As modern science begins to document the therapeutic benefits of massage, its public perception has changed dramatically.
If you’ve ever patted a baby’s back or rubbed your own aching feet, you’ve already taken part in the ancient healing tradition of massage therapy, which has been used for thousands of years, across cultures and continents, to bring relief to a variety of physical and emotional ailments. As modern science begins to document the therapeutic benefits of massage, its public perception has changed dramatically. So, too, has its role in our local economy, with numerous massage therapy schools turning out graduates who go on to work with an expanding array of North Bay businesses.
Evidence-based therapy
Other than bringing temporary relaxation to tired or aching muscles, the benefits of massage therapy were largely considered anecdotal by the U.S. medical establishment prior to 1992, when the Touch Research Institute (TRI) was founded at the University of Miami School of Medicine (with funding provided by Johnson & Johnson). TRI was established to both study the effects of touch therapies and to compile the records of all scientifically rigorous studies conducted by other institutions. The creation of TRI marked a turning point in massage’s credibility as an alternative therapy.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the new body of research is showing that massage can decrease stress levels, which are a contributing factor in both the creation of some diseases and the ways in which we experience pain. It’s proven effective in easing depression and anxiety, speeding post-operative recovery and improving circulation. It may also help to lower blood pressure and regulate sleep patterns. Massage therapy is now being used in hospital oncology units to strengthen cancer patients’ immune systems, alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy and lessen their need for pain medications.
Massage therapy appears to be moving into the mainstream of American culture as what one hospital referred to as an “evidence-based therapy.” Well-known institutions, such as the Mayo Clinic and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, are among those now offering their patients massage therapy as a complement to other treatments. A 2011 Consumer Reports magazine subscriber survey found massage scored as well or better than prescription drugs in dealing with certain conditions, such as fibromyalgia, neck pain and migraines. People also reported that massage therapy provided more relief from osteoarthritis than any other treatment they’d tried.
Medical providers in the North Bay have been among those who are making massage therapy available to their patients in conjunction with more traditional medical care. The Institute for Health and Healing, an affiliate of Sutter Health, offers therapeutic massage on both an in-hospital and outpatient basis through several locations, including offices in Greenbrae and Novato. Queen of the Valley Wellness Center in Napa, a part of the St. Joseph Health System, offers massage therapy as part of its fitness and rehabilitation services. Insurance providers are even beginning to subsidize treatments. For example, Kaiser Permanente offers many of its Northern California customers discounted rates on massage services when patients select a preferred provider.
Varenna at Fountaingrove, a Santa Rosa retirement living community for residents over 55 years old, has provided onsite massage therapy to its residents since it opened in 2008. The services are offered at an additional fee as part of the facility’s spa and fitness program. Varenna contracts with two massage therapists, each of whom specializes in different modalities. Jennifer Latourette, fitness director at Varenna, says residents use the massage therapy services as both a regularly scheduled part of their fitness regimens and as occasional treats to themselves. She’s seen it help residents ease joint pain and increase blood flow throughout their bodies, something that can be especially difficult for those with limited exercise abilities.
“We’re always looking for ways to help residents decrease stress, increase their enjoyment of life and lessen their perception of pain,” says Latourette. “Massage therapy can add to their overall sense of well-being.” She believes the use of therapeutic massage has come full circle in the last 25 years and enjoys introducing new techniques, such as massage and laughter yoga, to a generation not necessarily accustomed to alternative therapies.
A professional presence
Though massage therapy is an ancient healing remedy, many of its traditions were handed down through oral traditions or apprenticeships. This knowledge includes more than 80 different types of massage, also called modalities. When Carol Carpenter, founder of National Holistic Institute (NHI), began studying massage in the 1970s, few people in the United States had attempted to compile this knowledge into a cohesive course of study. Carpenter envisioned a school where students could learn a variety of modalities under one roof, along with gaining the business skills they’d need to build successful practices. In 1979, she opened NHI in Oakland. The school is currently headquartered in Emeryville and, in 2003, was purchased by Tim Veitzer and Mason Myers. The two have overseen the addition of five NHI campuses in California, including a location in Petaluma that opened in 2005.
