Simple-Yet Effective Ways To Make Any Massage Therapy Practice Eco-Friendly

Massage therapists pride themselves on being able to make people feel better, and it’s not a surprise to know that being environmentally friendly is important. Whether it’s remodeling with more eco-friendly material to using environmentally sound brands, making sure to be considerate to the world around them is important to massage therapists and their work. There are many ways of making eco-friendliness a reasonable goal.

Ambience

The first thing a massage therapist can do to make their practice more environmentally friendly is by increasing the ambiance at the practice itself. Installing fluorescent bulbs will cut down on energy than standard light bulbs. Even a simple move like wearing soothing colors can help. If the shirt works, then painting the walls with more eco-friendly paint may be the second step. After all, most major projects start small and then snowball into something very special.

Natural Fibers

If you’re going to go the eco-friendly route when it comes to clothes, natural fibers are the way to go. There are a few different companies that specialize in making spa uniforms out of fibers like hemp and tencel. Cotton is made with plenty of insecticides, so a fiber like tencel, which is made out of leftover wood pulp, fits the needs of a eco-friendly business like a massage therapist’s office.

Go Natural: Reduce and Reuse

Now that you’ve done the work in turning the practice into a soothing place to visit, there are plenty of things you can do once you get people through the doors. There are quite a few different lines of eco-friendly lotions and natural oils. While there are plenty of lotions that advertise chemicals that are eco-friendly, you’re better off sticking with products made of natural oils. If you’re going to have your practice be known as somewhere that’s eco-friendly, you’re better off letting the customers know you’ll be treating them with natural oils. After all, who wants chemicals rubbed into their body?

Another way to take care of customers is to use a lot of recycled and reused products. While there are some lotions and oils that aren’t recycled, those wastebaskets don’t need to be filled with paper cups. A drinking fountain can go further than bottles of water. Plus, the water will more than likely be cleaner than those plastic bottles. A little bit of care can go a long way when it comes to customers.

Make sure you invest in quality sheets and linens to keep the area clean and fresh. After the customers get done, it’s best to wash the linens and sheets in Energy Star-rated washers and dryers. The Energy Star rating tracks how much energy is saved with each appliance. Not to mention the added bonus of unplugging after you’re done washing and drying. This way every step of the massage therapy process is eco-friendly.

Green ‘n Easy

With all of these tips and tricks, it’s not too hard to make your massage therapy practice a “green” business. After all, what makes a good business is a combination of many things. With the right clothes, appliances, lotions and oils, being eco-friendly is not only smart but very possible.

Caitlin Thompson freelance writes about health, the environment and college life issues. Most recently, Caitlin has written about the health benefits from massage as well as massage therapy schools and programs.