Excellent Health and Regular Massages
My husband and I started having every-other-week massages over a decade ago. We started by having someone come to our home, then she bought a building on the other side of Lake Washington in West Seattle and the trip to our suburban home became too much for her. Thank goodness that Massage Envy opened about the same time in our little Downtown Newcastle.
For us, a massage has become a necessity as opposed to a luxury. It’s a part of our regular health process. I'm 58, my husband is 69, and we are rarely ill. I can't remember the last time that either of us got sick. We also have quick recovery time after an operation (arthroscopic knee, ovary removal, thyroid gland removal—my surgeon called me a "surgeon's dream”).
It's not all from the massages. We lift weights, walk/run and eat right, but we are convinced that some of our extraordinary health can be attributed to regular massages.
Pat Detmer and Fred / Seattle, WA
Traveler finds Relief at Massage Envy
Imagine my surprise and delight when I opened my winter copy of ME and read that my professional colleague, Maryam Webster, was also a member of Massage Envy. We’re at opposite coasts and only get to meet at conferences so there’s little time for a light chat, but here we were—independently going to Massage Envy. It’s a great place for nurturing ourselves.
I usually head for Massage Envy after I’ve flown internationally. For example, when I got home from Beijing last month, it was my first stop. When I travel in the U.S., I look up the nearest Massage Envy for relief after the long day of meetings. That’s what I love about Massage Envy— it’s a home away from home. You can count on a quality experience. I read that Maryam loves to go two to three times a week and I'm now thinking I need to be more of a regular.
Like Maryam, I’m involved with an organization called the Association of Comprehensive Energy Psychology. I am a psychologist and have studied and written on how touch and breath are a means of focusing your intention and release blocking beliefs that take away your opportunities to heal and maintain well-being. Although the importance of touch had been established over the course of time by psychologists, it is only recently that massage therapists, physical therapists, physicians, researchers, psychologists and others in the healing professions, have joined together to share experiences and study its effects more in depth.
I am very interested in touch and its scientific significance but when I get to Massage Envy, I don’t think. I crawl under the warm covers, close my eyes and I know I’m in good hands.
Sheila Sidney Bender, Ph.D. / Florham Park, NJ
New Triplet Mom De-stresses at Massage Envy
I am a new mom of eight-month-old triplets and also a daughter, only 11 months older than they are. So my life is stressful and also involves lifting lots of babies which can be back-breaking at times. A perfect night "out" for me is a two-hour massage at Massage Envy. My wonderful therapist gets all the knots out, I listen to my iPod and completely de-stress. My babies then get a mommy who is happier, up for more lifting and playing and ready to be fully present for them.
I try to schedule at least every two weeks. When I forget my iPod, I find that meditating while I am getting my massage is a great relaxer, but then again, sometimes I am just planning my grocery or Christmas list in my head. When my regular therapist is out, I have tried others and usually have a fantastic experience. I love Massage Envy!
Kathy Crowder
Post-Surgery Massage Wonders
After enduring three major knee surgeries in just four months, my body began to pay the consequences of altered alignment and added stress to pick up the slack for a dysfunctional leg. As a result of repeated procedures to fix a severely injured joint, my lower back and left hip had taken the heat-obviously in places it shouldn't. I can't get comfortable sitting. I can't get comfortable standing. When my back begins to hurt, there is only one thing that can relieve my pain.
Fortunately for me, there is a Massage Envy within a few minutes of my home. The bi-monthly massages that I have been receiving from Tessa and Sheryl have been life-saving! The therapeutic touch from their deep tissue massages always hits the spot and always gives me the relief I need but can't seem to get anywhere else. I am now a "walking" testimony to the benefits of massage. It is definitely all it is cracked up to be. Without my therapists, I definitely couldn't make it through the day.
Jessie Sage Trinh
Marathons and Massages
I am a 64-year-old female who decided to take up the challenge of training for a marathon in 2005. I have never exercised or ran before that and decided to try it as a way of soliciting funds for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My motivation was my grandson who was a survivor of childhood leukemia. By participating in their Team in Training program, I had the opportunity to spend five months with individuals who were all training for an endurance event and raising much needed funds.
Asking a 60-year-old to suddenly engage in an endurance event is quite a shock to the system. Therefore, I decided that along with training it was VITAL that I develop a relationship with a massage therapist for weekly massages to keep these old muscles running smoothly. I could not have been more right! Fortunately, a Massage Envy had recently opened and I signed on immediately. Since then I have transferred to a Massage Envy closer to my home and I still continue to have weekly massages. As I am also an avid traveler and I have been able to keep up my massage routine even in other cities by going to the local Massage Envy. I have now participated in two Walt Disney World Marathons, and two A1A Ft. Lauderdale Half Marathons. I am currently in training for the Disney Half Marathon and PF Chang’s Half Marathon in Phoenix.
My massage therapist will be running right alongside me (in my head, of course) and I look forward to returning home for her excellent massage and to show off my medals! Without this weekly massage I am not sure I could continue to challenge myself as I do. Thanks Massage Envy!
Fran Hirsh / Lauderdale by the Sea, FL