Dayspa

JAN 2013

DAYSPA is the magazine of spa management. Spa owners and spa managers turn to DAYSPA for spa management trends, spa management tips and more.

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TREND WATCH Hypnotherapy Massage You're well versed in rejuvenating clients' skin and re-energizing their bodies, but what if you could apply those same benefits to guests' minds? Some spa pros are taking the relaxing effects of massage one psychesoothing step further by incorporating hypnotherapy—the practice of helping subjects reach a trance state of enhanced relaxation in which deeper aspects of the subconscious become accessible. Just as a responsible massage therapist begins with light strokes to prepare bodies to accept the healing touch, so must a hypnotherapist ready clients' minds to accept healing thoughts. Alisha Lalji, owner of Vancouver's EM Luxury Spa (emluxuryspa.com) in Vancouver, British Columbia, starts her hypnotherapy massage sessions (60 min./$140-$225) with an in-depth conversation about clients' aches and pains, both emotional and physical. Lalji assures clients that they'll be conscious and coherent throughout the massage, and then guides them into a deep meditation via relaxing stories about, say, wandering into the ocean, until they reach an alpha state of consciousness, which better enables one to accept new ideas without the filter of resistance. 18 DAYSPA | JANUARY 2013 Finally, Lalji, who was recently certified by the Vancouver Hypnotherapy School, combines energy work with deep, smooth strokes to unearth blocks within the body. Very often, she'll discover an inherent emotional component to chronic pain. "Through talking with one migraine sufferer, we found that her pain was connected to a deep-seated belief she'd carried since childhood," Lalji says. "Once we removed that block and reprogrammed her thinking, her migraines went away." Therapist Robert Labensart, owner of Therapies for Living (therapiesforliving .com) with multiple Northern California locations, also offers varying levels of hypnotherapy massage ($90 per hour) depending on clients' needs, which can range from a simple desire to relax, to the need to gain control over addictive urges or overcome emotional trauma. Each session starts with induction, which Labensart describes as the process of helping clients relax themselves. "I have them identify their own positive affirmations or treatment focus, and write them down word for word." While clients bask in a relaxed state, Labensart offers suggestions to help dissolve their pain and reprogram negative beliefs. Although he customizes the service, often incorporating gentle rocking, Trager and Swedish strokes, Labensart believes yoga nerve therapy is especially conducive to helping clients reach trance state. "It's a 5,000-yearold practice that works deeply into the spine and the nervous system," he explains. "Pressure starts dissolving, leaving people amazingly relaxed." Therapist Pleiades MoonStar is a licensed hypnotist and massage specialist who recently started performing Trance Massage (60 min./$90) at Infinity Spa & Salon in Crescent City, California. "Clients can come in with specific goals, such as to move on from a romantic breakup or improve their confidence. I'll bring them into an alpha state and, during the massage, offer targeted suggestions to be absorbed on a subconscious level." To market this new service, MoonStar offered free lectures at local organizations, wellness series' and farmers' markets. "It's important to fully explain the process to clear up common misconceptions, and also to convince people of the power of hypnotherapy through mini demonstrations." Talk about a complete mind/body experience. —Katie O'Reilly ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM Gentle forms of trance healing provide an out-of-the-box avenue to helping clients reach profound relaxation—and release deep emotional blocks.

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