This year's World Massage Festival and Massage Therapy Hall of Fame
took place at the Hadji Shrine Temple in Pensacola, Florida, October
20 and 21.

The Festival had a full schedule of classes, allowing therapists to
earn up to 16 hours of CE credits. Many well known instructors
presented, including Lauria Azzarella –"Why Massage Therapists Need
the Ingham Method of Reflexology"; Bruce Baltz - "Active Isolated
Stretching - The Spa Method" and "Foundations of Deep Tissue Healing –
The Art of Stone Massage"; Michael Buck – "Thai Yoga Table" and "Thai
Yoga Mat"; and Nathalie Cecilia (a 2009 Massage Therapy Hall of Fame
Inductee) – "Bamboo Fusion". Brita Ostrom from Big Sur, California, as
Director of the world renowned Esalen® Institute, taught "Intro to
Esalen® Massage" and "Whole Body Wholistic Massage".

Azzarella, Baltz, Buck, Ostrom and the Esalen® Institute were all
inducted into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame. Along with them, the
other 2007 Inductees were John Barnes, Judith DeLany, Aaron Mattes,
Tom Myers, David Palmer, Therese Pfrimmer, Linda Tellington-Jones and
Janet Travell.

During her keynote speech, Brita Ostrom noted, "Let's take a moment to
review in our minds this past weekend, with the opening wonder of
tornado force winds, the experience of meeting so many friends and
colleagues, the ah-hah of sensible and crazy new approaches. I want to
thank our dreamer, Mike Hinkle and to extend my congratulations to the
other members of the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame. What a concept!
Thanks to Mike, we have a history, we have become a part of that
history, and our history will continue to refine itself in the future."

Massage Therapy Hall of Fame Inductees for 2008 will be Judi Calvert,
Erik Dalton, Elizabeth Dicke, Tiffany Field, Sandy Fritz, Estrellita
Izquierdo, Raul Izquierdo Sr., Vivian Madison-Mahoney, Paul St. John,
Ralph Stephens, John Upledger and the Upledger Institute, and James
Waslaski.

The 2008 World Massage Festival will offer over 70 hours of NCBTMB
approved workshops for CE credit. Our instructors will be Buck,
Cecilia, Fritz, Julia Young-Hayes, Madison-Mahoney, Margie Meshew
(2009 Massage Therapy Hall of Fame Inductee), Karen Reifinger,
Stephens and Waslaski.

Next year's event is planned for Panama City Beach, Florida, August
1-3, 2008. See full details at http://www.worldmassagefestival.com

Cindy Michaels
Registrar, World Massage Festival
850-292-1599