Thoughts from a maths teacher who left his profession to become a full-time gong bath host

Reading the testimonials on Gong Practitioner, Martyn Cawthorne’s website, it’s hard not to be intrigued by the meditative, restorative world of gong baths. “I’ve seen colours swirl behind my eyes and I’ve felt my aura expand until it might burst into a billion stars and shower the room!” enthuses one of Martyn’s regular attendees. “As a busy mum of two, plus working full time, I honestly can’t remember the last time my mind felt calm and still. This was the best me-time I’ve had in years, just being able to float away, enveloped in the sound,” says another.  

There are more, many more amazing reviews – each with its own unique perspective but all with one thing in common. Martyn’s gong baths are truly transformative. “At one point I could picture a future where we were elderly and attending a gong bath, much to our kids’ amusement,” describes an attendee from a couples Gong Spa session. 

“Honestly, it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever experienced,” sums up another participant. 

If you aren’t already itching to book yourself straight into one of Martyn’s Gong Spa sessions, you will be after reading this interview. This is the kind of person you’d love to meet at a festival, or in a bar, or anywhere really, and chat into the wee hours with. His passion for what he does is infectious, and his ideas and perspectives are really inspiring. He’s got some very sound advice for anyone looking to turn their passion for a certain practice into a business, too. 

Let’s get stuck in 🧘.

✅ Key ticketing takeaways

💰Ticket Tailor’s low-cost pricing structure – and the fact we charge for actual tickets sold – helps Martyn keep his costs down, which is vital as a small business owner. 

😌Martyn loves that Ticket Tailor’s friendly customer services team is always there to answer any queries with a few minutes.

⌛Ticket Tailor’s range of helpful features has saved Martyn tons of time – like our waitlists feature, the ability to export data, and the fact he can sell other products alongside tickets, such as CDs.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with the world of gong baths – what’s it all about? 

A Gong Bath is a relaxing, therapeutic experience in which you lay down on a mat with a blanket, a pillow and an eye mask, and experience the sounds and vibrations of the gongs as they undo the tensions you may be holding onto, physically, mentally and emotionally.  An incredible and surprising array of sounds wholly engage the mind and hold you in a timeless moment, while every last cell in the body receives something of a vibrational massage, enabling a deep let go.

Wow – sounds pretty incredible. How did your own journey into the world of gong baths begin? 

I’ve been a meditator and a musician for more than thirty years. When I first heard gongs being played in this way (thanks Colin and Olive at Glastonbury Festival 😊), I found that they guided me towards meditation effortlessly and beautifully. I knew there and then that this was my calling, and that most people would really enjoy and benefit from the experience of a gong bath.

What made you take the leap into turning your passion into a business?

After that experience at Glastonbury, just three months passed before I left my previous job. I had been a maths teacher, and had loved sharing the patterns on which the world of maths revolves and, in particular, helping people overcome their previous negative experiences with the subject. 

I found a gong teacher whose playing I felt at home with (thanks Sheila Whittaker), and studied under her during the next year, alongside many amazing fellow students. From there on in, it’s been a fantastic experience which now sees my partner, Jaz and I, spend most nights creating the perfect environment for people to come and enjoy the gongs and find a little of what they need. It’s been a real blessing to be able to share these sounds and silences with people all over the country. (We live in the North West of the UK, so most of our work is focused in that area, though we go further afield as and when required). 

Tell us a bit about the types of gong bath sessions you offer at Gong Spa… 

Our most frequent work is in the gong baths that we provide on a regular basis for groups of people – who (after buying their tickets from Ticket Tailor!) come to whichever church hall, yoga room or similar venue that is closest to them. But we also offer one-to-one gong baths, workplace sessions, and healthcare/hospice sessions; we play at festivals and retreats, play alongside yoga and other such practices, and people hire us for their own families, friends or other groups too…. 

A gong bath video that I posted on youtube has even led to an opportunity to play in the USA later this year! We like to make ourselves available for whatever needs we can meet.

Do you have any advice for anyone thinking of turning their passion for a certain practice into a business? 

I would say that when you find the thing you love to do, and which people love you to do, then you’ll likely be off to a good start. When your practice is from the heart, the heart of those for whom you’re working responds in kind. 

That said, I work very hard, and my days are filled with work on the computer. Thankfully my nerdy side enjoys making discoveries for making the admin side easier. Not least using Ticket Tailor, which has saved me hours every week! And I’m always buzzing to be working in the name of what we do. 

Of course, it’s wise to remember to give yourself a little time off, including regular short breaks in the day, the occasional day off in the week, and the occasional week off too. And try not to just work all the way through that week on a beach! Set yourself two times a day to respond to emails and then relax the rest of the time!

One other thought – when you do what you love, the doors that open from there are ones that you’ll probably enjoy going through! Amazing 😊.

That’s definitely very sound advice 😌. We’d love to know, what made you choose Ticket Tailor as your ticketing partner?

Ticket Tailor has been perfect for me. For one thing, it ‘s very affordable for a small business, which is great. On that front, I particularly love that the cost revolves around the number of tickets I sell, rather than a predefined rate. Secondly, I love that there is always somebody willing to answer my queries within a handful of minutes. That goes a long way! And the team are always so friendly 😊.

That’s great to hear 🙏. Are there any Ticket Tailor features that have been particularly useful for you?

One of the most useful features has been the waitlist. It’s great to be able to offer potential attendees the chance to grab a space, even if one doesn’t open up. If a space does open up, it’s great to be able to send a blanket email to everybody on the list at once. I also love the ability to export data, which makes short work of what can otherwise be very demanding tasks. 

And I love that I can sell other products like my CDs, alongside tickets. Oh, and of course, the widget that enables me to sell tickets directly from my WordPress website home page.

Ticket Tailor is also always making new developments, listening to user suggestions – and it’s also great to know they’re doing their bit for the environment. Thank you Ticket Tailor!

You’re most welcome! Can you tell us anything about how you get the word out about Gong Spa?

Honestly, I think word of mouth has been the best promo for me, but I’ve been extremely grateful over the years for the likes of Facebook Events, Instagram, Meetup and YouTube.  It can be a lot of work, but it feels easier than posting flyers through people’s doors!

Finally, what does the future hold for Gong Spa?

I’ve been enjoying working with Paiste, a major gong manufacturer, over the last few years in creating occasional videos and articles, so it’ll be interesting to see if any developments come about there. 

I’m waiting on a new instrument that’s being hand-made for me by the wonderfully talented Matt Nolan (generally a custom cymbal maker, though he takes his creative powers beyond cymbals alone).

Other than that, no big plans – the work is already everything it needs to be.

Here's to that 🧘. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us, Martyn! Such inspiring stuff 💫.

🧘 Head to GongSpa.co.uk to try a session, or watch a session online.

❓Looking for a gong batch experience but don’t live anywhere near Gong Spa’s venues? Check out Martyn’s Facebook group, Find A Gong Bath to find an event near you.

🎟️ Learn more about how Ticket Tailor can help your events run smoothly with feature-packed, low cost ticketing for workshops and classes.