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Montage Hotels & Resorts has won numerous spa awards thanks, in part, to a 264-hour training programme created by the Advanced Spa Therapy Education and Certification Council. We speak to the council’s founder
By Katie Barnes | Published in Spa Business 2012 issue 3
Half of Bramham’s time is spent on spa training at Montage, which amounts to around 100 therapists in total over the years
Anne Bramham moved to the US from Britain in 1985 and has been a spa therapist, trainer and consultant for clients such as Ritz-Carlton. Concerned by an education system that, unlike the UK, only focused on cosmetology or strictly massage, she set up the then named American Spa Therapy Education and Certification Council (ASTECC), a non-profit organisation, in 1996.
“I wanted to bridge those gaps,” says Bramahm. “I saw a need for holistic studies where therapists understand the blood, circulation and the lymphatic system and how it’s all interconnected. I also wanted to teach therapists to think outside of the box, where they’re not restricted by product-house specific techniques, and are able individualise treatments according to client needs.”
ASTECC components ASTECC classes are offered in approved schools and teaching can be carried out onsite such as at Montage resorts (see p28), at Spa Shiki in Missouri and at Toskana Therme Bad Orb in Germany. And in anticipation of more global expansion, the council recently renamed itself the ‘Advanced’ Spa Therapy Education and Certification Council.
The ASTECC curriculum consists of theoretical and practical instruction across four disciplines – hydrotherapy, soft tissue therapy, manual lymph drainage and basic chemical elements – and has 11 components.
Each certified component, accredited by the US’ National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB), can be taken on its own or altogether for ASTECC’s full postgraduate Spa Therapy Certification. When launched, the full certification included 240 hours’ of training but this has gone up to 264 hours with additions such as Dr Vodder’s Spa Body Wellness course. The Vodder technique is the most well known method of lymph drainage and ASTECC worked with the Dr Vodder school of North America to create its programme focused on health through lymph drainage.
Working with Montage Half of Bramham’s time is dedicated to training at Montage – a relationship that started in the pre-opening phase of the group’s first spa in Laguna Beach in late 2002.
Uniquely, Montage insists all therapists performing its signature Surrender treatment go through ASTECC’s full Spa Therapy Certification. The initial intake consisted of 14 therapists but, as Montage grew and opened two more spas, Bramham estimates numbers are now closer to 100. Classes are usually scheduled for one week a month when therapists will spend 30 hours in the classroom. They also have to complete around 30 hours of hands-on practice a month, while evaluation is ongoing.
In 2006, ASTECC launched a Train the Trainer programme at Montage where certificate graduates are coached to teach one component at a time until they’re approved to lead the whole certificate. “It’s taken our first full trainers three years to graduate,” says Bramham. But with only one fully-qualified trainer at Laguna Montage currently in place, this is a key area for development. “We’re now introducing a new aspect where trainers can specialise in just one discipline such as hydrotherapy,” adds Bramham.
“Montage has been wonderful in embracing education and they’ve rewritten the approach to spa by enthusing staff. It means they can deliver a therapeutic experience to address the guests immediate needs and shift them forward – and they do this with a great space and great facilities with all the finer touches. Does it pay off? Absolutely. They’ve had clients who come back again and again – I know of one guest who stayed at the hotel for three months just for the spa!”
To read more about ASTECC and Montage see Spa Business, issue 1, 2006, p54.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2012 issue 3
Ask an expert: Corporate wellness
Wellness programmes for corporate employees is a lucrative and growing market. What can spas do to tap into this possible new revenue generator?
Training: Anne Bramham
ASTECC is the sole spa training organisation working with Montage. Founder Anne Bramham explains what makes them stand out
Resort spa: Castles & dreams
Jennifer Harbottle looks round The Chateau – an organic wellness resort modelled on a French castle but located in the Malaysian rainforest
Mother & Baby spas: Latching on
Independent, wealthy women are redefining motherhood. Mari Stevens investigates this new emerging group
City focus – Chicago: Chicagoland
Lisa Starr takes a look at a cross-section of spas in Chicago and how they differentiate themselves in the thriving urban spa location
Summit review: Outside the box
The sixth Global Spa & Wellness Summit in Aspen hosted a number of expert speakers. Katie Barnes reports
Spa tourism – Madeira: Madeiran Marvel
The Portuguese island of Madeira holds much promise as a wellness destination. Anni Hood finds out about its spa tourism strategy
Montage Hotels & Resorts has won numerous spa awards thanks, in part, to a 264-hour training programme created by the Advanced Spa Therapy Education and Certification Council. We speak to the council’s founder
By Katie Barnes | Published in Spa Business 2012 issue 3
Half of Bramham’s time is spent on spa training at Montage, which amounts to around 100 therapists in total over the years
Anne Bramham moved to the US from Britain in 1985 and has been a spa therapist, trainer and consultant for clients such as Ritz-Carlton. Concerned by an education system that, unlike the UK, only focused on cosmetology or strictly massage, she set up the then named American Spa Therapy Education and Certification Council (ASTECC), a non-profit organisation, in 1996.
