What is a health worker? How spa therapists in a Norwegian health hotel understand their work

Anthropology & Medicine
Jorid Anderssen

Abstract

In Norway, as in many other wealthy countries, the number of health-related services that are being offered outside of the health sector is increasing. The present paper is based on qualitative interviews that were conducted with providers of health-related services at a commercial health hotel in Norway. The hotel is marketed as a health hotel - that is, a place for people with health problems and for those who need relaxation and an escape from their stressful everyday lives. The paper discusses whether the providers of this kind of service consider it a health service or if they distinguish and distance themselves from the health system. The interviews showed that they consider themselves health workers and refer to themselves as therapists. Even though they use therapy in the health sector as a model, they distinguish themselves from therapists in the health sector. They do not want to treat what they call sick people. Most of their therapy is directed toward cultivating or improving people's bodies and souls. These service providers think that they contribute to improving their guests' health by teaching them how to take care of themselves; enjoying oneself (for instance, by receiving skin treatment or a massage) is an imp...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1980·International Journal of Health Services : Planning, Administration, Evaluation·R Crawford
Jan 29, 2002·Isis; an International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences·G Weisz
Nov 2, 2002·Journal of Clinical Psychology·Charles R Figley
Apr 7, 2010·Social Science & Medicine·Peter ConradAteev Mehrotra
May 13, 2011·Anthropology & Medicine·Cristiana Bastos
May 13, 2011·Anthropology & Medicine·Amy R Speier
May 13, 2011·Anthropology & Medicine·George Weisz

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