One of the dramatic trends in the profession is the explosive growth rate for new students entering massage training and the variety and number of established educational institutions that have branched into massage therapy or new organizations that have sprung up as independent schools to meet the demand. ABMP surveys showed explosive growth (107.1 percent from 1998 to 2004) in enrollment and graduation numbers, but an early 2007 analysis showed the first (slight) decline in that indicator since ABMP school surveys began in 1998. The rate of growth slowed from 2006 to 2008, growing 2.5 percent, compared with the 7.8 percent between 2004 and 2006. ABMP’s school database peaked at 1,582 schools in 2006, but early 2009 survey results leveled off at 1,568 schools.
An early 2009 survey showed enrollment has declined 11.9 percent from 66,653 entrants in 2006 to 58,700 in 2008. Graduates from massage therapy programs in 2008 totaled 53,372 vs. 62,784 graduates in 2006, a decline of 15.0 percent.
ABMP considers these results a continuing market correction that began after the peak in school activity in 2004. There has been a leveling off in the rapid school enrollment trend. It appears that massage and bodywork enrollment is in the process of settling into a more natural number.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Massage Business Growing in India
As corporates and other professionals look for a day away from hectic schedules to rejuvenate themselves, spas are stepping in as the perfect answer. At least 700 new spas are expected to come up in India in the next four years.
Spas are making a mark with their invigorating messages, exotic facials, hair treatments, luxurious body wraps and scrubs in cities and industrial towns.
A wellness market study by the International Medical Travel Journal says the Indian wellness and health market is estimated to be growing at 25 percent a year. A rough estimate by the journal cites that India has 2,300 big and medium spas. The next four years will see at least 700 new spas - both multinational and Indian brands - build their infrastructure in India.
India even has a comprehensive illustrated volume on Indian spas, 'Spas of India: Collectors' Guide' (Thompson Press). Edited by Parineeta Sethi and Khuushboo Jain, the volume that dwells at length on the tradition and culture of spas in India arrived in bookshops early this month.
'Spa as we know today are sanctums of rejuvenation, relaxation and a world of healing. The spa dates back to ancient Greece when baths were built around volcanoes or natural hot springs,' says Sethi.
'Today, the spa is an interesting combination of ancient traditions and modern mechanical wonders. Though modern spas have undergone a paradigm shift in their treatment procedures, they still retain water therapy as their nucleus,' she said.
The spa dates back to as early as 500 BC when the Greek gentry met at hot springs and thermal community baths to treat skin ailments. Centuries later, the Romans replicated the baths, christened Sanus Per Aquam (SPA), which means healing through bath, the book says.
Indian spas can be classified into six categories - destination spas, ayurveda spas, hotel spas, resort spas, day spas and medi spas.
Day spas are business establishments similar to beauty salons that people visit for a fixed duration to avail themselves of professionally administered personal care. The treatments usually range from a few hours to a day.
The increase in disposable incomes allows middle class Indian working women the luxury of occasional spa treatments - either at their nearest beauty salons or in exclusive spa properties.
The book speaks of Asian Roots, a day spa located on the outskirts of the capital, 17 km from the airport. Spread over 6,500 sq feet, it merges traditional treatments from Bali, Thailand and India with modern philosophies of health and well-being. The signature treatment of the spa is the Balinese Boreh Body Mask.
Boreh, an ancient Balinese spice, is used as a traditional remedy to warm the body in combination with local spices like nutmeg, pepper, cloves, ginger, Javanese long pepper, cucuma beyneana and rice powder, the book says.
The Angsana Oasis Spa in the outskirts of Bengaluru spread over 5,000 sq feet offers traditional messages and rituals from Thailand, Bali, Hawaii as well as India. The signature treatment of the spa is a 120-minute massage therapy designed to work on your body's key pressure points.
It uses river stones, marine extracts, kaolin, jasmine green tea, orange, ginger and turmeric to treat the skin. Traditional southern therapies are the mainstay of The Aura, the day spa at The Park Hotel in Chennai.
The Fusion Therapy at the VLCC Day Spa in the capital de-stresses and boots the body's immune system with an anti-stress back treatment, aromatic body polish, natural body buff, Moroccan bath, Balinese Boreh, chocolate and coffee body wrap and an organic facial.
Sushupti - a natural treatment - is the signature of Jiva Grande, the day spa at Taj Wellington Mews in Mumbai. The therapy is a natural blend of rice, honey and cream that is lightly messaged to exfoliate dead skin, followed by a soft cotton conditioning wrap. The paste is rinsed off with a mix of warm milk sprinkled with flower petals, the book says.
A combination of Nuvola massage, Swedish massage, Morocan rassoul body wrap and deep cleansing facial is the USP of O Spa, a day care facility in Pune while the Nirva Spa located in Hyderabad blends aroma therapy, deep tissue massages- the Shiatsu and the Ayurvedic techniques- facial and scalp massages to heal the weathered epidermis.
The therapies are a mix of ancient Indian healing traditions like Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, yoga, meditation and Oriental remedies like the Indonesian, Thai and Chinese healing processes.
Spas are making a mark with their invigorating messages, exotic facials, hair treatments, luxurious body wraps and scrubs in cities and industrial towns.
