"Massage News to educate everyone about Massage Therapy because the journey is endless."

Bamboo has been used by other cultures around the world in a multitude of ways including as a form of punishment in Singapore referred to as "caning" which was performed using long bamboo and/or rattan sticks.

Many Asian countries treat bamboo with great reverence since it has played a significant role in feeding and housing them. It is very common for bamboo to be used in making musical and surgical instruments, furniture, eating utensils and storage baskets in addition to hundreds of other uses.

Bamboo is a highly renewable (sustainable) resource and boasts more than 1500 different species that grow naturally throughout most Asian countries in addition to South and Central America. The Chinese and Japanese have used bamboo since ancient times; however is just now becoming mainstream in the American culture.

In the United States, bamboo is primarily symbolic and is gaining in popularity due to the fact that it is a highly renewable resource. It is also beautiful and considered "lucky" by many people that possess bamboo stalks commonly arranged in a small vase. Many high end resorts and spas are now decorating with bamboo in the form of flooring, furniture, and artwork. They can take this a step further and incorporate it into their spa menus as part of a new exotic treatment that feels luxurious.

Nathalie Cecilia, originally from Nimes, France is the original source in the United States for a brand new spa treatment she calls Bamboo-fusion. This trademarked treatment is in high demand by luxury spas and is gaining in popularity. Ms. Cecilia uses bamboo pieces cut into different shapes and sizes as extensions of her fingers during a massage treatment. She also "warms" the bamboo to allow the bamboo pieces to penetrate and relax the muscles quicker.

She originally discovered this form of massage during a massage treatment where the client kept requesting "deeper pressure" on his upper trapezius (shoulders). At a little over 5' and only 100 lbs, Nathalie began to experience pain in her hands within only 2 months of doing traditional massage. As a Thai therapist, Nathalie sometimes did back walking while using bamboo poles that are 6 feet in length for balance. "As I was working on this gentleman who was in a sitting position, my eyes caught the two bamboo poles that I used for balance when back walking. I had the idea to use one of the poles for tapotement on his upper trapezius. So I stood about six feet from him, tapping on his shoulders with this very long stick, and he told me it felt really great!"

Small repetitive movements performed by the massage therapist when doing traditional massage can result in repetitive use injuries such as carpel tunnel. With the Bamboo-fusion massage, the bamboo tools allow the massage therapist to easily address deep pressure requests. Ms. Cecilia explains that she has noticed that after a few bamboo massage treatments, the client's skin can actually become more supple.

In 2004, shortly after becoming a massage therapist, Ms. Cecilia first started using bamboo and rattan tools to perform a flowing Swedish type massage. Imagine a skilled therapist using warmed bamboo to dissolve knots and tension throughout your body. These hand crafted tools are custom designed so that even the smallest therapist can give an effective deep tissue massage that is easy on their body, hands and wrists. This ecologically sound and sustainable product is currently made by skilled woodworkers, however when Ms. Cecilia first began bamboo massage, she actually made the pieces herself by hand.

Her bamboo tool sets have evolved over the past few years and are now made with 100% solid bamboo which is pressed into different shapes and sizes to match her Bamboo-fusion massage routine. The new bamboo tool sets, designed for full body massage, hold heat well and are very comfortable for the therapist to use.

"There is a beautiful quality to the material; both you and the client feel very energized and revitalized, but also more relaxed." Her technique uses massage oil or cream when performing a full body massage on a client. Shorter pieces of bamboo work well for smaller areas such as around the scapula. A 16" bamboo stick is also used to knead the muscles and do a "criss-cross" technique that stretches the fascia in all directions.

Unlike warm stone massage, the bamboo is easy to heat without the use of a roaster or crock pot. In the heating device she uses, the bamboo stays warm (which of course the clients love), and there is little clean up between sessions.

As therapists and clients continually search for new approaches to massage therapy, bamboo is at the forefront of the industry, offering the most basic solution. The use of a renewable and sustainable resource that connects us to ancient times allows our modern need for deep tissue massage to be addressed. Nathalie is the pioneer of bamboo massage and is a leader in the massage and bodywork industry.

Nathalie and her team of instructors are in high demand by individual therapists and spas/resorts seeking new effective treatments using bamboo. To address this demand, Bamboo-fusion massage classes are offered in various locations in the United States and are approved by the state of Florida and the NCBTMB for Continuing Education (CE's) for license renewal. Classes are offered at several training facilities on a regular basis in Sarasota, Florida where Nathalie resides, as well as taught in Seattle, Durham, and Cincinnati. She also offers onsite training at spas and resorts.

In addition to workshops, Cecilia also offers DVD's and specialized bamboo sets for each of her techniques which are for use on the table for full body massage and on the chair through clothing. In addition, Ms Cecilia just created a new French facial massage called Bamboo-Visage which utilizes a delicate tool set hand crafted from bamboo and rattan. This treatment was introduced at a recent spa show in Las Vegas and intrigued massage therapists as well as estheticians and spa directors. Retail products and class information are available by visiting the founder's website at www.Bamboo-fusion.com or by calling (941)544-6676.