Healing the healers: New training champions importance of therapist self-care, health and wellbeing

Spa therapist wellbeing is the focus of an upcoming training course launching in Newquay, UK, in September 2021.

The two-day in-person event will be hosted by The Massage Hub Training Academy and has been designed to help therapists foster a new awareness of how to physically, mentally and emotionally support and sustain themselves during their spa career.

“Massage therapists are faced not only with the mental and emotional stress of working in a demanding environment or managing a career, but also have the added stress of constant strenuous physical effort,” said Martina Crkonova, academy founder and course director.

“Self-care is hugely important for preventing injuries and fostering career longevity in the massage therapy profession but in my opinion there isn’t adequate support for therapists."

To Crkonova, practising self-care is as important to the success of a massage therapy business or spa operation as the clients and business skills are.

“Ultimately, if practitioners start to feel isolated, bored or emotionally spent in their work, this could end with burnout and either the loss of clients or a spa’s reputation."

This inspired her to tap her 20 years’ global experience in the sector as a multi-disciplined therapist, spa manager and consultant to create the workshop, alongside Charmaine Beal, a yoga and mindfulness teacher and Ayurveda practitioner.

“I truly believe by empowering practitioners and improving self-care with these workshops, we can create positive and lasting change in the industry,” she concluded.

The course will include vibrant discussions and activities focused on:

• Body mechanics and awareness: with explanations about what happens physiologically to therapists’ body while providing massages and how to reduce impact on their bodies
• Therapist injury prevention: an overview of self-care best practices and how therapists can incorporate them into massages to help keep them healthy now, and in future
• Avoiding burnout: therapists will learn how to identify signs of burnout and ultimately how to avoid it
• How to properly take care of hands, wrists and forearms: massage therapy techniques will be taught to help address pain in these areas, alongside sessions explaining how to stay healthy and strong as a massage therapist
• Steps to integrate body, mind and spirit: a simple programme designed to balance an integral part of the therapist’s daily life and benefit therapists both personally and professionally.

After the workshop, there will be opportunities for follow-up virtual sessions and webinars to remind participants of the techniques learnt.

Crkonova wants the programme to be accessible to therapists of all levels and is charging £190 (€220, US$264) per person.

Spas are also being offered a special group rate for five therapists or more, starting from £800 (€925, US$1,110).

Trainers will travel to spas or clinic to deliver group workshops while individual therapists can attend the training at the academy.

Bookings can be made from September 2021 onwards.