Two of my work colleagues and I attended the World Massage Festival (WMF) in Cherokee, North Carolina. ABMP is a sponsor of the event, and we were there to run our association’s booth. 

It had been pre-pandemic since we last participated in the WMF, and it was a joy to be back in the presence of so many tie-dye-clad MTs doing great work. (If you’ve never attended the WMF, think Grateful Dead meets therapeutic bodywork, complete with a parade of flags.) 

What was palpable from the get-go was the enthusiasm massage therapists have for what they do. They were excited to attend, meet like-minded MTs, and learn. We met newbies fresh out of massage school and veterans who had been practicing for more than 30 years. Most were ABMP members, and we got to collectively geek out about how they inspire us and how we help them succeed through our resources. 

In addition to the general awesomeness of the conference exhibitors’ floor and daily education, the WMF hosted two events. The WMF was preceded by the American Massage Championships, where 80 practitioners from around the globe competed in a variety of modalities. 

Competitive massage, you might ask? Yep. Many of us may identify bodywork only as a means to help clients—and that it does quite well—but it was also fascinating to watch MTs challenge one another, show their skills, improve their techniques, and learn new moves. 

On the second night of the WMF was the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame, where 27 new individuals were inducted. Massage & Bodywork authors Cal Cates and David Lesondak were brought into the fold, and we want to congratulate them for their lifelong hard work and support of the profession. Kudos! 

For me, the 90-minute hall of fame ceremony was plenty powerful. I heard people’s origin stories and how they first came to find massage and the work they had done and where they had done it over their careers. I witnessed firsthand more than a few practitioners tear up, thanking the people who helped them become successful, and often sending shoutouts to their parents and those who believed in them along the way. 

One final thing was clear from connecting with the hundreds of MTs at the WMF: Boy, do they like swag! We handed out ABMP backpacks, beach towels, bucket hats, koozies, stickers, and magazines, and took innumerable pictures together at our photo booth. 

I left with a smile, watching so many ABMP members proudly display their newfound goods around the trade show floor. I hoped they would continue displaying them when they returned to their practices, where they can tell their fellow MTs and clients about what they learned in their travels and how ABMP supports what they’re doing to help bodyworkers and their clients.