EARLY DAYS
Stephanie Scott and the team at Crystal Spa , which is a part of the Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville , MI , introduced oncology massage as a treatment option after repeatedly being unable to serve guests dealing with cancer or its aftereffects . “ We became so tired of turning guests away and saying , ‘ Well , you need a doctor ’ s note if you ’ re going through cancer treatments or if you ’ ve had a past history of cancer .’ That broke our hearts ,” she says . “ It became a passion of ours to figure out a way to say ‘ yes .’”
In pursuit of that passion , the spa ’ s lead massage therapist connected with Beaumont Health Care System across the state in Detroit , and brought the head of their oncology training program to the spa to conduct training just under a decade ago . Bringing the training to employees , rather than sending therapists piecemeal to receive the training off site , allowed Crystal Spa to ensure a uniform training experience and allow colleagues to ask questions and learn alongside each
“ We became so tired of turning guests away and saying , ‘ Well , you need a doctor ’ s note if you ’ re going through cancer treatments or if you ’ ve had a past history of cancer .’ That broke our hearts .”
— STEPHANIE SCOTT other . Training therapists is , of course , a necessary component of safely practicing oncology massage , but as Stephanie Scott points out , training front of house staff to inquire sensitively about guests ’ needs during booking calls is vital as well .“ When we did a hands-on refresher [ training ], even the non-therapists were doing it to really understand what pressure is appropriate for someone going through treatment , what questions to ask and how to ask them .”
For Scott Duncan , the journey toward introducing oncology massage started with one of the core tenets of Spa Gregorie ' s ' mission : the importance of giving back to the community . Spa Gregorie ’ s had begun contributing to the Susan G . Komen Foundation , a wellknown organization dedicated to fighting cancer , shortly after the spa ’ s opening in 1998 . A few years later , Duncan saw an opportunity extend their support of the cancer community while also affording massage therapists a new avenue for bringing relief to guests who themselves were a part of that community locally .
“ Massage therapists go to school to become givers , caregivers and healers , and then they get into the industry , and it becomes a job ,” Duncan says .“ So , I started seeing a little bit of burnout with therapists , and we were doing work with the Susan G . Komen Foundation and other groups , and I thought , what if we give therapists an outlet not to just contribute money or help us raise money , but to actually put hands on and make a difference in someone ’ s life like then intended to do when they got into the spa industry ?” The quest to provide that outlet and serve the cancer community more directly led to the founding of Greet the Day , a foundation Duncan founded that operates to this day , making the experience of cancer treatment better by providing oncology massage training to therapists and spa services to cancer patients , as well as advocating for best care practice stan-
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 ■ PULSE 39