Interview #1 with Allissa Haines of ABMP Podcast

We are delighted to chat with Allissa Haines, owner of Haines Massage and cofounder of the Massage Business Blueprint and now on the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) podcast. Allissa has been a massage therapist since 2005 and specializes in treating people with anxiety and people with cancer or a history of cancer. HobaCare has been a proud sponsor of Massage Business Blueprint & the ABMP podcast for many years.

How long have you been a massage therapist and what was the path that let you into that career?

I graduated from massage school in March 2005, so it’s been 17 years. I worked in retail pharmacy before this, so I knew I wanted to be in a profession related to healthcare, but not constrained by insurance companies.

What do you find most rewarding about being a Massage Therapist?

Clients are usually happy to see me, feel good in my care, and happy to give me their money. It’s an exchange that we both feel good about.

What do you find to be the most difficult part about being a Massage Therapist?

I do not have a hard time saying ‘No’ to clients. But I do tend to get a little stressed out when my schedule is so full that I don’t have an open appointment to fit in someone who is in pain. I acknowledge this is a pretty good problem to have.

How long have you been using HobaCare Jojoba as a massage medium?

I met Bob Butler (the founder of HobaCare) at a local conference in 2009 and started using Jojoba right away after that.

What would you say is the #1 reason you use HobaCare in your practice?

It’s simple and eliminates fear. Once you learn how much of the product to use (way, WAY less than you think) it’s all a no-brainer. Non-allergenic, nut-free, and great for sensitive skin means I don’t have worry about harming a client inadvertently. 

How does using a high quality product like HobaCare in your practice set you apart from other LMT’s using less quality products? Do you specifically communicate to clients the products you use and that they are of top quality? How do you do that effectively?

Over the years I’ve had so many clients comment that they don’t feel greasy and slimy when they leave my office, It’s easy for them to get back into work clothes and head to the office. I talk about the products I use in a blog post on my website and occasionally in social media posts. And when a client comments on how great their skin feels, I encourage them to include that in google reviews of my business.

Upgrade your practice, start using Premium HobaCare Jojoba as your massage medium. Shop our professional sizes

We sometimes hear from Massage Therapists who aren’t familiar with the “a little goes a LONG way” nature of jojoba that they fear it will be more expensive than other mediums and they are concerned it will increase their overhead costs. Can you explain why you have chosen to use HobaCare Jojoba in your massage practice for so many years and why it is a good value for you?

I am almost thankful that I was pretty cost-blind and not great at money management skills when met Bob at that conference and bought an 8 ounce bottle. I liked it right away and kept buying it. 

At some point I noticed that the price was higher than the gel I used previously, but I just loved it so much, I didn’t care. A few years ago a colleague mentioned that she used about 8 ounces every 30+ clients, so I tracked and came to about the same conclusion, I use about .25 ounces per massage. That’s more than 500 massages per gallon of Jojoba, about $.18 per massage. EIGHTEEN CENTS. That’s insanely low overhead for any product, never mind one that makes my clients rave. (A gallon of HobaCare Jojoba is $90 per gallon + shipping, sign up for our e-mails to get HobaCare cheaper during sales.)

Any tips for a Massage Therapist that wants to switch to HobaCare? Reasons why? How it is different from other mediums? Feel free to take this wherever you think might be relevant to a massage therapist.

Use half as much product as you typically would. Then after a few massages, cut that amount in half again. Keep doing that until you find your groove. If it’s too slippery, you’re using too much. If there’s not enough glide, sloooooow down. Let it warm on the skin for a few strokes and you’ll get the right texture. It takes practice and it’s worth the effort.

READ MORE POSTS IN OUR HOW DO YOU HOBACARE SERIES:

• INTERVIEW WITH LAURA MCCANN OF ADORATHERAPY
• HILLARY – HOW DO YOU HOBACARE?
• CARI, HOW DO YOU HOBACARE?
• AMY GALPER – USING JOJOBA OIL IN AROMATHERAPY
• INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE OF LUMINA MASSAGE- JOJOBA OIL AS A MASSAGE MEDIUM
• INTERVIEW WITH LORENNE MCCORMICK – USING JOJOBA OIL FOR SALT STONE MASSAGE
• INTERVIEW WITH JANICE TOME – USING JOJOBA OIL FOR GUA SHA MASSAGE
• INTERVIEW WITH JANICE TOME – USING JOJOBA OIL FOR ONCOLOGY ESTHETICS

Do you use HobaCare Jojoba oil in your business or personal life?

Let us know! Your interview could be the next to show up on our blog! We’d love our readers and our social media followers to know – How Do YOU HobaCare?

*Jojoba is actually a wax ester and not an oil, to learn more about that see our in depth page with information about Jojoba