Massage Makes Me Happy Initiative
For thousands of years, massage and touch therapies have been a part of the healing traditions of hundreds of cultures around the world. From the hands of early Chinese physicians to massage therapists today, massage has been a natural and caring intervention that supports physical and emotional well-being. In other words, massage creates HAPPINESS. The Massage Makes Me Happy Initiative aims to celebrate the healing powers of massage therapy and promote its benefits through research and education, advocacy and global awareness.
For more detailed information, press release, event details, tool kits, visit Massage Makes Me Happy website.
The Latest News and Resources
Initiative Leadership
Heather Zdan
UNITED STATES
Initiative Co-Chair
Executive Marketing Manager
Heather Zdan has over 20 years experience in database and direct marketing in omni-channel environments. She is a passionate supporter The Massage Therapy Foundation and Touch Research Institute through her work with Massage Warehouse. Heather is an avid user and believer in the benefits of massage therapy which she has used to treat chronic migraine headaches and to improve her health and overall well-being…Read More
CG Funk
UNITED STATES
Initiative Co-Chair
Senior Vice President of Culture and Industry Relations Massage Heights
CG has more than 25 years of experience in the spa, beauty and franchise industries. Prior to joining Massage Heights, she operated a boutique spa consulting business, working with companies in the wellness, spa and beauty sectors. She also spent a decade as VP of industry relations…Read More
Karen Short
UNITED STATES
Initiative Co-Chair
CEO, Universal Companies
Karen is CEO of Universal Companies. In her role, Karen is responsible for direct sales, marketing and education initiatives. She leads a growing team of professionals in identifying and delivering products and solutions to wide range of customers including day spas, medical spas, resort hotel spas, salon spas, schools, and independent practitioners. Prior to joining Universal, Karen built a successful track record of executing….Read More
Kim Collier
UNITED STATES
Initiative Co-Chair
Co-Founder, Collier Concepts, Montana US
Kim Collier is a visionary trendsetter, spa industry innovator and modern elder of massage therapy. Kim’s work in Southeast Asia resulted in documentation to preserve traditional recipes and indigenous healing modalities within spa/resort operations. As a massage therapist, spa experience planner and international spa therapy instructor, Kim contributes to the industry in forward thinking ways….Read More
Scott Dartnall
Canada
Initiative Co-Chair
Organizer World Massage Conference, Ontario, Canada
Scott Dartnall RMT (Registered Massage Therapist) has been an RMT in Ontario, Canada since 1992. Scott built and led the first private multi-disciplinary clinic in Canada to accreditation with the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA). In addition, he developed and opened numerous multidisciplinary clinics and medical spas. In 2012 Scott was Inducted into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame….Read More
Objectives
-
- Create a global platform and rallying cry around “Massage Makes Me Happy.”
- Consolidate existing clinical research and support new research for deeper integration of massage into healthcare and wellness practices.
- Stimulate advocacy by encouraging storytelling of the benefits of massage through massage therapists, wellness and spa professionals, consumers, caregivers, educators and more.
- Promote and market massage therapy and massage therapy careers worldwide.
Featured Reports and Resources
Wellness Evidence – Massage
This modality uses direct hands-on manipulation of the surface of the body to achieve therapeutic results. Massage therapy includes many sub specialties that are focused on specific types of injury treatment, stress reduction, or release of tensions. They range from forceful, deep movements to extremely light superficial treatments.
VIEW RESEARCH
Initiative Members
Meet the renowned thought leaders in this field who are collaborating to educate and evolve wellness in this area of global importance.
Resources
View the research, trends, whitepapers, infographics and more from this Initiative, as well as a curated list of third party resources.
Contact Initiative
Please fill out the form so we can learn more about you, which Initiative you are interested in and how you would like to be involved.
CONTACT
