Donna C. Agrinsonis, LMT's Page

PLEASE SEE MY POSTING UNDER "JOBS" FOR CLEVELAND, OHIO.

I am very glad to become a part of this wonderful forum of my peers. I am relatively new to massage and became licensed this year here in Ohio. I am a mother of 4 older children and I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia. I have been doing relaxation massage for over two years now and just started this year offering deep tissue and therapeutic massage services. Massage is a new career for me as I originally worked in the legal field as a paralegal and legal secretary. I did that for over 15 years and the stress involved in working in litigation departments took a real toll on my personal life and my health eventually so I decided to return to school to pursue a secret passion of mine. I have a passion when it comes to anything relating to health. I started as a teenager being fascinated with exercise and vitamins. I have spent my whole life bugging everyone I know about their health and asking them do you take vitamins and do you exercise. I am often caught giving people sound advice about health related topics because I am constantly reading and learning. But it was over 15 years ago when I got my first massage with a male massage therapist that the idea that I could be a massage therapist was planted in my heart. That particular therapist went above and beyond the call of duty and not only gave me an awesome massage at Spa Sydell in Atlanta, Georgia, but he ministered to me about my life at the time. I was going through some very serious things and he really talked to me about making some changes and I appreciated him and I never, to this day, have forgotten him. He made a mark on my life and when I considered changing careers I knew what I wanted to do. And when my clients come in I am always open to realizing what it is they need from me (eventhough I make a point not to talk to much when a client is trying to relax) because sometimes clients need something a little more than a great massage…

In the last two years I have begun to meet some very fascinating people in the massage industry. I truly believe people in this field simply possess some very special gifts and I love being around you all. I would like to get to know more of you and by the way Happy Holidays!

Want to Exchange Massage?

I am looking for good massage therapists in the Cleveland, Ohio or surrounding areas who are interested in doing some massage exchanges. My forte’ is relaxation but I am also good at therapeutic/deep tissue and sports massage. I am in the process of losing weight and so I am working out quite a bit and need to get worked on as regularly as possible. I would rather do an exchange because not only will we both get worked on but I believe it is important that massage therapists learn from one another. I also regularly send business to my MT friends if they are available for chair massage, hotel massage, couples massage, etc. so it is a good way to network with others.

How’s Your Ambience?

Whether you work in a spa setting or you have your own massage practice, it is important, I think, to see things from the viewpoint of your clients. I currently have a home studio, I will be doing massage for members of a prominent country club, and I work for a high-end spa part-time so I am constantly trying to cater to all the senses of my clients. I have the most control over my home studio so I started with the color of the room. There are certain colors that are more tranquil than others so I chose a beautiful ocean blue for my walls and I have colorful curtains, sheets, towels, etc. My room is always neat and clean and I now use an essential oil spray that I make myself using water, lemon oil, eucalyptus, peppermint oil, and lavender oil. I have this in a nice spray bottle and before my client comes in I shake it up and spray the room. The lemon oil alone has anti-fungal, disinfectant, antiseptic, anti-infection properties so that is a plus in addition to the wonderful scent for the client. I have also included a little waterfall which is quite soothing not only to the ear but just looking at it is calming. My massage table has high thread count linens (and no I do not spend a lot – I find them at thrift stores and I make sure they are in good condition and not stained) and it is super heated with a high-quality table pad. I have used other heating pads but they did not get very warm so I actually had to call Massage Warehouse and ask them which warmer in their product line produced the highest temperature. The clients absolutely love it and often comment about it because it is super soothing even during summer months. I also search high and low for the best massage music that is soothing and conducive to a spa-like environment. I find the music that I like then order used CD’s from www.amazon.com. In the summer months I use a little fan to make the curtains move a bit and to circulate air and for many of my clients it is quite soothing. Many of my clients fall asleep as I am working on them. By far though, one of the most important things I have done is to make sure I have soft lighting to create a rich ambience. I use candles throughout (both LED and real candles) to give my room that spa feeling. I often ask myself, gee, if I took away the music and waterfall would my room still have that ambience and calming affect and the answer is yes. What if I only had white walls or did not have a heated table and pretty linens? I don’t think it would mess with the ambience of the room. But those candles make a serious statement and they add a beauty and peacefulness like nothing else. If I were to take away my candles my room would become somewhat boring.

I am a now a representative for PartyLite because when I entered massage school I knew that I wanted to do something in addition to massage since I only allow myself to do so many massages per day to keep the quality of my massages high and to prevent injuries. I like variety but I wanted a business that I would truly enjoy and whose products were in keeping with my massage profession. If you will, go to my website and look around and if you see something you like, please place an order. You will not regret the decision as they have some of the most beautiful, quality candles, home décor items, home spa essentials of any company I have seen. Use the candles to create a wonderful memorable space for you and your clients – one that your clients will want to return to again and again. www.partylite.biz/ambiancedonna