Federation of Holistic Therapists

We're very excited here at The London Massage Company because we have just secured some teaching spots in 2008 with the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT).

The Federation of Holistic Therapists have the largest membership of any multi-disciplinary therapy organisation in the UK with over 21,000 members. They are the oldest Professional Beauty, Sports and Complementary therapy organisation in the UK and have been representing therapists for over 40 years. They are a true not-for-profit organisation enforcing high professional standards, with a good Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.

As part of encouraging the Federation of Holistic Therapists memembers to gain Continuing Personal & Professional Development (CPPD) each year they run workshops, courses and conferences of which The London Massage Company will be a part of.

In 2008 we will be running the following advanced massage workshops:
Effective Stretching, 1st March, Sheffield
MET (Muscle Energy Technique), 5th April, High Wycombe
STR (Soft Tissue Release), 18th May, Cardiff.

We look forward to seeing members of the Federation of Holistic Therapists there.

To find out more or sign-up to the Newsletter visit : www.thelondonmassagecompany.com or email us:
ask@thelondonmassagecompany.com

A day in the Dissection Lab

It's been a really busy week in the life of The London Massage Company, but when isn't it!

Jane has been in the dissection labs at Kings College, London taking some students on a journey of anatomy. And what a journey it is. For those of you reading this that have been in a dissection lab, you know what I'm talking about. When I was a student on the APNT Sports Injuries & Massage Diploma I had the opportunity of being in the dissection lab for a day, and it's a day I will certainly never forget.

I was a little apprehensive as I set off for Kings College that morning as I had no idea what to expect, well, apart from cadavers, and I wasn't sure how I was going to react on seeing one. Another thought was, 'I must prepare myself for the smell'. So with Vics Vapour rub at the ready and a clear view of the exit (just in case) we entered the dissection lab. The reality was much better than my preconceived ideas. Cadavers were just that and the Vics was used only twice.

The room was a little cold and adorned with jar-upon-jar of body parts in formaldehyde which were instantly fascinating. We donned our white lab coats and made our way to the back of the lab, past the metal dissection tables and their lids, until we were greeted by the Kings College team and Caroline Barrow who was going to be guiding us through our anatomy.

The body parts had been arranged on separate tables and covered with cloths until it was time to discover where exactly the wrist flexors were and just how trapezius fitted superbly onto the back. It was fascinating to observe just how amazing and intricate the body is but somehow, there was a simplicity about it all. All those anatomy text book pictures were put into perspective and it definitely gave me a better understanding of where and how all our muscles fit together so neatly.

I learn a lot that day, from Caroline and our Cadavers and we want to give our students at The London Massage Company the same opportunity. So whether taking the Intensive Sports Injuries & Massage Diploma, the Intensive Advanced Massage Diploma or you are taking a physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic course else where, you'll be able to spend a day in the dissection labs at Kings with The London Massage Company. We are setting up links with the college and looking at dates in the diary so hopefully that day won't be too far away.

To find out more or sign-up to the Newsletter visit : www.thelondonmassagecompany.com or email us:
ask@thelondonmassagecompany.com

CAMExpo 2007 accomplished

I've just returned back to Casablanca after Jane and I Expo'd at CAMExpo. It was a really great weekend. We hardly had time to look around the stalls as we were running our Effective Stretching and Soft Tissue Release workshops, but the the massage workshops went really well.

We met some great people and recieved some really positive feedback, so thank you to all of you. I hope everyone that joined us on the massage workshops enjoyed them. Both days we're quite fast paced and 100% interactive. We wanted to give everyone value for money and teach them as much as we could in the hour that we had. No mean feat, but everyone got stuck in to the massage workshops and did a fantastic job.

We hope that everyone went away feeling comfortable to combine some Soft Tissue Release or some Effective Stretching into their massage routines.

To find out more or sign-up to the Newsletter visit : www.thelondonmassagecompany.com or email us:
ask@thelondonmassagecompany.com

Off to CAMExpo 2007

Today I'm hurridley tying up the loose ends before I fly back to the UK tomorrow. I'm leaving Casablaca for the weekend as The London Massage Company is making it's first public outing this weekend. It's CAMExpo 2007, running at London's Excel, and Jane and I are running two massage workshops over the CAMExpo weekend. We are running our Effective Stretching and Soft Tissue Release (STR) workshops.


The focus of the Effective Stretching massage workshop is on the practical aspects of this stretching discipline, but there's a touch of theory too. You'll learn to advise your clients on simple stretching routines and incorporate stretching into your massage sequence.
Also see the difference between active and passive stretching, why some stretches are ineffective and others are more effective, how to stretch all of the major muscles of the body actively and how to safely incorporate stretching into your practice.


Soft Tissue Release (STR) is all about muscles containing specific areas of tightness. Perhaps this tightness is due to fibrotic changes or to scar tissue. By localizing the stretch to a particular region of muscle, STR helps to gently but firmly encourage specifically tight fibres to stretch.
In this massage workshop you'll apply STR to all the major muscles of the body, passively, through clothing, incorporate STR into a massage routine, examine which works best for your clients, active or passive STR, help you devise active STR programmes for your clients as well as revising the locations and functions of all major muscle groups.


I'm really looking forward to it as it will be my first time presenting at CAMExpo, although Jane is an old hand it! It's one of the biggest Expositions in the Complimentary and Alternative Medicine calendar. It's a great opportunity to see which massage products are new on the market, learn new massage techniques as well as network with other massage therapists and companies.


If you miss us at CAMExpo then no worries, there are more opportunities to take our massage workshops.

To find out more or sign-up to the Newsletter visit: http://www.thelondonmassagecompany.com or email us:
ask@thelondonmassagecompany.com

Sports massage & advanced massage abroad

As we speak Jane should have landed safely in Turkey. To be precise she's in Kas (For those of you, who like me are unfamiliar with Turkish, it's pronounced 'cash' ) which is on the fabulous Lycia coast. However, she's not just there for a tan, she's their to finalise arrangements for our Massage Workshop Week and Intensive Sports Injuries Massage Diploma and Intensive Advanced Massage Diploma that we're running in May and October 2008.

Jane was on holiday back in May with her son Jake and got chatting with the hotel owner. Next thing I know I recieve a phone call "Zoë, I've found the first location for our massage courses abroad......."

Kas is settled in the region of Lycia, 2.5 hours from Dalaman. This beautiful harbour village sits quietly between the turquoise Mediterranean Sea and a stunning backdrop of the hills behind. This little village has everything you could ask for and plenty for you to explore when you’re not in the classroom learning all those new massage techniques!

Enjoy a coffee in the cosy cafes, eat great food in the restaurants and enthuse about your newly found massage skills over a glass of wine in one of the bars. The way the Massage Workshop Week, Intensive Sports Injuries Massage Diploma and Intensive Advanced Massage Diploma are structured there’ll be plenty of time for you to gather your thoughts and either explore the town and it’s intriguing network of tiny back-alleys, stroll the beaches close to the hotel or raise those energy levels with a range of sporting activities.

For both the Massage Workshop Week and Intensive massage Diplomas we've picked the fabulous Hotel Club Phellos for you to work, rest and play in. Located on a peaceful street in the centre of Kas, Club Phellos is tucked into the hillside above the harbour with wonderful views of the sea. The excellent service is executed by Club Phellos’ friendly and helpful staff. Jane loved every minute of her stay during May so it will be great for the Massage Workshop Week and Intensive massage Diplomas.

I'll let you know how her trip went when she gets back!

To find out more or sign-up to the Newsletter visit : www.thelondonmassagecompany.com or email us:
ask@thelondonmassagecompany.com