Student Massage….

One of the nice things massage schools do these days is try to encourage students to do an externship during their course. Unpaid, but for credit.

          

I was near the end of my classes when I went for my first interview for a massage job. Thought I was God’s gift to massage, of course, and I didn’t count on traffic. Arriving 10 minutes late, the lady in the salon/spa/gym gave me the big stare down.

          

“I shouldn’t hire you because you are late,” she said.

          

I tried to look positive. “I didn’t count on a lot of traffic after 10 a.m.,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

          

For some reason, she hired me anyway.

          

As an employer, I gave people the benefit of the doubt, often to my regret later. But I have found if the interview is too perfect, too cookie-cutter and with all the right answers, I will also, later, regret it.

          

Oh heck, this extern applicant is in his first 100 hours. I asked him for the definition of a Swedish massage.

          

Blank stare. Pause. Enormous amounts of time passed. He managed to collect himself and said he wasn’t real sure.

“It’s lighter than deep tissue,” he offered.

Oh heavens, isn’t that a big test question in school? On the boards?

I flashed on the time I went for a job interview and demo massage and realized I hadn’t used pit spray. I did a one-hour massage with my elbows stuck to my ribs. Like a wobble toy.

“Where do you want to work when you get out of school?”

“The Angels,” he said.

Baseball. I like baseball. Maybe this could turn around.

“How about a 10-minute Swedish back massage?” I said, breaking my usual 20-minute request.

Well, he didn’t do 10 minutes, he didn’t do Swedish, but he had a great touch.

”Send me over the paperwork, I said. “I don’t feel it is right letting you loose on clients, especially for no money, but you can work on me and a couple of therapists who used to work for me and get some experience.”

No regrets? I hope not.