Fundamentals of Massage
Task 5 - Sustainable Massage Practice
Sustainability is a concept many people are now aware of and are becoming passionate about. It is also a concept that has lead many local and global companies to consider and potentially act upon. I am going to look specifically at three principles of sustainability – economic, environmental and social and how these three principles relate to massage practice. I will also look specifically at how I can improve the sustainability of my massage practice.
For something to be sustainable it should be able to be maintained at a certain rate or level (Sutton, 2000) and should not lead to “depletion of resources or degradation of the environment” (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 2002, n.p). The most common understanding of sustainability is that of environmental sustainability, however a lot of people mean a combination of social, economic and environmental sustainability (Sutton, 2000). It is therefore important to split each principle and describe and define each as its own.
Daly (cited in Goodland, 2002) defines environmental sustainability as when “waste emissions…. should be kept within the assimilative capacity of the local environment” (p.1). It is also the protection of life systems and the prevention of extinction (Sutton, 2000). Environmental sustainability needs to be managed by a stable and knowledgeable population (Goodland, 2002) to avoid the destruction of the environment.
Environmental sustainability relates to massage practice in numerous ways. How the clinic space is heated and lit is important. Is solar energy a viable option? Can natural light be utilised as much as possible? Is the use of energy saving light bulbs an option? These are all questions a massage therapist should ask themselves if they are concerned about environmental sustainability. It is also important to heat the clinic space effectively and efficiently to reduce unnecessary heat consumption. A massage practice must carefully consider the laundering of draping materials and must use these materials wisely. A practice may consider using environmentally friendly washing powder and may find it useful to discuss environmentally friendly practices with colleagues. It is worthwhile engaging in conversations to discuss new ideas and perspectives which leads into social sustainability.
Social sustainability refers to the maintenance of social quality and social capital (Sutton, 2000; Goodland, 2002), where “social capital is investments and services that create the basic framework for society” (Goodland, 2002, p2). Social sustainability is encouraged by a sense of community that has shared laws, values and knowledge. A massage therapist should engage in and build meaningful relationships within their social and professional communities. It is important to network within the local community so that you can begin to be seen as providing a worthwhile service. A massage therapist should also become part of their professional community by becoming a member of their professional association, ie. Massage New Zealand.
The last principle of sustainability I will be looking at is economic sustainability. Goodland (2002) describes the widely accepted notion of economic sustainability as the “maintenance of capital, or keeping capital intact” (p.2). So to become economically sustainable – money or capital goods should be maintained and be seen as important. A massage practice must be profitable to illustrate economic sustainability. There are a number of different ways for a practice to become profitable and the possibilities are almost endless. A therapist should adhere to professional principles and work in a professional environment and also build and maintain good client therapist relationships. The massage practice should convey professionalism at all times so that clients want to come back and also recommend the practice to others, ensuring profitability and economic sustainability. A therapist must also pay special attention to self-care and professional development. You must be physically able and mentally knowledgeable to sustain a practice and become economically sustainable.
As illustrated above there are many different ways that the principles of sustainability relate to massage practice and there are many more ways not mentioned. In order for my massage practice to become more sustainable I need to join Massage New Zealand so that I can communicate with the massage community around New Zealand. I also need to continue to learn and develop my skills and knowledge base so that I can pass those skills onto my clients. I also need to look closely at the draping materials I use and in turn examine the way I wash those materials. I would like to start using eco-friendly washing powder and utilise the sun wherever possible to dry my washing. It may take, time, money and effort in order to create a sustainable massage practice but the rewards far out way the costs.
References
Goodland, R. (2002). Sustainability: human, social, economic, and environmental. Retrieved 13 August, 2009 from http://www.wiley.co.uk/egec/pdf/GA811-W.PDF
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (5th ed). (2002). New York: Oxford Press
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