A Holistic Perspective

I took part in my first Ladies Night of the season on Friday at Silverhill School in Winterbourne. They have run several of these events in the past and operate them slightly differently to others i've been to in that they compile a list of the therapists and distribute it prior to the event so customers can ring the therapists to pre-book an appointment beforehand. I thought that this was a good idea until the night when two of my clients who had pre-booked didn't show. Luckily, I was able to fill the slots. I only offered Hot Stone Massage at this event as there were quite a few therapists offering the other treatments I do. The Hot Stone Massage went down a treat! I think I will see an increase in people wanting Hot Stone Massage over the next few months especially now the winter weather is creeping back in. Hot Stone Massage is great for improving the circulation, easing muscle tension and induces a deep state of relaxation.

The Ladies Nights are quite a social event and usually have a similar format - free drink on arrival, an area with stalls selling gifts, make-up, bags, jewellery etc, an area for holistic and beauty therapy which offers a wide range of treatments, and a few psychic / taror card readers. From a customers perspective, these events are a great place to socialise, buy gifts for people, try therapies that they've never experienced before and pamper themselves. From a therapists perspective, these events are a great way to meet fellow therapists, publicise their business and gain new clients.

Well I've not been very good at keeping this blog up to date! I've been very busy with my business which is great. The launch events back in March proved very successful and I have gained some regular clients from them.

Over the past six months I have attended lots of School PTA Pamper parties and provided short taster treatments. These events seem to be popping up everywhere at the moment and are a great way for schools and other clubs and associations to raise some money. At each night, myself and the other therapists have been fully booked and everyone seems to enjoy themselves. My first one was held at Fry's Club, Keynsham in aid of St John's Primary School back in May. I provided Hot Stone Massage on the night and it just so happened to be one of the hottest days so far this year. I didn't think anyone would want to have a Hot Stone Massage but I was fully booked all night. Other pamper parties i've attended have been: Sydenham Rd Underfives Ladies Indulgence Evening, Birdwell School Ladies Pamper Evening, and Redmaids School Fair all of which were in June and Beyond Beads Craft Fair in July.

I rented a stall at an Holistic Fair but it was quite expensive and not many people came which meant many of the stall holders lost money from the event including myself. Although financially it was not rewarding, I did meet a lot of other therapists and like minded people and have formed friendships with some of them so it wasn't a total waste of time and money.

I also provided therapies at my first festival back in July at Ashton Court Festival, Bristol. The first day was a great success and met lots of interesting people. The therapies took place in the enchanted garden area of the festival which seemed to have a great vibe. I had a large tent and shared the space with another therapist who did Reflexology and Homeopathy. Unfortunately, due to bad weather, the second day was cancelled however I provided Indian Head Massage and Reiki to disheartened crew members in the Crew Tent which went down really well. I enjoyed the festival very much and would like to get involved with more of them next year.

I trained in Thermo-Auricular Therapy (the therapeutic use of Hopi Ear Candles) back in April and have already had several clients for this treatment. I thoroughly enjoyed this training course and was amazed at how beneficial it can be and the effect it can have on people. It's really helped me out with my Hayfever this year too which is a bonus.

Now that the schools have gone back I suspect that there will be a few more Pamper Parties for me to attend. When I have dates confirmed I will post them on here.

My website has been updated several times since its launch so please go on over to www.balanceholistics.co.uk to find out more about Balance Holistics.

Yesterday's Launch Event went really well and ran nice and smoothly. Two clients cancelled their appointments at the last minute which left me with 7 clients. The cancellations gave me a chance to give myself a couple Reiki treatments which helped me to be focused, relaxed and energised throughout the session. Everyone enjoyed their treatments, gave me some great feedback, and wished me luck with my therapies and business.

During a quite period, I took a couple pictures of my therapy room all set up:

I'm really pleased with my therapy room and find it really relaxing, welcoming and tranquil. At present, I only rent the room for one session a week (Tuesdays 2:15 - 7:15) but hope to extend this as I build my clientele. The Healing Rooms are situated above Bristol Buddhist Centre.

Several of the people booked further appointments benefiting from a 10% discount as they booked there and then at the Launch Event.

Because of the success of this week's taster sessions and the amount of interest and calls I have received, I decided to put on another day next week which I have only one appointment remaining already! Let's hope it goes as well as this one has.

Bright Blessings

SM

Greetings...

I have decided to create this blog to document my journey as a holistic therapist and setting up my own business, listen to and answer peoples questions about holistic therapies, and to share my experiences.

Balance Holistics was established in the Autumn of 2006. For the past six months I have been providing holistic therapies to clients all over Bristol in their homes and as of this week, Balance Holistics will be operating a weekly clinic session at The Healing Rooms on Gloucester Road, Bristol. The treatments I offer at present are: Aromatherapy Massage, Swedish Massage, Reflexology, Indian Head Massage and Hot Stone Massage.

To mark the occasion, I have arranged a launch event offering free 15-minute holistic therapy taster sessions to clients. A friend of mine designed some posters and leaflets for me and I set about distributing them last week. The phone hasn't stopped ringing since! The launch event is tomorrow, Tuesday 6th March 2007 and it is fully booked now. I'm really looking forward to it and hope it all goes smoothly. It's so exciting the amount of people who are interested in trying out holistic therapies and I was very suprised to find that the most popular treatments were Reflexology, Indian Head Massage and Swedish Massage. Not one person has booked an Aromatherapy Massage or a Hot Stone Massage!

Well, I'm off to make my final preparations for the event tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Balance Holistics Launch Event Leaflet in pdf format:

Bright Blessings

SM