all day, (i am a holistic therapist)
i know i am very lucky to be in work, in a job that i love, i work 2.. 8 hour shifts, however in those 8 hours i have about 7-8 massages,a typical day consists of 4 full body massages , and about 4 bns, or a full body hot stone massage , sometimes 2 full body massages one after the other, basically i am massaging for 7 hours of my 8 hour day with a 30 min dinner time if i am lucky, most times i get no turnaround time in between clients, and then get told off when im late for next client, if i cut down a few mins to avoid this i still get into trouble,
please let me know if this is acceptable practise or am i a lightweight, as i say i do love my job, but i find myself very exhausted by the end of the day, my immune system is down, i was still expected to work when i had the flu !!
many thanks, im sorry to moan but there is no one else i can ask
xxxx

 

[Marvel M]

Hi eskimokiss, I'm sure you've come to the right place, so welcome. And I'm sure you'll get lots of pointers.

Care-of-self is the top of the list of our priorities, as far as I'm concerned. If that's becoming difficult then something needs to change. Determining what that should be is a personal thing.

Could it be that what is a tough work arrangement actually seems worse because you're not looking after yourself in other ways? eg getting dehydrated, malnourished or something? Changing that might be enough to help the main matter be more bearable.

If the work arrangement really is getting on top of you, then you can either change it (if you're your own boss), tell the manager that you need a more sustainable arrangement (hopefully they'll be sympathetic), or move on somewhere else.

Wherever you work I would always make sure your clients have a personal number for you in case they have any questions or concerns after the treatment. This also means that if you move on they have a better chance of finding you. This is not the same as poaching clients, they can go to whatever therapist they choose. As long as you are not actually enticing them away, then it is making sure that they have a fair choice. Some will be there because of you, and will be disappointed if you leave and they can't locate you afterwards.

 

[MadMax]

Hi there,
I hear this is typical of spa's and unfortunately theres not much you can do about it. You do have the right to 30 mins break if you are working 8 hours, and this should not only apply if you have time, it is a legal entitlement, and you should demand it.

I cant see how clients can be given the best treatments when there is no turnaround time in between, in my clinic, we always mix 60 minute sessions with 45 minute sessions, so there is always a chill out time for the therapist, as its much needed.

Not sure about advice, apart from your break entitlement, just what kvpd says, have a word with your manager and see if you could have at least 5 minutes in between clients to recharge your batteries.

 

[harmonograph]

Hi eskimokiss
Sadly lots of spas work like this. Many therapists start their careers here (I did). While conditions are not ideal you get valuable experience of working with lots of clients and learn to keep to a schedule. But usually it's a stepping stone to a better job somewhere else or working for yourself.

 

[knownout]

If you are employed, then yes, there is entitlement to breaks and reasonable additional conditions for your own health and safety and that of clients. That includes holidays, sickness, maternity, etc etc.

If you are self-employed, there is no such 'right' except what you decide to grant yourself. The hirer (because they are not the employer), cannot argue with the way you decide to provide your service, but then they do have the right not to hire you.

In reality, many self-employed persons are treated as if they were the employee and not a contractor, and this is purely a way for the employer to avoid all responsibility for the welfare of their staff.

If this is the case then it's down to your skills at negotiating so that you get good conditions and still keep the work.

For some reason this has fallen completely below the radar of those negotiating employment law, the self-employed are a new kind of underclass with no rights, I'm afraid, and we are growing in numbers.

 

[Ahsan]

Sounds like a bad employer who will use you up and then get rid of you when the next hopeful therapist comes along.

Find somewhere else to work if you can.

Ask yourself if you worked from home would you accept the same schedule?

Out of interest if you don't mind how much does the spa charge for a one hour massage and how much of that do you get?

 

[melmelfish]

Hi Luke

It's just the way the spa industry evolved. Loads of hopefuls come out of training schools every year and these are good jobs to gain experience. Spas don't pay much and therefore have a high staff turnover. Most therapists who worked where I did didn't plan to be there long & used it as an opportunity to slip clients their business cards & build a private practice outside the spa.

If I'm recruiting now & someone has a spa on their CV I know they know their trade & can keep to a timetable so we're keen to work with them.

 

[wicked_bunny6669]

Hi Eskimokiss,

Unfortunately some spas do not take into account the health and well-being of the therapist and focus of getting as many clients in as they can.

I feel your pain as I started my masage career at a spa doing a similar amount of treatments to you. We had 5 mins between clients which still wasn't enough. Doing Five 1 hour massages is my natural optimum number doing more exhausts me. At this spa we did get the chance to do some body treatments like wraps and scrubs to help give our bodies a break.

I think they can get away with those type of working conditons. As already mentioned by a few others working in a spa will give you some invaluable experience. I left after 2 years as by that time I was getting burnt out and knew I would no longer be able to work as a therapist if I stayed.

You may not be able to change your working conditions but you may be able to do some things to help protect yourself.

During my time at the spa In order to cope and survive I had to do a number of things.

1) I did a No Hands Massage course which taught me how to use my forearms and body weight to do massages. This meant I was injury free for the 2 years that I worked at the spa.
2) The treatment had to be cut short by a few minutes otherwise I would over run with clients all day and like you say get into trouble.
3) I generally massage slowly as it helps to conserve my energy and feels relaxing for the client.
4) I never rushed a treatment and if found time was running out then I would do less strokes but very slowly.
5) I would also have a cup of water in the room ready to give the client at the end of the treatment. I would fill the cup half way otherwise the client would take too long to finish it.

I hope this helps and good luck. Once you've served your time you will hopefully work somewhere that is not so pressurised and pays you more.

CoolHandLuke - regarding payment - where I worked about 6 years ago we got paid hourly about £10+ per hour and I think clients paid around £60+ for a 55 minute massage. The wages were bad and I was exhausted but having this spa on my CV was very impressive to others. When I first started my friend thought I wouldn't last more than 1 month there. The turnover in these places is high but they normally tie you in for at least a year otherwise you have to pay money back for the in-house training they give you.

 

[Pompal 09.]

If you are employed by a company then you must have a contract stating your terms and conditions. This should give you the break down of entitlement to holidays and breaks, sickness etc. What does your job description say? If you don't have one then you are fully entitled to request one.

 

[Philadelphia]

It could be worse, at least you have clients.

Many practitioners work on a percentage and have to find the clients themselves, which is practically impossible fresh out of college (unless you are already a whizz at business beforehand).

Moreover, many places charge fixed rent for the room and leave you the responsibility of filling it. That way, if they can't be sure of patients, they can be sure of making money out of hopeful practitioners.

I went the entirely self-employed route and kept the 'day job' at first. There are some jobs in my field that automatically bring you loads of clients, but there are several applicants for each such position; also they can mean sacrificing too much autonomy and dancing to someone elses tune.

Much depends what you want from life, but it can be very tough.

 

[Star S]

many thanks for all your replies, everyone was very helpful,
it seems the conditions i work in are not the worst but not the best, i have decided to seek other employment and applied to quite a few, i have a few private clients but not enough yet to go self employed, which i would love to do, but working on building it up
after speaking to my collegues i found that i am not the only one unhappy, and it seems it boils down to bad management,
who is unaproachable and unprofessional and simply tells you if you dont like it move on, which i have now decided to do,
after a catalougue of mishaps accidents and plain nastiness i think its a matter of time before we all walk out, 4 people have already handed their notice in because of this
i feel positive about the future and look forward to any replies from my enquries . thanks all, and merry christmas xxxx