NHI students register for a Core 720-hour program, divided into semesters on Eastern and Western modalities. Some examples of Western modalities are deep tissue, Swedish and sports massage. Eastern modalities include shiatsu, Thai massage and other techniques based on traditional Chinese medicine. The requirements include classes in anatomy, kinesiology (the study of movement) and pathology (the study of disease). Each student also attends classes in business, marketing and résumé building. With a staff of seven, the Petaluma campus hosts about 75 students at a time and offers a variety of schedules. Most students are from the North Bay, with ages ranging from just out of high school to those in their 50s and 60s.
Tiahna Skye is the manager of NHI’s Petaluma campus and has been a practitioner and instructor of massage therapy for more than 30 years. After receiving a beginner’s massage class as a gift just after college, she was hooked and continues to learn and teach to this day. She’s amazed at how much more information is available to students today than when she was starting out. “Over the course of three decades, I’ve seen the field grow and change significantly,” she says. “We now have consistent and high standards of professionalism and education.” Even the push by professional organizations to change the name of the field from “masseuse” to “massage therapist” has been a purposeful one.
Skye says that NHI’s ultimate goal is to give students the training they need to make a smooth transition into a professional career they love. As part of their education, students organize and staff a supervised, on-campus clinic that offers low-cost massage therapy to the public. They’re also required to complete an externship, providing free massage therapy to a host organization’s staff, clients or patients. Some choose to explore careers at spas, medical facilities or chiropractic offices. Others donate hours bringing onsite massage therapy to a diverse array of North Bay businesses. NHI has established externship paths with Sonoma State University’s athletic department, as well as Sutter Women’s Health Center of Santa Rosa and their weekly therapy clinic for low-income women battling cancer. This free or low-cost clinic, put on in partnership with the Integrative Medical Clinic of Santa Rosa, is especially dear to Skye’s heart. “Every person dealing with cancer should have the opportunity to receive positive touch through massage therapy,” she says. “It’s the one treatment they’re receiving that actually feels good.”
Allison Budlong, placement manager at NHI’s Petaluma campus, reports that the externship program has received an overwhelmingly positive response from both students and hosts. “It’s a win-win situation when businesses are able to use our services to benefit staff and clientele, and our students gain experience and exposure to real career opportunities.” Budlong invites those interested in finding out more about the externship program to visit www.nhi.edu/extern.
A holistic approach
Vajra Matusow knew she wanted to be a massage therapist at 16 years old, the age she first sought out a massage therapy class in New York City. Even in the Big Apple, extensive training was hard to find in the 1970s. By the 1980s, after moving to Marin County and beginning her own massage therapy practice, she found many of her clients were eager to learn more about her style of meditative bodywork. At the urging of a handful of clients, Matusow put together what she thought would be a one-time class, and it was filled to capacity. Demand for her teaching grew from there and, in 1987, she opened Diamond Light School of Massage and Healing Arts in San Anselmo.
Diamond Light offers a variety of programs that prepare students for a career in massage therapy. The school had approximately 80 students last semester and a staff of 11 instructors, each with years of experience in private practice careers of their own. While some people come for training in a single subject, most are on a career track and looking to prepare themselves for certification through either the 250- or 500-hour programs. Coursework includes an array of Eastern and Western massage modalities, anatomy, energy principles and deep structural as well as subtle bodywork therapies. Business and ethics classes are also required. Diamond Light’s students participate in a massage therapy internship, offering low-cost massage to the community through Bodywise Massage in San Rafael. This internship program gives them the experience of working with a large variety of clients in a professional setting.
While the backgrounds and ages of Diamond Light’s students are diverse, Matusow believes the school attracts students looking for a holistic, meditative approach to bodywork. She feels that massage therapy draws people who aren’t only interested in being of service to others, but who want to continue to grow in a career they can be proud of. “I think doing this work really brings out the best in people,” says Matusow.
She’s seen the perception of massage therapy change dramatically, in large part due to the scientific studies being conducted and the work of TRI. “This is not seen as a fringe thing like it used to be,” says Matusow. “The medical establishment has really picked up on the benefits of massage as a complementary treatment.”
Her experience has shown her that massage therapy helps bodies stay younger and healthier by strengthening immune systems, lessening the aches and pains of aging and alleviating stress. It can also bring clarity and a sense of peacefulness to those overwhelmed by the speed of modern life. “A spiritual teacher I know says we often neglect what’s essential so we can deal with what’s urgent,” says Matusow. “Bodywork can provide an opportunity for us to reconnect with the place where what’s essential to us comes back to the forefront of our attention.”
