Why Massage Schools Need to Train in Spa Techniques
The spa industry today has a beautiful problem: Demand for spa treatments is growing so fast that we cannot hire enough cross-trained therapists to keep up with it. The situation is beautiful because it reflects the health and vast possibilities of our industry.

The lack of cross-trained therapists is still a problem, though, and a continuing frustration for spa owners and managers: We have to hire massage therapists with no background in spa, then we have to train them in-house in core knowledge. We’ve inherited this responsibility, but it’s not one we want to continue to shoulder. A working spa is obviously a less than ideal venue for educating therapists in fundamental skills and principles. It would be better for the spas, better for therapists, and, most important, better for the public if more massage schools taught to spa employment opportunities.

Spas, like other businesses, expect to offer specialty and continuing education to their employees, and we have a responsibility to keep our employees’ skills current - but we shouldn’t have to teach the novice. Compare our hiring problem to the situation in other businesses: If you’re a restaurant owner hiring a chef, for example, the applicant has to know how to cook. You’ll give him the house recipes, but you’ll also expect him to develop new ones, and for that he needs to know his craft. And if your chef has been to cooking school, he does. Spa owners would dearly love to be able to hire therapists who already know “how to cook,” – who know the basics of aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, manual lymphatic drainage, principles of water, the physiological theory underlying spa treatments, etc.

Many smaller spas simply don’t have the facilities or the budget for training. Even for spas that have a budget for training and have the necessary space and equipment, the situation presents a challenge: We either have to design and run our own training programs or hire outside vendors to do the training. We would much rather see schools take responsibility for educating spa therapists in the basics of their profession.

Two factors have combined to create the shortage of qualified applicants for spa positions: The spa boom in North America and the lack of education to support qualified spa technicians.

The spa boom
Obviously, spas need more knowledgeable, experienced employees. In addition, the rapid proliferation of health resorts, hotels with spas and even-more-rapidly multiplying day spas has fostered growth in the variety of spa treatments offered and a fast-growing market for them. Going to a spa is now a mainstream activity in the United States, and one that people associate more clearly than ever before with wellness. Of course, “spa” has always meant health in Europe; and it was, in many ways, in the ancient context of spa culture that therapeutic bodywork evolved in the United States.

Now, with the rise of self-care and alternative and complementary medicine, the spa is finally coming into its own in America, and spa-goers here are becoming increasingly sophisticated and selective. Further, as people turn to therapeutic treatments for health benefits, they are asking more questions that the therapist needs to be able to answer. It’s only natural that the client who comes to the spa looking for more than just relaxation and beauty would want to understand something about the physiological effects of treatments. Massage therapists have long known that clients sometimes assume that we can answer all of their medical questions; spa clients also make this assumption. They’re curious about unfamiliar ingredients in products and about the effects of procedures that they’re experiencing perhaps for the first time. While it’s unreasonable for clients to assume that spa technicians can give medical advice, it is reasonable for them to expect answers to their questions about specific treatments and products.

Expectations are very high. The client who’s receiving a salt scrub and asks, “What does salt actually do for the body?” isn’t going to be impressed by being told, “Oh, it makes your skin really smooth.” The client already knows that much. People come to us searching for new paths to wellness, and if they get brush-off answers to serious questions, they’re unlikely to return.

As spa educator Ann Bramham says, “There is only so much clients will spend for what they perceive as just pampering, but people will keep coming back for treatments that have health benefits they can feel and understand.”

Further, since spa treatments are designed to do nothing less than assist the individual in achieving integration for wellness, every element of the experience must harmonize with all the others - and that takes training. Good spa technicians are skilled, empathetic and exquisitely attentive to nuance and detail. They know the theory behind what they do, can evaluate and address the needs of the individual client - including indications and contraindications - and they are also able to explain how treatments dovetail with other spa experiences and how it all relates to a complete health regimen (e.g., exercise, yoga, nutrition). They’re experts at what they do.

They have to be, because spa is a culture with identified areas of necessary knowledge: customer service; culture and philosophy; benefits and effects of treatments; business management; and team approach. I’ll talk more in my next column about the world of spa and the false “pampering vs. therapy” dichotomy - for now I simply want to emphasize that spa is a valid healing experience backed by tradition and by ongoing scientific research. Aside from the over-arching benefits of spa culture, spa treatments have significant physiological effects, which means that some can be dangerous for people with certain medical conditions. And since spa involves all five senses and focuses on the body’s largest organ, the skin, knowledge and expertise go into the design and execution of treatments. Spa is not just about throwing salt on somebody, or sitting someone in a tub unattended.

The skill shortage
The reluctance of massage schools to develop programs to meet the changing needs of students and employers is the second element in the shortage of qualified applicants. Currently, I chair the International Spa Association’s education committee, which is encouraging changes in massage education. As employers, ISPA members are frustrated, and they can identify with students who can’t find the education that will get them the jobs they want.

Many prospective spa therapists are on the same page: They want the wages, benefits and security that spa employment offers, but their education doesn’t get them there. The best positions in our industry go to people who already know what they’re doing: Knowledgeable, skilled individuals are the ones who get to be lead therapists and trainers, and opportunities to participate in service development. Still, only a handful of schools - and I mean that literally - have credible spa programs.

So why, you might ask, are the vast majority of massage schools not teaching to these incredible employment opportunities?

Perhaps the schools are comfortable and profitable as they are, even though they’re teaching to a picture of employment that existed 10 or 20 years ago. A typical graduate has the knowledge base and techniques of Swedish massage, and perhaps an introduction to elements of various other massage techniques, but possesses little or no background in spa. To get experience, the new graduate must spend a year or more learning the culture on the job before feeling comfortable providing spa services. This is a person who has just invested roughly $10,000 in schooling. Contrast this to the other professionals employed in the health and beauty areas of spas - estheticians, cosmetologists and salon professionals - who are trained to do exactly what their jobs require. It’s crazy, but we won’t see widespread change until the schools start listening more attentively to the needs of students and employers.

Where we’re at; where we’re going
OK, so we’re moving toward national standards for therapeutic bodywork, but change is slow. We’re stuck for now with a patchwork of local and state licenses and a few spa programs in schools that run the gamut from slipshod to good. The one source for rigorous spa certification is The American Spa Therapy Education and Certification Council (ASTECC) (see sidebar, “Bridges Between Spa and Massage,” page 77), which offers post-graduate training and requires a thorough grounding in anatomy and physiology for admission. So the massage-school graduate has to spend more out-of-pocket money on education.

The reality is that if you’re looking at changing your career to be a professional therapist in a spa environment, you’ll have a hard time finding the massage school that will prepare you, but that’s the reality. As the situation exists, though, there are still many opportunities to work at a spa where you can develop your skill set. Getting a job in a spa as a massage therapist will require good hands-on technique, positive demeanor and excellent customer-service skills. In order to advance into other therapies, you’ll also need to be flexible, especially about your schedule. You’ll want to show that you’ll take the initiative to learn. Once you’re hired as a massage therapist, express your interest in being cross-trained to provide spa treatments and jump at every chance you get to learn.

According to a spokesperson from ASTECC, the average massage therapist burns out in seven years, while the career of a cross-trained spa therapist typically lasts for 25 years or more. This fits with my observation: The creativity, variety and innovation of spa makes for long, prosperous and satisfying careers. Getting into spa is worth facing the challenges involved. Keep your eyes on the prize.