PALM TREE HEALTH

Luca Di Palma, owner and founder of Palm Tree Health, began his career as a professional basketball player in Italy.

He grew up in a small town nestled between Cinque Terre and Nice, near the French border.

From an early age, he found purpose and identity through sport — drawn to the discipline, clarity, and power that physical activity gave him. His passion for sport quickly evolved into a high-performance pathway.

By high school, Luca was competing against former NBA prospects and participating in junior national competitions.

At just 19 years old, he earned a roster spot with the professional team in a second division team. But his ascent was cut short by a hand injury which required surgery — one that meant his career as a professional was over before it could fully develop.

That injury marked the beginning of a long and difficult period of self-discovery. In the midst of pursuing a Sport Science degree at the University of Florence, Luca took a sabbatical — booked a one-way ticket to Australia in search of new direction. What began as a break turned into a transformation, and Australia quickly became home.

After years of work towards a new life and a new career, the idea for Palm Tree Health was born — a vision to build a practice that could support others through the same challenges he once faced. 

Luca is now a certified massage therapist and a registered member of the Massage Association of Australia (MAA). He is currently completing the final two subjects of a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Technology Sydney, with the goal of specialising in Physiotherapy, with a focus on injury prevention, performance management, and long-term client care.

Driven by the desire to become the therapist he never had — the one he needed most during injury and rehabilitation — Luca is building a career dedicated to helping others know and manage their body through evidence informed Massage Therapy and Exercise Science.