Notes 8/10/13
I don't really know if this will be "notes" per se, as I kind of only have one note, and it's all about my new job.
New Job, Day 3.
So, I am liking the new job. It is a definite improvement over the old job. I am not sure why, but this job seems a lot less stressful. It's probably because they have better scheduling policies. At the old job, the maximum for massage hours you could work in a row was 4. And then you got a half-hour break. At the new job, they let me choose, and I chose 2.5 hours in a row before a break. So at the old job, when I got there at 9am, I would often be booked solid until 1pm, have a half-hour off, and then do another hour and a half. It was pretty brutal. But so far at the new job, I get there at 9am, have 2 or 2.5 hours of massage, then an hour break, then another 2 or 2.5 hours. The most I have done in a day so far is 4.5 hours, which is about ideal. That also means that I only have two back-to-back clients at a time, so there are only two fast change-over transitions I need to do in a day, and if I get a little behind schedule, I can just run over into my break or whatever, instead of it throwing off everyone's appointments for the rest of the day. When you are doing four 1-hour massages in a row, if someone is a slow dresser and it takes them forever to come out of their room, it can cut into the next person's appointment time and so forth. It's so nice to have that hour break, which gives me enough time to go out to lunch and read a little bit of a book or magazine on my nook.
Some of the facilities and equipment are not as nice at the new place. Yesterday the prong on the plug for the heating pad was so bent that I couldn't plug it in. Today there was a piece of the baseboard missing in the room I was in, and the light kind of flickered. Also, they only have one pillow case. I had a prenatal massage, and I am used to using three pillows for that. I asked a front desk girl where the pillowcases were, and she handed me one. I said I needed two more, and she said to use one of the long body pillows and wrap it in a sheet. So I did that, and made do, but it was kind of awkward, and the client kind of got tangled up in the extra sheet when rolling from one side to the other. So, not crazy about the lack of pillowcases, but maybe there is some secret sheet/pillow technique that I can get someone to show me. There must be some way they do it that makes sense.
It's kind of funny; at the old job, everyone complained about the polyester "dry-fit" uniform shirts, and wished we could get cotton polos or t-shirts. And at the new job, everyone complains about their cotton polos and wishes they could get the polyester shirts that I have from El Cerrito. I guess the uniform grass is always greener.
So far the people have been nice, both the clients and the co-workers. As for the clients, they seem to be a bit more... informed consumers. At the old job, I would get a lot of people who, when I tried to consultate them, would just say "my back hurts" or something to that effect. Not really detailed or specific, and didn't seem that interested in talking to me. But at the new job, more of the people I've seen (which, admittedly, isn't that many at this point) have been more descriptive about their issues with their bodies and what they want and don't want during the session. This makes it a little more challenging, because I can't just zone out and go into massage robot mode and give everyone the same massage, but I like it because it makes it a little more interesting for me and keeps me more engaged.
The main thing with the co-workers at the new job is that there are just so many of them. Walnut Creek is a bigger, busier spa, and they have way more therapists on duty at one time. So at the old job, typically I would be at work with maybe 3-5 other people, more on weekends. But at the new place, there are like... I dunno, 8 or more people there at any given time. So there are a ton of new people to meet, whose names I can't remember. And that's not even counting the front desk staff. I think it's harder because I kind of see everyone in passing, but don't really interact with them that much, as we are all going to and from our massage sessions. Most people have been friendly, although I kind of feel like I have had to initiate introductions, as opposed to people introducing themselves to me. There are a LOT more male therapists at the new place. For quite a while, in El Cerrito, we only had one male therapist. They hired a second one shortly before I left. But Walnut Creek is 40% male therapists. They even have a front desk boy. One of my co-workers there has dreadlocks and facial tattoos and piercings, and many of them have visible tattoos on their forearms and such. I had thought Walnut Creek would be more conservative, being an affluent suburb, but apparently not, and I think that's cool.
And the tips are in fact better, so far. Not like, amazingly better, but like, so far it seems like what would have been a good tip day at the old job is an average tip day at the new job. In other words, everyday is a good tip day based on an El Cerrito scale. I have been keeping a little cash in my wallet and setting the rest aside to deposit at the bank, to prevent it all from just disappearing.
