Pssst! I was talking about you the other day, so I thought I should let you know. Someone asked me, “Who do you admire most in the profession?”

Ha! Easy answer: I admire you! You, the individual massage therapist dedicated to ensuring that the last massage of the week is delivered with the same care, conviction, focus, and skill as the first massage. And that dedication spans your month, year, and career.

Chances are you practice in multiple settings—your own space, a clinic or franchise, perhaps a spa or gym—and manage an ever-shifting schedule. Doing your best to accommodate your clients’ needs, you somehow find some time for yourself and your family.

Odds are you’re blending together two or more careers, too. You’re proud to call yourself a massage therapist, but you also have another career, or interest, or job that helps you make ends meet and enables you to balance life in a variety of ways.

Although you may be fortunate to live and work in a town where folks sing the praises of massage therapy, you’re probably practicing in an area where it’s difficult to educate people about the benefits of massage and gain new clients. So you participate in ABMP’s EveryBody Deserves a Massage Week each July and you utilize the client education materials online for members at ABMP.com—everything from Body Sense to customized client newsletters.

You can’t wait to give your next massage and you want to make sure you’re up-to-date on the latest work, so you invest time with Massage & Bodywork magazine. You know we work hard to reflect your needs and wants. (A practitioner recently told me, “Your features are amazing—it’s as if you read my mind!”)

This issue is dedicated to all the facets of you—the caring person, the dedicated practitioner, the inquisitive reader, and the treasured member. We honor you and we’re here for you, so thank you for letting me brag about you!

Leslie A. Young, Editor in Chief