Shadowing Practice: How to Conduct the Massage Consultation in Under 5 Minutes - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

Hi it's Kat here and welcome back to my channel.

⏸ Paused

Speed:

177 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

Hi it's Kat here and welcome back to my channel.

So today I wanted to do a video all about the massage consultation process.

So before I get started I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be doing a future video.

This one is primarily for the quick massage consultation, so a bit more of a realistic one in the industry.

I work in the spa industry and really we don't have much time to you know greet our client,

talk to them, find out their goals and treat them.

I know in other places maybe like a very specific massage clinic they will have time set out

so even like 15 to 20 minutes set aside just for the consultation process

so I'll actually do a video on

that consultation process the more detailed version in a later video

but stick around today if you wanted to hear the quick kind of more realistic

consultation process alright so to begin I just wanted to let you all know

that the most important thing about the consultation process is about how you make the client feel.

So what I mean by that is really how the client is greeted, the body language you use, the temperature of the room,

just everything in regards to how they're going to make them feel.

Are they going to feel welcome?

Are they feeling rushed?

Are they feeling under pressure?

So this is something you really need to think of when you're greeting the client and talking to them.

So the one thing I really would love you to instill is when you greet the client, look at them straight in the eye,

put out your hand, give them a nice firm but gentle warm handshake and say hi Helen,

my name is Kat and I'll be your massage therapist today.

Would you like to come with me through to your appointment.

So you're being very direct, you're being warm and you're initiating that physical touch

because really what we're doing the whole treatment is touch and you really want to establish that as soon as possible.

So the directness is going to give the client

that feeling of being at ease and knowing that you're in control and you are the professional.

So I'm just having a look at my notes here and yeah

so in regards to how you're making the client feel you

also want to make them feel like they are number one

they are the most important thing in the world to you right now you're their only client they all know

that you have many other clients

but you want to make them feel like they're the most important clients

so it's all about establishing a relationship and building the rapport.

So what I like to do as I'm bringing them through, I ask them, you know, in a bit more of a quieter voice because I am in a spa,

how's your day been today?

And just, you know, start that conversation going, they usually give you a short response.

That response will actually give you a lot of insight into how the client is feeling and what you're working with.

So for example, a lot of clients will, you know, the more busy, rushed, stressed, anxious client will go, oh, morning has been hectic,

you know, I almost didn't get here on time.

So I guess when you hear that, you know, well, all right, I got a lot of work to do.

I definitely need to focus on relaxation.

However, you might have the opposite

and have a client say oh it's been wonderful i've been to the gym this morning had some lovely breakfast

and you can go oh that's really wonderful what a great

day to come in for a massage just for an example

and what's very specific to my workplace is just before you

take them through to the treatment area i do like to establish

that you know before entering

that door where all the treatment rooms are situated I do like to say just to let you know

and in my quiet voice just to let you know we're about to enter the treatment area

so we'll just keep our voices to a minimum

so that's just also you know letting the client know

that this is a quiet area and you not only respect you know the spa

but you respect other clients so they will feel that respected in a way as well.

So the one thing I really wanted to, I guess, let you all know that time is of the essence.

We have so much information that we could gather from the client, but there is just not enough time.

So like I said before, this is the video for the quick, short, efficient massage consultation process.

So you've taken them into the room, you've showed them to their seat, and you've said take a seat, and they're looking at you waiting for your response.

So the first thing I like to do is sit down, look at them, and ask this one question.

And I find this has really, really worked for me.

And I say, just trying to get it in the right words, So, hi Helen.

Okay, no, I won't say hi.

I'll say, all right, Helen.

So just before we get started, I just wanted to ask you this one question.

What are you most looking forward to today with your treatment?

So this is a very broad question.

However, you usually get a very specific response.

A lot of people, especially if they're booked in for relaxation, will say, oh, I'm just here to relax, or this is just a treat.

But with that response, that's giving you such a a good idea as to what the client is expecting.

If the first thing they say is, oh, my neck and shoulders, it's just really tight, you know, really like to get rid of the tension there,

and they're grabbing their shoulder, you can really make an assumption that they are in a bit of pain and there's a bit of tension.

So that one question is going to give you, I guess, the grounding to know what to ask from there on.

So ask that question, see how you go, and that's usually how I come up with my next set of questions.

So I'm going to go with the client that says

that they're wanting to relax and this is just a bit of a treat

so it's a little bit more of a tricky one.

So I can really appreciate that Helen and I can definitely give you a relaxing treatment today.

For a new client you would then look at their consultation form

and just say okay Helen I'm just going to have a

quick look at your consultation form just to go through anything

that we need to and then we'll jump straight into your treatment.

So I'll look at their consultation and I'll be really quite brief with that.

