Scottish Manual Therapists Organisation

09/10/2025

😀

09/10/2025

🧠💆 Massage is powerful – but not because it squeezes toxins out of muscles. Science shows its biggest influence is on the nervous system. By stimulating receptors in the skin, massage helps calm stress responses, supports balance and enhances wellbeing.

This is far more meaningful than the old ‘toxin’ story. Our clients trust us when we speak with accuracy and confidence.

Learn more in the full blog 👉 https://smto.co.uk/why-flushing-out-toxins-is-a-myth-a-critical-look-at-massage/


GCMT The General Council for Manual Therapies

07/10/2025

💆 SMTO Master Session – What Do We Really Mean by Deep Tissue Massage?
📅 Monday 17 November
⏰ 7:30pm – 8:30pm (Zoom)

We often hear clients ask for deep tissue massage, but what does that really mean? Is it genuinely different from other massage styles, or is it simply about how we apply pressure?

In this Master Session we’ll explore:
✔️ Why we need to question what we think we are doing with deep tissue massage
✔️ How ‘deep’ compares to other massage approaches
✔️ Whether it truly affects deeper structures – or if that’s a myth
✔️ How therapists can apply firmer pressure safely without injuring themselves
✔️ Why ‘deep tissue’ is less about a separate technique and more about how we communicate and work with clients

This is about stripping back the marketing language, looking at the evidence, and asking the right questions about our practice.

💷 Free for SMTO members – register via the SMTO Members’ Group
💷 £25 for non-members – purchase here ➡️ https://smto.co.uk/product/smto-master-session-what-do-we-really-mean-by-deep-tissue-massage/

(Once purchased, you’ll be emailed the REGISTRATION Zoom link.)
Let’s rethink what ‘deep tissue’ really means in today’s massage profession.


GCMT The General Council for Manual Therapies

06/10/2025

Important definition between therapeutic and competitive massage - what you need to know and be aware of.

SMTO is a member of GCMT The General Council for Manual Therapies

👉 Therapeutic Massage vs Competition Massage: What are our definitions?

The General Council for Massage Therapies (GCMT) affirms its support for the diversity of massage applications within therapeutic interactions in complementary healthcare and promotes massage practice that is evidence-informed, collaborative, and client-focused.

Public competitions and showcase events however are typically structured as time sensitive exhibitions, often conducted in busy public venues and assessed primarily on practitioner performance and presentation.

While such events may provide a platform to demonstrate individual skills and techniques, they do not replicate the clinical conditions of therapeutic practice, where the client is the central focus.

Outdated, technique-driven and therapist-dominated approaches to treatment, undermine the modern scientific perspective which emphasises therapeutic alliance, contextual factors, and the client’s beliefs, values, and expectations.

The GCMT recognises that while participation in such events may provide opportunities for self-appraisal, feedback, or reflective learning, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is most effective when it moves beyond a purely technique-focused approach.

The GCMT remains committed to ensuring that CPD is grounded in current evidence and underpinned by collaborative, client-centred principles. It does not endorse public massage competitions as a model of therapeutic practice or as a gateway to teaching CPD.

👉 Definitions from a GCMT perspective

➡️ Therapeutic massage: A professional healthcare service delivered in safe, confidential, and client-focused environments with care that is mutually agreed towards achieving meaningful therapeutic outcomes

➡️ Competition Massage: A performance-based demonstration typically conducted within trade or showcase events and centred on exhibition and judging criteria

06/10/2025

🩺 SMTO Master Session – Understanding Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) in Massage
📅 Monday 6 October
⏰ 7:30pm – 8:30pm (Zoom)

High blood pressure is one of the most common health conditions therapists will encounter, yet it’s often misunderstood in massage practice.

In this Master Session we’ll explore:
✔️ What hypertension really means
✔️ Common medications and their impact
✔️ The maths around circulation that every therapist should understand
✔️ Myths and spelling mistakes you’ll often see in massage texts
✔️ How to make evidence informed decisions rather than relying on a tick-box approach

This is about raising your confidence, deepening your understanding, and ensuring you know how to safely and effectively evaluate the benefits of massage for clients with this condition.

💷 Free for SMTO members – register via the SMTO Members’ Group
💷 £25 for non-members – purchase here ➡️ https://smto.co.uk/product/smto-master-session-understanding-high-blood-pressure-in-massage/

(Once purchased, you’ll be emailed the Zoom REGISTRATION link.)
Let’s move beyond myths and bring clarity to how we approach hypertension in our massage practice.

05/10/2025

📚 𝘾𝙋𝘿 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 - 👀 Look out for SMTO discounts too! Contact the provider directly.
✅OCTOBER
👉Peripheral Mobilisation Workshop- Dunfermline- 11/12 October 2025 -SMTO DISCOUNT AVAILABLE. Contact Gav Cooper. https://www.bodyandbiketherapy.co.uk
👉Hot Stones Massage- Ellon - 17 October 2025. Contact SMS. http://scottishmassage.co.uk/workshops/Hot_stones.html👉Oncology Massage with Susan Findlay - Ellon, 24-26 October 2025 - Contact Susan Findlay. https://www.susanfindlay.co.uk/oncology/
✅NOVEMBER
👉Vertebral Mobilisation Workshop- Dunfermline - 8/9 November 2025 -SMTO DISCOUNT AVAILABLE. Contact Gav Cooper. https://www.bodyandbiketherapy.co.uk
👉Emmett Practitioners Course. Aberdeen. From 8 November 2025. Contact Emmett. http://www.emmett-uk.co.uk/
👉Myofascial Release for the Upper and Lower Body - Edinburgh, 7-10 November 2025. Contact In-Touch Education and MFR UK. https://www.in-toucheducation.co.uk/in-person
👉Indian Head Massage -Ellon - 10 November 2025. Contact SMS. http://scottishmassage.co.uk/work.../IndianHead_Massage.html
👉IASTM and Cupping -Edinburgh, 22/23 November 2025 - SMTO DISCOUNT AVAILABLE. Contact In-Touch Education and MFR UK. Days can be purchased separately. https://www.in-toucheducation.co.uk/in-person
✅DECEMBER
👉Indian Head Massage -Edinburgh - 6 December 2025. Contact SMS. http://scottishmassage.co.uk/work.../IndianHead_Massage.html
👉Hot Stones Massage- Edinburgh - 7 December 2025. Contact SMS. http://scottishmassage.co.uk/workshops/Hot_stones.html
Susan Findlay In-Touch Education Body and Bike Therapy Scottish Massage Schools

03/10/2025

🚶‍♂️🛌 Did you know that walking, sleeping and even digesting food do far more for your circulation than massage ever could? If those daily processes don’t flush toxins, why would massage?

Massage has real value – calming the nervous system, reducing stress and aiding recovery. Let’s stop underselling what it does by clinging to the detox myth.

Read more here 👉https://smto.co.uk/why-flushing-out-toxins-is-a-myth-a-critical-look-at-massage/


GCMT The General Council for Manual Therapies