Having a client who is showing signs of distress on the treatment table can be a challenge. We talk to Debbie Dickson, head of education research and development at DMK Australia, about how to diffuse the situation.
If a nervous or flustered client enters your salon for a treatment, what are some ways you help get them settled and into the right frame of mind for a treatment?
“Clients are usually nervous because they are unsure about the treatment and don’t know what to expect,” says Debbie Dickson. “Therefore, I always find that a comprehensive consultation, which explains the entire process and outcomes, is the absolute best approach for nervous clients. With our range, the DMK Enzyme Therapy masque dries very tight, and clients feel pulsing, which can feel similar to a heart beating through their skin – I always pre-empt this and explain the process thoroughly. That way the client is prepared for the experience. Always ensure that you do not leave the client alone in the room (especially when it’s their first treatment), we do a pressure point scalp massage and a nice foot massage with hot towels and a heat pack under their shoulders.”
Have you ever had a client “freak out” during a treatment? And if so, how do you recommend handling the situation?
“I have had anxious and nervous clients, but never had anyone ‘freak out’,” says Dickson. “To avoid a client doing this, explain how the treatment will feel and ask them if they will be ok with what they are about to experience. Reassure them you will be in the room and that you won’t leave them.”
Any other tips?
“For clients who are a bit nervous, don’t lie them to flat,” says Dickson. “Simply elevate their head slightly and distract them with the foot massage, arm or head massage, relax them with the heat pack. I find most clients really like something that they can feel and see, so after their first enzyme treatment the get addicted and love it.”
Sometimes some clients are just hard to deal with (they’re in a bad mood, they’re stressed-out, they’re nervous…), how do you get them happy and feeling comfortable?
“To be honest some people are just hard to deal with,” says Dickson. “Try to deflect any negative energy and don’t let it affect you – at the end of the day it isn’t really about you. Just listen to them and then align (or realign) their expectations. If they are being unreasonable, just be firm in a reassuring way. If they have had a bad day or are really stressed, let them talk about it, then during the foot massage use a relaxation blend of essential oils straight onto the feet.”
For a newer therapist, difficult clients can be a challenge. How do you train your therapists to deal with tricky clients?
“DMK skin revision training is very intensive and every therapist that works with DMK is taught to consult and educate their clients from a very professional and paramedical viewpoint,” says Dickson. “I think when you are confident and excited about what you do – the client picks up energy and they immediately feel the same way.”
Claustrophobia can sometimes be an issue for clients when they have masks on etc, how do you keep them feeling calm?
“Yes it really can be an issue sometimes,” says Dickson. “Always ensure that all clients are asked if they suffer from this – so you know how to look after them. At DMK, we thoroughly explain what the DMK Enzyme Therapy masque will feel like and ask them if we were to elevate their head would they be ok with the masque, as it gets really tight. Another way that we accommodate claustrophobic clients is to leave the middle part of the throat out when we apply the Enzyme masque, as this makes it manageable for them. At the end of the day, I think that you just need to put yourself in the client’s shoes and think about how you can try to make the treatment process as easy for them as possible.”
Is there anything a therapist can say pre-treatment to prevent a nervous client feeling anxious during the treatment?
“At the end of the day, it is really ALL about good communication, a great consultation process, and then supporting and reassuring the client the whole way through,” says Dickson.
Is there ever a moment when a therapist should stop a treatment?
“Yes,” says Dickson. “If after everything has been communicated to the client, and they get into the treatment and they are not coping with the process, the therapist should stop – this just will not be a treatment for them. I personally have never had this happen, but that has not to say it could not, not everything is for everyone.”