So, overall, working for Massage Envy is still not my dream job. But working for this one seems significantly better than the old one.
New Job, Day 3.
So, I am liking the new job. It is a definite improvement over the old job. I am not sure why, but this job seems a lot less stressful. It's probably because they have better scheduling policies. At the old job, the maximum for massage hours you could work in a row was 4. And then you got a half-hour break. At the new job, they let me choose, and I chose 2.5 hours in a row before a break. So at the old job, when I got there at 9am, I would often be booked solid until 1pm, have a half-hour off, and then do another hour and a half. It was pretty brutal. But so far at the new job, I get there at 9am, have 2 or 2.5 hours of massage, then an hour break, then another 2 or 2.5 hours. The most I have done in a day so far is 4.5 hours, which is about ideal. That also means that I only have two back-to-back clients at a time, so there are only two fast change-over transitions I need to do in a day, and if I get a little behind schedule, I can just run over into my break or whatever, instead of it throwing off everyone's appointments for the rest of the day. When you are doing four 1-hour massages in a row, if someone is a slow dresser and it takes them forever to come out of their room, it can cut into the next person's appointment time and so forth. It's so nice to have that hour break, which gives me enough time to go out to lunch and read a little bit of a book or magazine on my nook.
Some of the facilities and equipment are not as nice at the new place. Yesterday the prong on the plug for the heating pad was so bent that I couldn't plug it in. Today there was a piece of the baseboard missing in the room I was in, and the light kind of flickered. Also, they only have one pillow case. I had a prenatal massage, and I am used to using three pillows for that. I asked a front desk girl where the pillowcases were, and she handed me one. I said I needed two more, and she said to use one of the long body pillows and wrap it in a sheet. So I did that, and made do, but it was kind of awkward, and the client kind of got tangled up in the extra sheet when rolling from one side to the other. So, not crazy about the lack of pillowcases, but maybe there is some secret sheet/pillow technique that I can get someone to show me. There must be some way they do it that makes sense.
It's kind of funny; at the old job, everyone complained about the polyester "dry-fit" uniform shirts, and wished we could get cotton polos or t-shirts. And at the new job, everyone complains about their cotton polos and wishes they could get the polyester shirts that I have from El Cerrito. I guess the uniform grass is always greener.
So far the people have been nice, both the clients and the co-workers. As for the clients, they seem to be a bit more... informed consumers. At the old job, I would get a lot of people who, when I tried to consultate them, would just say "my back hurts" or something to that effect. Not really detailed or specific, and didn't seem that interested in talking to me. But at the new job, more of the people I've seen (which, admittedly, isn't that many at this point) have been more descriptive about their issues with their bodies and what they want and don't want during the session. This makes it a little more challenging, because I can't just zone out and go into massage robot mode and give everyone the same massage, but I like it because it makes it a little more interesting for me and keeps me more engaged.
The main thing with the co-workers at the new job is that there are just so many of them. Walnut Creek is a bigger, busier spa, and they have way more therapists on duty at one time. So at the old job, typically I would be at work with maybe 3-5 other people, more on weekends. But at the new place, there are like... I dunno, 8 or more people there at any given time. So there are a ton of new people to meet, whose names I can't remember. And that's not even counting the front desk staff. I think it's harder because I kind of see everyone in passing, but don't really interact with them that much, as we are all going to and from our massage sessions. Most people have been friendly, although I kind of feel like I have had to initiate introductions, as opposed to people introducing themselves to me. There are a LOT more male therapists at the new place. For quite a while, in El Cerrito, we only had one male therapist. They hired a second one shortly before I left. But Walnut Creek is 40% male therapists. They even have a front desk boy. One of my co-workers there has dreadlocks and facial tattoos and piercings, and many of them have visible tattoos on their forearms and such. I had thought Walnut Creek would be more conservative, being an affluent suburb, but apparently not, and I think that's cool.
And the tips are in fact better, so far. Not like, amazingly better, but like, so far it seems like what would have been a good tip day at the old job is an average tip day at the new job. In other words, everyday is a good tip day based on an El Cerrito scale. I have been keeping a little cash in my wallet and setting the rest aside to deposit at the bank, to prevent it all from just disappearing.
So, overall, working for Massage Envy is still not my dream job. But working for this one seems significantly better than the old one.