Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa The Added Benefits of Massages and Facials - How a Local Franchise is Helping to Improve the Health of Cleveland Area residents likely have noticed a lot of relaxed, serene-looking people coming out of a new business on Chagrin Boulevard in Woodmere. Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, which opened its doors at 27920 Chagrin Blvd., in April, is owned by local couple Tom and Pam Dittoe, who have always been interested in running their own business. Tom had worked in risk management for 23 years at FedEx Ground and Pam is a nurse and clinical manager. The two opened their spa with the intent of bringing massage and facial services to the masses, but the underlying benefits of such services have become the real reason the brand has become so successful. The old school of thought was that spas were a place purely for pampering and relaxation, but there are a number of other benefits of spa treatments that many may not recognize at first. We spoke with Tom to find out five additional benefits that come with taking some time to treat yourself: • Spending a lot of time sitting during the day can cause back problems. Massages not only help to improve your posture, but they also can help to realign the spine, offsetting the discomfort you put on your body throughout the day. • Massages also can increase joint flexibility, which can be particularly useful for people with arthritis. After a massage, there have been noticeable differences among many in muscle movement and a decrease in pain. • Many customers have reported being able to sleep better. Some customers who suffer from insomnia have found that the night after they get a massage, they are able to sleep more soundly throughout the night because of tension and stress relief. • Facials help correct imperfections by helping skin look softer and more youthful, but there are a number of facial treatment options that target specific issues. For example, some treatments help to increase elasticity and others help to improve the appearance of acne scars, wrinkles and sun spots. • Massages and facials can increase circulation. With massages, the rubbing motion often brings blood flow back into parts of the body that aren’t normally worked with daily activity. Facial treatments help increase the flow of oxygen, which can help to develop new skin cells and repair those that are damaged. Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spas is one of the fastest-growing spa franchises in the country; there are already four spas in Ohio with aggressive growth plans for the state. Todd Leff, president and CEO of the brand, says the company’s emphasis on quality customer service, combined with a full menu of healthy lifestyle options for massage and facials at an affordable, month-to-month price, has positioned the brand for continued growth. While the typical massage client used to have to track down a freelance massage therapist, schedule an appointment days in advance and pay more than $100 for a one-hour treatment, many Hand & Stone clients book their appointments on the same day as their service and pay 30 percent less than the traditional hourly rate. Better yet, when they sign up for a one-session-per-month plan, they pay a discounted rate and receive a massage or facial each month. Despite instability in the economy, Hand & Stone in 2010 took its convenient model one step further by offering month-to-month memberships for customers. To learn more about Hand & Stone, visit www.handandstone. com or call 216.839.2772. You can also visit their page on Facebook at Hand-Stone-Massage-and-FacialSpa-Beachwood. Diabetes Partnership of Cleveland – Diabetes Never Takes A Break Diabetes Partnership of Cleveland, located in Beachwood, is a local, independent non-profit agency that works to “ensure that Greater Clevelanders affected by diabetes have the support they need to live well with the disease.” All money raised remains here in Northeast Ohio. There is no other community-based organization with a staff of certified diabetes educators, a registered nurse, a nutritionist and a social worker who provide services for people looking for immediate and long-term support for managing this chronic disease in the total sense, outside their medical home. Programs and services include: diabetes self-management classes, medical nutrition therapy, support groups, telephone consultations, patient assistance programs, referrals and consultations, free literature, a patient assistance program for emergency supplies such as a 30-day supply of insulin, glucose meters, lancets and strips, and Camp Ho Mita Koda for children and teens with diabetes. Located in Newbury, the camp is also available for rental to groups! For information about any of our programs or events, please call 216.591.0800 or visit www.diabetespartnership.org. Chagrin Valley Wellness Center – The Gibbons School The Gibbons School of Massage Therapy & Integrated Medicine will educate each student with the practical knowledge of attaining postural balance, developing core strength and preserving efficient functional movement for themselves and for their clients. The Diploma of Massage Therapy program at The Gibbons School of Massage Therapy & Integrated Medicine provides students with instruction in anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, pathology, ethics, and business principles. Students will also learn the principles and applications of therapeutic massage, including soft tissue manipulation, client assessment, treatment planning, hydrotherapy, massage history, the physiological effects of massage and massage contraindications. Instruction concerning professional and legal issues that pertain to massage therapists will also be given. The curriculum is designed to include a lecture and lab component. Students who have met all the requirements of the program will be prepared to sit for the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards Exam (MBLex), which is a necessary step to obtaining a license to practice therapeutic massage in the state of Ohio. Financing assistance is available. Contact us at 216.364.0152 or www.thegibbons.com. 36 Beachwood Buzz n September 2015