The 5-Minute Pre-Client Ritual That Saves Your Hands
The 5-Minute Pre-Client Ritual That Saves Your Hands
Do you warm up before your first client? What about between clients?
I didn't for years. I'd finish a session, and jump straight into the next one. By the end of the day, my hands and body were screaming and I felt completely drained.
After 24+ years, I've learned to leave way ahead of time to prepare for my first appointment and schedule ample time between clients to keep me stress free.
What Five Minutes Does
Warming up your hands and wrists prevents strain. Grounding yourself connects you to Mother Earth. Taking three slow deep breaths lets you pause and reset.
Here's what works for me.
The Physical Warm-Up (2 Minutes)
Wrist Circles
Make slow, controlled circles with your wrists in both directions.
Hand and Finger Stretches
Flex and extend your fingers several times. Spread them wide, then make a fist. Gently pull each finger back to stretch the flexors.
The Mental and Energetic Reset (3 Minutes)
This is where you transition from one client's needs to the next. You need to clear what you may have absorbed and ground yourself before you begin again.
Breathing and Grounding
Take three slow, deep breaths.
Here's what I personally do for grounding, and you can adapt this to whatever resonates with you:
I imagine a bright white light at my heart center. I send that light down through my lower chakras, through my hips, legs, and feet, and imagine the light becoming roots that ground me to Mother Earth. Those light roots descend to her core and wrap around her center, connecting to her heart. Then Mother Earth sends the white light of unconditional love back up through my roots, through my feet, legs, hips, lower chakras, and into my heart. I am grounded and ready to work.
If the chakra language doesn't resonate with you, simplify it: imagine roots growing from your feet into the earth, anchoring you. Visualize drawing stable, grounding energy up through those roots. The specifics matter less than the intention—you're connecting to something solid and letting go of what isn't yours.
Energy Clearing (Optional but Powerful)
If you work with energy tools, this is when I use my pendulum. I cleanse myself and any crystals I used during the previous session. I spin the pendulum with these commands: "I cleanse, clear, and release across all time, space, dimensions, parallel lives, and multiverses."
If you don't work with pendulums, you can simply set the intention: "I release anything that isn't mine." Shake out your hands and visualize letting it all go.
This might sound too "woo-woo" for some of you, but here's the thing: if you're an empath or highly sensitive, you KNOW you absorb client energy. Ignoring it doesn't make it go away—it just means you carry it home with you.
When You Have More Time: The Morning Ritual
The five-minute routine is for in between clients. But if you really want to prevent injury, add this practice in the morning before you even get out of bed or first thing when you wake up:
Myofascial Unwinding
Lie in bed and tune into where your body feels restricted or tight. Apply gentle, sustained pressure to that area (using your hands, a therapy ball, or just the weight of your body). Hold the restriction until it releases and your body naturally moves into another position. Could be several minutes, breathe and tune into to your body. Follow that movement and hold the next restriction. Let your body unwind itself.
This practice addresses fascial restrictions before they become painful. It's also incredibly grounding—you’re listening to your body and following its wisdom.
You can also do this between sessions if you're feeling "galiwacky" (that's my technical term for when your body feels off but you can't quite name it).
Make It Yours
You don't have to do exactly what I do. The goal is to create a ritual that:
Warms up your hands and wrists
Grounds and centers you
Clears what you absorbed from the last client
If you're not doing this yet, start with just the wrist circles and three deep breaths. That's it. Build from there.
We'll dive deeper into energy management and self-myofascial release techniques at Preventing Burnout: Self-Care & Body Mechanics for Massage Therapists on November 22nd. You'll leave with practices you can use immediately to protect your body and your energy.
Early Registration (ends Oct 31): $75 for 4 NCBTMB-approved CE credits - Text Goddess Wendy 616-566-1437 to register today.
What does your pre-client ritual look like? Or if you don't have one yet, which part of this are you going to try first? Share in the comments.
Tomorrow we're talking about what you do AFTER your last client—the post-shift recovery routine.
Feeling depleted and don't know how to clear it? Text Goddess Wendy 616-566-1437 to book a Goddess Healing Experience. My work with Myofascial Release and Pendulum Alchemy is designed to restore bodyworkers who give so much to others.
Wendy | LMT 24+ years | Co-Author of Bod-E-Nomics: Your Body is Your Business
