The European Massage Championships are on my mind!
Some of you may know that I have just returned from Rome where I went to participate in the European Massage Championships 2024. Many people are rather surprised to hear that such an event exists but, in fact there are a number of massage championships around; there are the UK championships, international championships and I recently learnt that there are other countries who organise such events too. Why you might ask? The idea of the massage championships go far beyond the glory of a win. What they provide is a space for those in the the industry to meet, to learn, to network and to showcase their skills, their products and their ideas. This is exactly what drew me to this event. I had no intension of getting a prize even though of course that would have been wonderful however, this time I didn't know what to expect and I didn't have the knowledge or the resources to be a champion. As such I thought I would go and I would participate for the experience as a starting point and through that I would learn. This is exactly what happened. On the learning front I was able to participate in an incredible workshop that was taught by Phiane Duquet who shared her L'Oeuvre De Beaté Ancestral Wisdom Facelift Massage techniques. Phiane told us that there are 500 techniques to learn for the full treatment and I think we learnt 12 techniques. Phiane brings her ancestoral wisdom to her work; she is inspired by her knowledge of traditional Loas dancing style and Kung Fu both of which she was brought up with. She was taught the acupressure points by her family in her youth and her full treatment on the face is a beautiful dance where Phiane works with the Chi to bring vitality to the face and internal organs using her techniques. Check her out on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/phianeduquet/reel/C7YjFefMd-G/��I made a new friend in the workshop - another Natalie who is a therapist in Belgium and she and I both entered the same categories of Asian and Western inspired massage. Natalie was warm and friendly and a lovely ally in amongst all the contestants. If you want to know more about Natalie and her work have a look:�https://bevibrant.be/About
In total there were 147 therapists representing 42 countries! France was the most represented closely followed by Romania, Poland and of course Italy. For more information on the participants you can look on the website and see all the competitors here:
https://www.newmassageassociation.com/european-massage-championship-2024/attendees/
I was really unsure of what to expect but all I knew was that I wanted to learn and I needed to be brave. The experience taught me so much, in fact I definitely want to go back next year with more knowledge and this time use that knowledge to try to win! I didn’t meet a lot of the criteria that is used for judging. The criteria are as follows: Technique, Ergonomics, Flow, Innovation, Interaction with Client, Work Environment & Products, overall client experience. I think it is a really difficult competition to judge in actual fact especially because it is difficult to keep it all fair and clear in amongst the organised chaos that is hundreds of therapists rushing to set up and get ready every time a new round begins! Next year I am to bring lots more to the Work Environment and Products part of the competition - I really had not considered my presentation in the way that is required. A lesson!
I met so many amazing therapists there and we all got to watch when we were not contending ourselves. I was so impressed by the movements and techniques that I saw and the passion and care that goes into bodywork. Often clients say to me that a treatment felt like a dance, well it is! One of the champions from the competition was Déhlia Lapeyrie and everything about her movements reminded me of watching a ballet dancer. She had such poise and elegance and it transpired into how she moved and danced with her client’s body. Of course there are so many way to give a treatment, there are many techniques, many approaches and that was all on display in Rome. The categories were; Asian, Western, Sport, Wellness, Facial and there were a few visitors from USA who came to demonstrate Ashiatsu Deepfeet Bar Therapy. Check out Al and his work here. He sets up a frame over the massage couch and used this to support himself while he treats his clients using his feet:
www.barefoothands.com
I realised while I was away that I really should up my social media game. I do find this rather challenging as the less time I spend on a screen the better. It has always been the way for me that I just don’t much enjoy too much time with a phone, or with tech generally. Here is an area to improve on. I do love connecting with people from all over the world. I loved to listen to Julian, Elvira and Nico (3 of the 6 founders of New Massage Association) they were on stage giving instructions in English, Spanish and France. This is just a few of the many languages rolling around over the time we were all together. I am always so in awe of anyone who is bi-lingual or tai-lingual or more! There is so much opportunity in this world when you can communicate with people beyond those who are native to your home. Unfortunately in England we are spoilt and lazy when it comes to languages as so much of the world learns English and of course Hollywood dominates our screens.
The Jury were such a friendly bunch and I so appreciated their warmth and their care. They were sure to come over an acknowledge my treatments which was so kind and also brought me a lot of confidence and I suppose validation that there is something special that happens when I do my work.
We were also lucky to have some products to sample and I was blown away by the quality of the products made by Audry for her Spa in Paris - I just want to go there asap! Check out Mamabali Spa where she brings Bali right to the centre of France - wow!
Well anyway, that is my thoughts about my experience and as ever I want to thank you all for supporting me and my work as a massage therapist. It is a wonderful job.
Oh and one last thought, if you'd like to see me pulling an odd face as I work, check out Jeppe Tengbjerg's video on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7ZHvsnIXBj/
#newmassageassociation #europeanmassagechampionship #salonedellecolonne
