National Self-Care Day is April 5. According to Shana Boston, self-care is an important ritual that should be implemented in everyone’s daily routine. In the US, over $2,000 is spent annually on selfcare, including massages, facial treatments, and pedicures.
Shana Boston has been working in the self-care industry for 28 years. Currently, she is a massage therapist at Serenity and Wellness Spa in Milledgeville. Recently, Boston discussed the importance of self-care and its benefits to mental health.
Q: What does National Self-Care Day mean to you?
A: National Self-Care Day reminds me of the ultimate importance of doing daily wellness checks for myself. The Seven Pillars of Wellness are spiritual, physical, emotional, occupational, social, environmental and intellectual. So, all of those categories need to be attended to regularly for everyone on our planet.
Q: What is the importance of self-care?
A: Self-care is important because we are only able to move forward through our life journey when we are attending to our well-being first. That is especially true when we are serving and attending to the needs of others daily for a living.
Q: What made you want to work in a spa?
A: I chose to work in the spa environment because I truly love the relaxing, stress-relieving ambiance that the spa environment offers. It assists us and our clients in focusing on managing life’s stressors. Also worth noting is that it is a much slower pace than, say, a chiropractic clinic, and also generally more lucrative, especially in the way of tips.
Q: How long have you been working in this industry?
A: I have been working in the massage therapy, spa and wellness industry for 28 years. I graduated from Kennesaw State University in 1996 with a bachelor of science in health promotion and wellness and an associate in education. Then, I went on to the University of Alaska in Anchorage for the massage therapy program in 1998, where I became a certified massage therapist. That was a year-long program, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was in Alaska for three years, but I’m a Georgia native, so that was fun. Found myself and all the beautiful, majestic nature around me.
Q: What are some misconceptions about working in a spa?
A: Common misconceptions about working in the spa industry include thinking you’re only responsible for doing your job; it is a teamwork environment. Another misconception is possibly the compensation structure. I am only earning 50% of services performed during the week and 55% on Saturdays. I do not receive any bonus for selling products to clients either, whereas I used to get 10%. On services I perform, I used to earn 60% in the spa environment 15 to 20 years ago. I believe this is because there are many more spas available for people to go to than there used to be.
Q: What is your favorite type of treatment to give?
A: My favorite type of spa treatment to give is still just a Swedish massage with aromatherapy. I also enjoy giving sports massages and stretching sessions.
Q: Have you noticed any trends or changes in the spa industry?
A: I have noticed some trends in the spa industry, like moving toward more medical and cosmetic treatments across the board. There are more opportunities for us to learn advanced techniques and treatments, which ultimately equals to more earning possibilities. I would say we are in much higher demand these days.
Q: What are some challenges you face in the profession?
A: Some challenges that I am finding in my profession are physical stressors, overuse injuries and looking and feeling the part as I am aging at 54 years old.
Some challenges that I have faced through the years are serving people who try to tell you how to do your job or who aren’t very clean. Also, time management and adhering to a specific schedule can be challenging sometimes as people sometimes want to talk before and after a session, when we usually only have 15 minutes between people. Then there is also a very small percentage of the male population that will try to take advantage of women in the spa environment, if you know what I mean.
Q: What do you enjoy most about the job?
A: What I enjoy most about my profession is the rewarding results my clients experience and knowing I played a part in helping them achieve their wellness goals. Of course, it is fulfilling to see them return to see me again; repeat business is everything.
Q: What do you enjoy most about self-care in general?
A: I enjoy self-care mostly because it keeps me accountable to practice what I preach by embracing my wellness journey.