East Meets West:
Swe-Thai Massage

This hybrid technique combines Thai practices of acupressure, stretching, pressing and rocking with Western knowledge of neuromuscular and trigger-point therapies. Swe-Thai Massage allows the therapist to provide a highly effective session, while preventing her own aches and pains that might otherwise be caused by poor body mechanics and repetitive motions.

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Help Clients Ditch the Dimples: Addressing Cellulite with Aesthetic Massage
About 90 percent of women have cellulite, or dimply fat deposits. While not harmful, cellulite can contribute to poor body image and decreased self-esteem. Learn how aesthetic-massage techniques and products help therapists banish clients’ cellulite. 

by Brandi Schlossberg

ONLINE Exclusives

• CEU Roundtable: The  Evolution of Massage Education
• Explore Your Money Beliefs
• Massage Therapist in Spotlight for Steroid Scandal
• Helping Hands
• Geriatric-Massage Resources
• The 15 Most Performed Plastic-Surgery Procedures

NEWS

• Gorilla Massage Fund Swells as Golfers Swing
• Consumers Drive Hospitals’ Use of CAM
• New Report Details U.S. Health Insurance Rates
• Sister Gefre Launches Caregiver Program

Common Leg Injuries and Therapeutic Strategies
Learn about three common leg injuries—iliotibial band syndrome, shin splints and plantar fasciitis—related to overuse, trauma or underuse of the myofascial compartments of the thigh, lower leg and foot.
by George P. Kousaleos

Practice Building
How to Earn More Money as a Massage Therapist
by Melanie Rubin

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Explore Your Money Beliefs

Massaging Our Elders
Keys to Working Within the Eldercare System
Massaging Our Elders: Keys to Working Within the Eldercare System Today's eldercare system offers lucrative and fulfilling career possibilities for massage therapists.

by Ann Catlin

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Geriatric-Massage Resources

CEU Roundtable: The Evolution of Massage Education
Continuing education units come in many forms, from in-person classes to books to DVDs to online courses. Here, massage-industry experts advise therapists on how to choose the education that best fits their needs.

by Karen Menehan, Editor in Chief

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: CEU Roundtable: The  Evolution of Massage Education

Building Bridges of Communication:
Autistic Children Helped Through the Power of Touch
Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the country, affecting as many as 1.5 million Americans. The good news is that two bodywork techniques, in particular, effectively benefit autism patients.

by Penny Cholmondeley

A Beautiful Partnership:
Plastic Surgeons Enlist Massage Therapists onto Cosmetic Surgery Teams
Plastic surgery—from breast augmentation to rhinoplasty, liposuction to tummy tucks—is on the rise. With 11 million Americans a year going under the cosmetic-surgery knife, massage therapists are in demand as valued members of the healing team.  

by Phyllis Hanlon

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: The 15 Most Performed Plastic-Surgery Procedures

EXPERT ADVICE
How does scar tissue form and what are its effects?

Ben E. Benjamin, Ph.D., responds

RESEARCH REPORTS

• Massage Therapy Influences Behavior and Development in Children with HIV
• Massage Therapy Improves Self-Efficacy of MS Patients

Spa Massage News

• Aging Gracefully
• Hotel Spas Come of Age
• Survey Shows Decline in Spa Visits, Number of Spa Employees
• What type of education should massage therapists have in order to be hired at your spa?

BE WELL

• Take a Stand Against Plantar Fasciitis
• Podcasts for Health
• Avoid Weight Gain During the Holidays

BODY & SPA
Help Clients Ditch the Dimples: Addressing
Cellulite with Aesthetic Massage