Naturopathica Shares The Healing Power Of Massage With Cancer Patients
When Naturopathica launched their Oncology Care Program , their CEO Cathy O'Brien never expected to experience it firsthand as a patient. But after she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer at the end of 2023, she found herself on the receiving end during a chemotherapy session.
"I learned what it's like to actually go through it, and given what we're doing here, it was very helpful," O'Brien says. "I go for my first chemotherapy appointment, and a therapist walks in and says, 'do you want a foot massage while you're going through chemo?' And I was like, 'I do; thank you.' They had no idea that I was from Naturopathica . I didn't say anything, and I just experienced it as a patient. My first time, I was really nervous and scared, and didn't know what was going on. It was a game-changer. I could feel my whole body [relaxing] and thinking it's going to be okay."
Launched this past year and ramping up this fall, Naturopathica's Oncology Care Program is a comprehensive therapeutic approach that brings comfort to patients undergoing the tough side effects of cancer treatment. Created with experts certified in cancer care to specifically nurture cancer patients, the specialty services provide deep moisture to skin, deliver the therapeutic benefits of touch, and relieve some of the discomfort caused by treatments like radiation and chemotherapy.
"The oncology massage therapy program is based on the medicinal healing property of massage and touch energy," O'Brien says. "Medically, it's been proven that it does help. When your body's going through cancer treatment, it's like your body is in a whole different place, and so is your head, and so is your energy. But the way they touch you on both your body and your face is so different and so attuned to the lymphatic system and the sensitivities of your body and your skin at that time. It proved to me that we're doing something really good."
Naturopathica's Oncology Care Program has never been more needed. An estimated 2 million people in the US will be diagnosed with cancer in 2024, according to the National Cancer Institute , with breast cancer alone affecting approximately 310k women and 2.7k men.
"We are very thankful and appreciative of Naturopathica's commitment and support," says Raina Caridi, Assistant Vice President, Mount Sinai Oncology and Therapeutic Infusion Services. "Their willingness to provide services to our patients at no cost, and volunteering their time and therapists is making a significant impact in the patient experience. The patient cancer journey can bring with it many stressors and anxiety, and through massage we promote relaxation and a way to help manage that both physically and emotionally."
As O'Brien knows all too well, cancer touches everyone in some way, whether it's yourself, a family member or a friend. O'Brien underwent four rounds of chemotherapy followed by radiation. "When I got diagnosed with breast cancer out of nowhere it was a total curveball; no one in my family has ever had breast cancer," she says. "I eat well, I work out, I meditate, I do all the stuff, but I still got it. It doesn't matter how old you are—you need to have your mammograms. That's something that I do religiously every year, I do a mammogram and a sonogram because they identify different things."
In addition to offering the treatments at Naturopathica's five eponymous spas, with more on the way, they have partnered with over 300 spas across the country. They've also teamed up with leading hospitals in cancer treatment and research, including Mount Sinai in New York, to provide complimentary massages to patients as they undergo chemotherapy. They just added the hospital at University of Pennsylvania to their roster and are looking to continue their expansion.
"Our spas are healing mechanisms," O'Brien says. "We treat people with real skin issues, like rosacea, psoriasis, chronic redness. All that stuff manifests from what's going on inside your body. We have people telling us that they get healed from it, which is super exciting. Cancer is such a big deal; it's so ever present that we decided to get our estheticians and massage therapists trained and certified in oncology treatment care, so that we could offer that as another healing service in our spa."
All of the therapists go through rigorous training and certification through a third party to learn the specific massage techniques. Naturopathica pays and trains their own staff, and they also pay for the hospital treatments for patients. Their spa partners cover their own training. Naturopathica is opening their sixth spa in Aspen in November, where they will also offer the oncology treatments. Though treatments in hospitals are free to patients, they pay a regular fee when visiting a spa, including Naturopathica spas. But the brand is on a mission to one day have the treatments covered by insurance.
"It's mind boggling to me that massage therapy is not covered by insurance," O'Brien says. "On top of it, why isn't medicinal skincare covered by insurance? I have to take a pill every day now [due to cancer], but I'm also using my skincare every day, and it's making the biggest organ in my body healthy. I've been talking to different medical groups and insurance groups about that. Acupuncture only recently became something that can be covered by insurance, and not everybody covers it. We are spreading the word and spreading the training and service availability to people. As we grow, we'll continue to partner with hospitals in different markets."
Like many newly diagnosed cancer patients, O'Brien did a deep dive on the ingredients in the skincare products she was using to ensure they were safe. "I lost my hair and I didn't care about that, but I did care about my skin because it really ages if you damage your skin and it's irreparable. You can't fix that. It's hard. From the get go, I was dousing myself in our stuff. I have been dousing myself in three particular products from the beginning and my skin's literally never been better in my life." O'Brien's go-to products are the Carrot Seed Soothing Facial Oil ,, Marshmallow & Microalgae Sensitivity Soothing Crème and the new Calendula & Tremella Nourishing Body Butter .
Most of the Naturopathica products used in the Oncology Care Program are available for anyone to purchase, including the Manuka Honey Cleansing Balm , Marshmallow & Probiotic Sensitivity Soothing Cream Cleanser , Oak Cleansing Facial Polish , Oat & Calendula Soothing Jelly Mist , Calendula Essential Hydrating Cream , Gotu Kola Intense Repair Balm , Marshmallow & Microalgae Sensitivity Soothing Crème , Manuka Honey Whipped Oil , Soothing Honey Vanilla Lip Balm , Primrose Eye & Lip Treatment , Carrot Seed Soothing Facial Oil , Lavender Protective Moisturizer SPF 17 and Aloe Vera Replenishing Gel Mask .
Not everyone undergoing cancer treatment can afford Naturopathica products, so the brand is working on a much lower-priced line specifically for them. "Even if you're not getting a cancer treatment, they're really great," O'Brien says. "We want to make it more available to people by creating these other skus. How do we evolve this good thing to where people are waking up to healthier skincare and healthier wellness? After Covid, people are into self-care; now it's mainstream dialogue. That's the kind of thing that we're working on here, slowly but surely—it takes time."
As the program expands, O'Brien's priority is ensuring that every single experience is consistently excellent for the patient. "It's fully part of our philosophy and mentality of how we do things," she says. "What I love about all of our estheticians and massage therapists is how they approach their work: They are healing people. If you talk to any of them, you'll just get it. And it's pretty special."