Starting a new life
Stacy DesJardins worked in real estate financing for 20 years, relieving the daily stresses of deadlines and details with regular visits to a massage therapist. DesJardins recalls thinking after every visit, “In my next life, I want to be a massage therapist.” In a leap of faith, her new life started earlier than she’d planned.
In 2010, while still completing her training at NHI’s Petaluma campus, DesJardins opened hands2go, a mobile clinic that provides massage therapy services for businesses and special events, such as the Harmony Festival and local farmers markets. The clinic is run as a cooperative of therapists who agree to share the staffing and profits of events, with DesJardins acting as coordinator. She followed up her initial NHI certificate by completing a 400-hour Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy program offered at NHI’s Emeryville campus (graduating in April 2011). In July 2011, DesJardins opened Santa Rosa Medical Massage, which offers a variety of modalities, including trigger point therapy, deep tissue, sport massage, deep Swedish, and Reiki. She admits the career jump was scary, but finds incredible satisfaction in making a positive impact on her clients’ health and mobility.
DesJardins says she’s seen first-hand the effects massage therapy can have on improving blood flow, reducing stress levels and improving range of motion. While it’s not a cure-all, she does believe it can lessen the need for more invasive procedures in some cases. “Massage is more than just a luxury or method of relaxation. People are realizing that there are so many ways it can help with overall well-being.”
DesJardins says part of her practice involves listening to what physical challenges clients are currently dealing with and educating them on how to prevent future problems through improved posture, office ergonomics or other behavioral modifications.
Matthew Hoffman of Santa Rosa is one client who found significant relief from persistent shoulder and neck pain, as well as migraine headaches, through sessions with DesJardins. After his doctor was unable to find the root of the problem and sent him to a specialist, Hoffman was still without answers. He gave massage therapy a try out of desperation and says he noticed improvement after the first session. DesJardins employed a technique called trigger point therapy, trying to find and relieve any tender area in a muscle that may be causing pain or radiating pain to another part of the body. “Regular massage appointments can be expensive, but so are doctors,” says Hoffman, “and the benefits are amazing.” Weekly massage has helped keep his symptoms at bay, letting him get back to cycling and other activities he’d been avoiding because of pain.
A growing industry
As demand has grown, the list of job sites employing massage therapists has become remarkably long and diverse. Many are still employed in private practice clinics or spas. Others find work in chiropractic offices, physical therapy and rehabilitation centers, and health clubs. Hospitals and medical practices are increasingly hiring them to support their patients’ overall recovery. Massage therapists may also work across industries and for more than one company or client, or can be self-employed.
One of the biggest employers of massage therapists these days is Massage Envy, a chain of more than 680 franchises in the United States and Canada. Founded in Arizona in 2002, Massage Envy’s goal has been to make massage convenient and affordable for all through low prices, expanded night and weekend hours and accessible locations. It also encourages clients to purchase a monthly membership, which grants them one visit per month and discounted rates on additional visits, redeemable at any Massage Envy location. The success of Massage Envy’s business model has meant that massage therapy is becoming available to an increasingly wider audience.
Many massage therapy providers are offering special pricing packages to corporate clients interested in bringing the benefits of massage therapy to their employees or customers. While massage was a more common office perk in different economic times, studies show that it’s still one well worth reviving.
Bringing massage therapy into the workplace has been proven to decrease employee stress levels, increase employee retention and improve overall office morale. By boosting immune systems and improving range of motion, it may also cut down on absenteeism and injuries. And it goes without saying that offering massage to either potential or established business clients at company events will get you remembered. DesJardins is one of many massage therapists happy to share her skills with local companies. Massage Envy offers group membership rates to companies who want to give their employees the benefit of regular massage therapy.
With the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting a 19 percent increase in employment opportunities by 2018, the field of massage therapy doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. And as more scientific studies are done, many practitioners are expecting the number of therapeutic applications for massage to increase as well. “We’re at the point in this field where we’re seeing widespread recognition and acceptance of massage therapy,” says Skye. “It’s been a long time coming.”
