Hospital Spas: A Prosperous Partnership                                     

by Chris Towery (MassageMag)

At the beginning of this century, hospitals across the country began building their own spas as part od an effort to improve their image and enchance their services. Today the rise of these spas is uniting the health-care spa indusries, while creating a host of new employment oppurtunities for massage therapists.

Medical spas have experienced rapid growth latley, and they're currently the fastest-growing segment of the spa industry, according to the Internatinal Spa Association. But the term "medical spa" is somewhat of a misnomer. For the majority of these businesses, cosmetic treatments, such as Botox, form the bulk, if not all, of their medical services.

Hospital-based spas take a spa's component to an entirely new level. Although some hospital spas also provide cosmetic services, and a few offer quite extensive aesthetic treatments, their location within large medical facilities makes the health-and-wellness aspect of their business much more vital.

There are at least 10 hospital spas in operation in th U.S. today, and as they grow, these business have the potential to dramatically alter both the spa and healt-care industries. But more importantly, they're already achieving great tings by advancing medical massage in mainstream heath care and creating an exciting new realm of employment for massage therapists.

At hospiatl spas, massage therapists serve as a valuable part of the ospital's team of medical professionals, making such spas a sound employment opportunity. Hospital spas typically employ anywhere from three to 12 massage therapists, and clients include patients, the general public, hospital staff and visiting family members.

Medical massage offered in hospital spas can include many different types of therapy, from pre-and post-natal massage and relaxing sick children in the pediatric department to providing post-operative pain control and compassionate care for the terminally ill. And because some patients are truly suffrering, the relief massage therapists provide is often immidiatley appparent.

Although hospital spas are a fairly new concept, they have athe potential to bring about imporatnt changes. While massage and other complementary medical treatments are gaining ground every day, these services are still not universally accepted in the medical community. But through their close, daily contact with medical proffesionals and success in enhancing patient healing, hospiatl spas may open the door for increased legitimacy and they might eben help the  health-care system envolve.

To find out if there is one in your area, visit www.massagemag.com/hospitalspas