“I wanted to bridge those gaps,” says Bramahm. “I saw a need for holistic studies where therapists understand the blood, circulation and the lymphatic system and how it’s all interconnected. I also wanted to teach therapists to think outside of the box, where they’re not restricted by product-house specific techniques, and are able individualise treatments according to client needs.”
ASTECC components ASTECC classes are offered in approved schools and teaching can be carried out onsite such as at Montage resorts (see p28), at Spa Shiki in Missouri and at Toskana Therme Bad Orb in Germany. And in anticipation of more global expansion, the council recently renamed itself the ‘Advanced’ Spa Therapy Education and Certification Council.
The ASTECC curriculum consists of theoretical and practical instruction across four disciplines – hydrotherapy, soft tissue therapy, manual lymph drainage and basic chemical elements – and has 11 components.
Each certified component, accredited by the US’ National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB), can be taken on its own or altogether for ASTECC’s full postgraduate Spa Therapy Certification. When launched, the full certification included 240 hours’ of training but this has gone up to 264 hours with additions such as Dr Vodder’s Spa Body Wellness course. The Vodder technique is the most well known method of lymph drainage and ASTECC worked with the Dr Vodder school of North America to create its programme focused on health through lymph drainage.
Working with Montage Half of Bramham’s time is dedicated to training at Montage – a relationship that started in the pre-opening phase of the group’s first spa in Laguna Beach in late 2002.
Uniquely, Montage insists all therapists performing its signature Surrender treatment go through ASTECC’s full Spa Therapy Certification. The initial intake consisted of 14 therapists but, as Montage grew and opened two more spas, Bramham estimates numbers are now closer to 100. Classes are usually scheduled for one week a month when therapists will spend 30 hours in the classroom. They also have to complete around 30 hours of hands-on practice a month, while evaluation is ongoing.
In 2006, ASTECC launched a Train the Trainer programme at Montage where certificate graduates are coached to teach one component at a time until they’re approved to lead the whole certificate. “It’s taken our first full trainers three years to graduate,” says Bramham. But with only one fully-qualified trainer at Laguna Montage currently in place, this is a key area for development. “We’re now introducing a new aspect where trainers can specialise in just one discipline such as hydrotherapy,” adds Bramham.
“Montage has been wonderful in embracing education and they’ve rewritten the approach to spa by enthusing staff. It means they can deliver a therapeutic experience to address the guests immediate needs and shift them forward – and they do this with a great space and great facilities with all the finer touches. Does it pay off? Absolutely. They’ve had clients who come back again and again – I know of one guest who stayed at the hotel for three months just for the spa!”
To read more about ASTECC and Montage see Spa Business, issue 1, 2006, p54.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2012 issue 3
Ask an expert: Corporate wellness
Wellness programmes for corporate employees is a lucrative and growing market. What can spas do to tap into this possible new revenue generator?
Training: Anne Bramham
ASTECC is the sole spa training organisation working with Montage. Founder Anne Bramham explains what makes them stand out
Resort spa: Castles & dreams
Jennifer Harbottle looks round The Chateau – an organic wellness resort modelled on a French castle but located in the Malaysian rainforest
Mother & Baby spas: Latching on
Independent, wealthy women are redefining motherhood. Mari Stevens investigates this new emerging group
City focus – Chicago: Chicagoland
Lisa Starr takes a look at a cross-section of spas in Chicago and how they differentiate themselves in the thriving urban spa location
Summit review: Outside the box
The sixth Global Spa & Wellness Summit in Aspen hosted a number of expert speakers. Katie Barnes reports
Spa tourism – Madeira: Madeiran Marvel
The Portuguese island of Madeira holds much promise as a wellness destination. Anni Hood finds out about its spa tourism strategy
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
