A client’s first visit: the questions worth asking

The two or three minutes before a new client lies down decide how good the treatment feels and whether they come back. Those minutes should not be spent handing them a form.

The questions worth asking

• "What would you most like me to work on today?" — more focused than "where does it hurt", and people will point straight at it.
• "How long has it been like that?" — a few days and a few years call for completely different approaches.
• "Have you had massage before? Do you prefer firmer or lighter?" — pressure is the thing new clients are least likely to raise unprompted. Ask, and they will tell you.
• "Any injury under treatment, or anywhere a doctor has told you to avoid?" — always ask this one, and write the answer down.

During the treatment, check once

A minute or two in, ask whether the pressure is right. After that, leave it. Asking repeatedly stops people relaxing — but never asking means plenty of clients will hold on until the end and then say "actually that was a bit much".

Write the answers down

The value of these answers shows up on visit two. Being able to say "last time it was the right shoulder — still there?" tells the client this shop remembers them. That one sentence retains better than any discount. Keep it on the client record so whoever takes them next can see it.

One line about limits

Massage eases muscular tension and fatigue. It is not a diagnosis. If what a client describes sounds wrong — persistent pain, numbness, swelling, sharp pain with no clear cause — suggesting they see a doctor first is far more responsible than working through it. That is not turning business away; it is why people trust you.