I'll look over is there any medical conditions

if there is just really quickly touch on it just ask them you know is this something

that affects massage and

if you do think it might affect massage you can ask another question as

if does that affect you lying on your front

or back uh you know all these kinds of things another question

that i really like to ask um after i've looked at

the consultation form is you know how um what is your experience with massage therapy in the past uh what

if and if you have had massage what do you love the most

and what have you not really liked and

that will give you a really good understanding as to what they yeah what they love

and what they don't and um you know this is the time

when the client will say oh you know i really love just to zone out relax

I love my scalp being massaged fantastic that's great

that gives you such a good idea of what they want

and then you can go fantastic well I can definitely incorporate your scalp treatment today is there any areas

100

that you really don't like to be massaged a lot of people don't like their feet

101

or maybe their stomachs so establishing that right there

102

and then will give you an idea of what you're going to do for the treatment.

103

And, oh, I forgot one point.

104

One thing that is very, very super important against how you make the client feel is to actually acknowledging their name, saying it correctly and using it at least three times.

105

So just to go back a little, you know, when you first greet the client, you say their name.

106

And if you find it's a bit of a difficult one, just say, did I say your name correctly?

107

They'll correct you.

108

And then you know from there on.

109

So when you bring them into the room, you would say, take a seat, Helen.

110

And then as you are going through the form, keep saying their name, Helen, blah, blah, blah.

111

So it's really establishing that and it shows that respect as well.

112

So just back to the consultation process there.

113

Once you've looked at the medical history and you've established what they really like and don't like,

114

you can then ask this last question and say okay Helen

115

so so far I've gathered

116

that you are here primarily to relax this is a treat for you

117

and you do love having your scalp massage

118

but do you have any goals

119

or anything you're really wanting to achieve with this appointment

120

and you know maybe sometimes you don't need to ask that

121

but I think it's a good confirmation

122

and she'll probably this client as in Helen may just say look yeah I just really want to relax

123

and feel that tension leave my body so you really understand what they want

124

and this is when I would go okay Helen great

125

so thank you for giving me all that information

126

so for today what I can do is a full body

127

relaxation massage for you including the back the neck the shoulders coming up to the scalp

128

if you like as well and also the top of the glutes

129

so you're establishing that all these areas are going to be touched

130

and she knows

131

that that's going to happen especially the top of the glutes some people do feel a little bit uncomfortable exposing that area

132

so you can even put in I will be exposing the top area of the glutes to massage

133

that for you are you comfortable with it usually I don't

134

need to however I then say I'll be massaging the back

135

of the legs the feet the front of the legs the hands the arms the stomach

136

if you wish the neck and shoulders the decolletage

137

and your scalp to finish the treatment I'll spend a little bit more time on

138

that for you as you did say you love that Helen

139

and then they'll say great fantastic or whatever they say so

140

that pretty much encompasses everything that you need to go through

141

and the last thing you need to do is just say to them all right Helen

142

so I just wanted to let you know

143

that your feedback is very essential for me as a therapist to treat you the best way

144

so if at any stage you feel like you're getting too warm

145

or too cold please let me know if I get to an area

146

that you want me to work on more just let me know as well

147

and then you'll go point over to the bed

148

and say look Helen I'm going to leave the room now so you can get ready

149

so I'll just get you to dress down to your underwear

150

or whatever you need to for the appointment

151

and just hop on over to the bed I like to be very specific about this

152

and my current employer at the moment gave me some really good tips

153

so she has three points of contact with the bed

154

so underneath the towel laying on your front with your head in the cradle

155

so I thought that was a really good tip

156

because it's giving the same instruction but in three ways

157

so the client really understands and you're using your body language

158

so you're pointing and you're smiling and you're making them feel comfortable

159

but using a you know a nice low tone of voice really establishing

160

that relaxation you'll then wait for their confirmation

161

and say before I head out the room is there any last questions

162

and they usually don't but sometimes they do

163

so it's very important you don't want to be coming into the room

164

and they're going oh what am I doing happens more often than you think

165

so you leave the room and that is it that is the entire quick snippet of a massage consultation process.

166

I would love to do a future video for you for the home care of the massage client

167

and go into that a little bit more detail.

168

I will probably do a quick version and a longer version as well

169

because yeah massage is different in different settings so I hope you love this video.

170

I've really enjoyed making this one as I've mentioned before.

171

I love massage and I really love helping you guys

172

so let me know what you think and if there's anything

173

that you I guess have found

174

that really works with your massage consultation process let me know by putting a comment down below

175

and like this video if you liked it and subscribe

176

if you have a YouTube account

177

and yeah I can't wait to see you next time and have a great week bye

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

☕ Buy us a coffee

ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high — your coffee keeps us going! 🙏

Donate via PayPal

ShadowingEnglish.com – English Shadowing Practice

Speak English fluently using the Shadowing technique. Listen to native YouTube videos, repeat sentence by sentence, and build real pronunciation and fluency — used by IELTS learners worldwide.

Shadowing Practice: How to Conduct the Massage Consultation in Under 5 Minutes - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

About This Lesson

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Practice Tips

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing Practice: How to Conduct the Massage Consultation in Under 5 Minutes - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

Download App

About This Lesson

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Practice Tips

What is the Shadowing Technique?