For anyone who might be curious about where I came from in the massage field.
In Tucson Arizona I had a massage practice for a long time. I've never done massage as my primary job. It was always part-time and therefore I had the luxury of allowing it to be a labor of love. I was a counselor for my 'day job'. Since I never fully depended on massage for income I was able to take a break if I needed it. I attended one of the early massage schools, the Desert Institute of the Healing Arts, started by Margaret Avery, which was opened when the schools were started by individual pioneers in the field. My program consisted of 1250 hours of training that included a variety of techniques. There were very few states that had licensing in those days, ergo there was little regulation of massage, The small schools were bold in their teaching of a variety of techniques, when the wholistic bodywork field was just coming up. Massage was still laughed at in many conversations, connoting a 'massage parlor' sexual image, But the leaders in the field kept working to legitimize massage, even to the extent of convincing the phone book company to get rid of the term "massage parlor". To this day there are people who use the profession to front prostitution and trafficking. So, while the field has come a long way towards recognition as a health benefit, it still must be vigilant.
Oh, and the going rate was $25 when I first started receiving massage ! There were no franchises. Massage was given by solo practitioners, many of whom had apprenticed with someone in order to learn, and usually they provided massage in a home office. Fees inched up over the years and then blasted off when corporations got involved.
MASSAGE HAS GAINED TRACTION AS A WELLNESS TREATMENT
Massage therapy is no longer considered to be just a luxury now. It is recognized as a health benefit,. Because the leaders in the field have consistently supported research, massage has gained traction as valid treatment for many health conditions. National health organizations have designated massage as a valid alternative treatment for opiod addiction, and a preferred alternative treatment for back pain,. Continuing research illustrates its benefits in everything from helping premature infants to calming anxiety in those dealing with serous illness. Lymphatic massage helps people going through oncology treatment.
Of course, those of us who are passionate about massage have always understood its benefit. No explanation required.
I remember the Hospice Veterinarian who came to my house in Tucson, over several years, to minister to my dogs. The dignity and grace and kindness she provided was impressive. I asked her how she did that work day in and out. She replied: "I get a massage every Friday, after my work week. It's the way I survive".
MY PATHWAY IN MASSAGE THERAPY
I can honestly say that I've loved every minute of doing massage. I was a counselor before I became a massage therapist. The stress of working in psychiatry, and then with child abuse, put me in a physically dangerous place. I found a wonderful massage therapist in Tucson who saved my sanity.
That's how I became enamored with the field. Then I started listening to my hands. They were restless. They said "learn to do massage , you have a knack for it". My mother gave me the money for the tuition and I went to massage school thinking that I would mostly do it as barter with other massage therapists, because counseling was my primary job.
I was working in an agency that treated child sexual abuse while I was going through massage school. Now that was a disconnect.. I would leave my job where I was helping kids work out horror from abusive touch, and go to the massage school to be immersed in therapeutic touch.
For years I was an independent contractor at two of Tucson's top resorts. There I was, doing something I loved, with folks from all over the world, in the most beautiful spas, surrounded by majestic cacti and purple mountain vistas. Pinch me ! I was at The Arizona Inn and the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch.
During the financial drop in 2008 the resort work shriveled up and I focused on my home office. Soon I had a thriving practice, though 'word of mouth'. And, as a small business, I supported Tucson Values Teachers with discounts, so I had a lot of stressed out teachers coming in.
Giving massage is a peaceful, meditative practice. As Mary Burmeister, the founder of Jin Shin Juytsu in the USA always said, the healing energy comes through us. We just open to it, we are the jumper cables for it. Jin Shin is a gentle healing art originally from Japan, where Mary learned it and then brought it to the US.
I have massaged people in all stages of life - from pre-natal massage to hospice care.
My practice is now devoted to the health and well being of Women.
Contact me at 520 203-4968 text or call phyllisnasta@yahoo.com
