Every now and then I meet a massage therapist who has organized their practice in a unique way. I recently met Charles Randall Monk in Woodworth LA and got a wonderful massage from him. He's doing things a little differently.
To cut to the chase, in each session he works as long as it takes to reach the client's goals, usually at least 90 minutes and it can be more than two hours. He charges a flat fee per session.
Why does he do that and how in the world does he make that work?
Charles was a nurse for more than 27 years, including 7 years as a flight nurse for the military, before he felt strongly called to become a massage therapist. Charles is a deeply spiritual man and most of his business and practice decisions are governed by what he believes serves God most.
"I could lock the doors tomorrow and the Spirit would lead me somewhere else. It's about being obedient to your soul." His prayer, he says, is "God give the discipline to meet my soul's desire."
While he was in school he was attracted to doing longer bodywork sessions. "You just knew that not every client had the same needs. The regular timeframe just didn't seem to work." Still, when he opened his practice he started with 60-minute sessions and 90-minute sessions. In his experience, a good session takes anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours.
He asks clients to clear a 3-hour window of time when they book an appointment to create a more relaxed, non-rushed atmosphere. My session was 2 hours and would have gone longer if I hadn't had to catch a plane. He stops at three hours; he finds that going more than three hours overloads the body.
Based on my session, the chief advantage of this approach (at least to the client) is that Charles can work as slowly and creatively as he wants. He is passionate about studying new modalities to incorporate into what he calls Integrative Body Therapy. My hip flexors are chronically shortened. He spent, I suspect, 30 minutes or more working just on my psoas, moving gently and slowly to ensure I wasn't in pain.
According to his website, "Tabula Rasa was born of a possibility to deliver a unique act of love to the Universe in an unconditional way." Tabula Rasa is Latin for "clean slate".
"I want to create a safe space for people to be themselves, to rest and be empowered to be present 'in the now' It is so powerful to sift out the things of this world that just aren't working for you."
Tabula Rasa is open from 10 am to 10 pm 5 days a week. Charles sees no more than 3 clients a day and gives himself 1-2 hours between them. This schedule gives him flexibility that he appreciates. "It allows me time to structure my day. It's about creating your own world, creating what you want, not what society tells you. There's something out there for everybody."
With a maximum of 15 clients he says "My schedule is as full as I need it to be."
He advertises primarily by word of mouth.
He charges $100 for every session. "I'm blessed financially already" he says so he is not financially dependent on massage for his sole support.
"You do the right thing for the right reason. My attitude is 'it is enough'. That space allows an opening. I chose not to focus on 'what if's' because if you focus on those, that's what you get. I focus on the power of 'enough', not on fear and anxiety."
"I didn't have a business background so I had to feel around for what I was comfortable with charging. Because it is a gift of the hands it was hard at first for me to accept money."
He says he can't imagine any reason he would change this way of working. "I know what I wanted for my life. I never had a doubt it would work. I chose to live in a space of balance for myself and for my clients."
I can tell you I will be booking another session with him when I return to Louisiana and I will leave a 3-hour block of time open for it.
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