HopNews
Anna Gammal, owner of Body n’ Beyond Massage Therapy in Hopkinton, MA, will be inducted into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame in Las Vegas on July 29, 2025.
The World Massage Festival, a premier event in the massage therapy industry, will honor Gammal with a Hall of Fame induction, recognizing her exceptional contributions to the profession both nationally and internationally over the last 25 years.
Gammal is a dedicated professional with a passion for education and service. She has worked to advance the practice of massage therapy, including volunteering and teaching nationally and internationally. Notably, she brought myofascial therapy, to Greece.
Gammal’s nomination for the Hall of Fame came from fellow Licensed Massage Therapist Mary White, whose work alongside Gammal includes the massage therapy team for elite athletes at the Boston Marathon. Gammal led the massage therapy team at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and she was a member of the massage team at the 2012 London Olympics.
Anna Gammal expanded her practice by incorporating additional wellness programs while continuously pursuing further education in the massage therapy field. Education remains a central focus for Anna, encompassing both formal training and insights gained from fellow massage therapists and clients. In 2023, she achieved certification as an instructor with the esteemed Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB), wrote White, in Gammal’s nomination.
The FSMTB is an independent organization that unites state massage therapy boards and regulatory agencies within the United States. Its primary mission is to support member boards in ensuring that massage therapy and bodywork practitioners provide safe and effective therapeutic services to the public.
Founded by Mike Hinkle, the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding massage therapy instructors who have made lasting contributions to the profession. All inductees receive the poem “The Bridge Builder” (below).
“I am honored and humbled by this induction and this recognition from The Massage Hall of Fame,” said Gammal. “This induction reflects the collective efforts of my colleagues, students, and clients who have supported me throughout my journey. I remain committed to shaping the future of massage therapy and building a path for others to follow.”
Anna Gammal continues to inspire the next generation of massage therapists with her expertise, passion, and commitment to both education and healing.
The Bridge Builder
By Will Allen Dromgoole, a poet and writer born in Tennessee in 1860
An old man going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm vast and deep and wide.
Through which was flowing a sullen tide
The old man crossed in the twilight dim,
The sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day,
You never again will pass this way;
You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build this bridge at evening tide?”
The builder lifted his old gray head;
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followed after me to-day
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been as naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”
Congratulations Anna! I didn’t realize I could get significant back pain relief from a massage until I visited Body n Beyond. Literally improved my quality of life. Well deserved award!