A wellness market study by the International Medical Travel Journal says the Indian wellness and health market is estimated to be growing at 25 percent a year. A rough estimate by the journal cites that India has 2,300 big and medium spas. The next four years will see at least 700 new spas - both multinational and Indian brands - build their infrastructure in India.
India even has a comprehensive illustrated volume on Indian spas, 'Spas of India: Collectors' Guide' (Thompson Press). Edited by Parineeta Sethi and Khuushboo Jain, the volume that dwells at length on the tradition and culture of spas in India arrived in bookshops early this month.
'Spa as we know today are sanctums of rejuvenation, relaxation and a world of healing. The spa dates back to ancient Greece when baths were built around volcanoes or natural hot springs,' says Sethi.
'Today, the spa is an interesting combination of ancient traditions and modern mechanical wonders. Though modern spas have undergone a paradigm shift in their treatment procedures, they still retain water therapy as their nucleus,' she said.
The spa dates back to as early as 500 BC when the Greek gentry met at hot springs and thermal community baths to treat skin ailments. Centuries later, the Romans replicated the baths, christened Sanus Per Aquam (SPA), which means healing through bath, the book says.
Indian spas can be classified into six categories - destination spas, ayurveda spas, hotel spas, resort spas, day spas and medi spas.
Day spas are business establishments similar to beauty salons that people visit for a fixed duration to avail themselves of professionally administered personal care. The treatments usually range from a few hours to a day.
The increase in disposable incomes allows middle class Indian working women the luxury of occasional spa treatments - either at their nearest beauty salons or in exclusive spa properties.
The book speaks of Asian Roots, a day spa located on the outskirts of the capital, 17 km from the airport. Spread over 6,500 sq feet, it merges traditional treatments from Bali, Thailand and India with modern philosophies of health and well-being. The signature treatment of the spa is the Balinese Boreh Body Mask.
Boreh, an ancient Balinese spice, is used as a traditional remedy to warm the body in combination with local spices like nutmeg, pepper, cloves, ginger, Javanese long pepper, cucuma beyneana and rice powder, the book says.
The Angsana Oasis Spa in the outskirts of Bengaluru spread over 5,000 sq feet offers traditional messages and rituals from Thailand, Bali, Hawaii as well as India. The signature treatment of the spa is a 120-minute massage therapy designed to work on your body's key pressure points.
It uses river stones, marine extracts, kaolin, jasmine green tea, orange, ginger and turmeric to treat the skin. Traditional southern therapies are the mainstay of The Aura, the day spa at The Park Hotel in Chennai.
The Fusion Therapy at the VLCC Day Spa in the capital de-stresses and boots the body's immune system with an anti-stress back treatment, aromatic body polish, natural body buff, Moroccan bath, Balinese Boreh, chocolate and coffee body wrap and an organic facial.
Sushupti - a natural treatment - is the signature of Jiva Grande, the day spa at Taj Wellington Mews in Mumbai. The therapy is a natural blend of rice, honey and cream that is lightly messaged to exfoliate dead skin, followed by a soft cotton conditioning wrap. The paste is rinsed off with a mix of warm milk sprinkled with flower petals, the book says.
A combination of Nuvola massage, Swedish massage, Morocan rassoul body wrap and deep cleansing facial is the USP of O Spa, a day care facility in Pune while the Nirva Spa located in Hyderabad blends aroma therapy, deep tissue massages- the Shiatsu and the Ayurvedic techniques- facial and scalp massages to heal the weathered epidermis.
The therapies are a mix of ancient Indian healing traditions like Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, yoga, meditation and Oriental remedies like the Indonesian, Thai and Chinese healing processes.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The genitals are right next to the foot in the body’s brain maps
Practitioners of reflexology claim that they can cure a variety of aches and pains by massaging the correct reflex points on the foot. It is said by those who practice it that reflexology can cure migraine headaches and relieve sinus problems. It can restore harmony to hormonal imbalances and cure breathing disorders and digestive problems. If you have a back problem, a massage on the right spot on the right foot (which might be the left foot in some cases) can alleviate your suffering. If you suffer from circulatory problems or have a lot of tension and stress, reflexology promises relief.
There are many variations of reflexology and many names for these variations, including Zone Therapy, Vacuflex, and Vita Flex. Some chiropodists are also reflexologists, although there is no necessary connection between the two. Some reflexologists deny that they diagnose or treat diseases, but claim they can restore “balance” to one’s "energy."
Reflexology is often combined with other therapies and practices, such as acupressure, shiatsu, yoga, and tai chi,. and it often involves the hands and other body parts or zones, not just the feet. Reflexology seems to be a variation of acupressure, with its notion that there are correspondences between special pressure points and the flow of chi to bodily organs. Polarity therapy, a variant of reflexology, replaces the yin and yang opposition with the positive/negative energy charges of the sides of the body (the right side is positively charged); massage allegedly restores the proper balance of energy. In polarity therapy, the foot is the site of just one of many key massage points.
One reason foot massage may be so pleasurable and is associated with significant improvement in mood is that the area of the brain that connects to the foot is adjacent to the area that connects to the genitals. There may be some neuronal overlapping. Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran writes of a person whose leg was amputated and who experienced orgasms in his phantom foot (1998: 36-37). “The genitals are right next to the foot in the body’s brain maps,” he notes, and speculates that this fact may account for foot fetishes.
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