Army recruiter wins a year of relaxation for being Massage Envy’s 20 millionth massage

AFTER WORKING as an Army recruiting officer all day and spending 12 hours a week at the gym, U.S. Army Sgt. Andrew Cottam knows how to unwind: his monthly massage.

Cottam recently received Massage Envy’s 20 millionth massage, and as an award, he’ll enjoy a free one-year membership, which includes a complimentary monthly massage.

Devoted to bodybuilding as a hobby, Cottam spends two hours a day Monday through Saturday lifting weights. Relaxation and deep-tissue massage, he says, go hand-in-hand with his fitness regimen.

“Because of the bodybuilding, there are so many knots and kinks to work out,” says Cottam, who lives in Napa, Calif. “I usually go in for a relaxation [Swedish] massage, but if my therapist comes across knots, she’ll work on them.”

When he signed up for his membership in February 2009, he took advantage of Massage Envy’s discount for active military personnel. Cottam, who joined the Army in 1998 after graduating from high school, says regular massages give him more energy for work—and for workouts.

“It’s a little bit harder to stay motivated to continue to do the hard-core workouts when your body’s knotted up,” he explains. “Getting the knots and kinks worked out gives me the motivation to keep going.”

Even without a military discount or a free membership, he notes, Massage Envy is easy on the wallet.

“The military discount is always very flattering. But if they didn’t offer it, it probably wouldn’t have stopped me,” he says. “Spas can be nice and romantic … but they can also be very expensive. Massage Envy conforms to various budgets.”

And, he says, everyone deserves a chance to relax.

“People are more on edge these days,” Cottam says. “Even if just for the stress relief, it’s worth it.”

—By Stephanie R. Conner