Urgent call to safeguard the natural health industry
Dounne Alexander, founder, Joining Hands In Health campaign, UK
Poor pay is another reason why high-quality therapists aren’t found in spas
It’s not surprising that modern spas can’t offer good therapeutic services
Jasmine Mas, massage therapist, Park Lane Clinic, London
I read with interest you editors letter More than Mediocre in the last issue of Spa Business magazine (SB10/4 p5). I agree with Liz Terry wholeheartedly that the qual- ity of massage within a spa environment often falls far short of customer expecta- tion. I can however, tell you exactly why. I have been a ther-
apist for 15 years and have been employed within a spa environ- ment both as a staff member and freelancer. I currently work within the medical, corporate and media industries as well as running a pri- vate practice. Most of my work is deep tissue massage of some description and I am booked up wherever I work. I would like to point out two things.
– and who is expected to work a six-hour shift with only a 15 minute break between treatments, for fi ve days a week – either burns out very quickly, leaves or becomes injured and takes prolonged sick leave: the bête noire of all spa managers. I have personally seen it happen. As a self-employed therapist, working
“A therapist who constantly performs deep tissue massage – on a six-hour shift, fi ve days a week – either burns out very quickly, leaves or becomes injured and takes prolonged sick leave”
alone, you quickly learn that pacing yourself – while not bringing you millions in revenue – does at least ensure some longevity in the industry allowing you make a decent living. So until spas schedule therapists to be able to work effectively, it is simply not possible to provide deep therapeutic massage on a constant basis. Secondly, it is sim-
ply a case of supply and demand. A good ther- apist who has spent years investing their own time and money to build a solid practice is not going to work for a quarter (sometimes less) of the fee that he/ she can attract outside
Firstly, a spa generally requires a ther- apist to work as if they’re on a conveyor belt, performing back to back treatments, to maximise revenue. A therapist who con- stantly performs deep tissue massage
SPA BUSINESS 1 2011 ©Cybertrek 2011
of the spa industry. If spas want to offer more therapeutic treatments rather than the ‘pampering’, fl uffy massage that is so often described on menus, then operators need to offer good training, a sensible schedule and a competitive pay structure. That way they will retain therapist loyalty and have a happy and healthy staff.
As a herbal food manufacturer, I couldn’t understand why the majority of health prac- titioners, stores, spas, therapists, and the public were not aware of coming restrictive EU legislations, such as the Foods Sup- plements Directives (2002/46/EC) and the forthcoming Codex Alimentarius. Under these legislations thousands of effective and safe natural products, foods, vitamins, supplements, remedies and practices were to be banned from the UK and European markets from April 2011. It would restrict access to natural prod- ucts, therapies and practices. For some reason the health industry was
simply not taking the implications seriously and this ‘in-action’ has now led to panic over the survival of small health busi- nesses, producers, suppliers, practitioners and therapists, alongside consumer health choice. From running my own business – Gramma’s health products – I know how serious the threat is. In answer to this ticking time-bomb,
last year I initiated a petition The Nation Speaks – No! Not In My Name to safeguard the natural health industry, human rights and cultural heritage. It has generated tremendous support and I’m inviting spa owners and employees also to join in. To help people understand this legal mine-
fi eld, I hand delivered a powerful, 41-page document to the Queen in December 2010, calling on her majesty to intercede to safeguard her citizens. Based on factual evidence, it confi rms the implications we will face if the legislations become UK law in April. This makes a compelling case for the UK government to opt out and establish a new legal framework based on ‘natural and common laws’. We hope this will then set a precedent for both EU and worldwide nations to follow. Our actions could very well serve as a template for others to free themselves from the legislations. To succeed, 35 million UK signatures are needed. Therefore I urge the spa indus- try to act now by encouraging customers, family, friends, colleagues and social networks to sign petition today. Details:
www.joininghandsinhealth.com/petition.
Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital 13
PHOTO:
ISTOCK.COM/©ELIZA SNOW
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