Massage therapy is the number-one modality offered at spas, with clients requesting it more than anything else. The International Spa Association Foundation announced this week that applications for the Ruth Stricker Spa and Wellness Award and the Dr. Howard Murad Research Grant are available, and will be accepted through June 1.

Both of these opportunities help further the foundation’s research initiatives, as well as provide opportunities for researchers in the wellness community.

The Ruth Stricker Spa and Wellness Award offers aid for research into ways spa can meet current health care needs, promote wellness and enhance quality of life. The $2,500 award will support a project that demonstrates a unique or unrecognized benefit of spa in promoting wellness.

The Dr. Howard Murad Research Grant offers assistance to researchers studying the effects of cultural stress and ways to manage it. The $1,500 grant may be used to research technology overload, overworking and lack of purposeful work, inadequate nutrition, isolation from friends and stress occurring in people of all ages.

The ISPA Foundation is the nonprofit arm of the International Spa Association and was created in 1999 to serve the educational and research needs of the spa industry.

Related article

• Spa Therapy for Fibromyalgia