The massage break is catching on - in-office massage therapy

Nation's Business, August, 1987 by Carol Dilks

The Massage Break Is Catching On

The day is usually tense at Diana Scherer's San Francisco investment brokerage firm. As the pressure builds, the president feels her shoulders tighten. Hours of pinching the phone between her shoulder and ear have paid off with a knot the size of a jumbo olive.

Then, in the middle of yet another intense phone conversation, relief walks through the door. It's Scherer's massage therapist.

Everything goes on hold for 15 minutes as Scherer, seated and fully clothed, receives her weekly stress-reduction massage. Her shoulders, neck, arms, back and head are skillfully pushed and prodded with time-honored techniques from the Orient.

By the time the phone line opens again, Scherer is renewed. "I feel more relaxed,' she says, "so I can start fresh.'

Massage, in the form of either quick tune-ups or hour-long, full-body sessions, is making inroads in the world of corporate bodies. What used to be considered a luxury or a euphemism for close encounters with friendly girls in hot pants is now becoming a proper and thoroughly mainstream activity.

"The onus of massage as sexuality is disappearing,' comments Stephen Pizzella, owner of Pacific Health Systems, a San Francisco concern specializing in in-office stress-reduction treatments.

Pizzella's five practitioners (the words masseur and masseuse have been rubbed out of the current vocabulary) have been pressing pinstripe-clad flesh for four years now and have contracts with corporations, large and small, for weekly sessions.

The practitioners have performed an estimated 10,000 treatments in 2 1/2 years for Apple Computer. At DLM Investments, half the 18 employees have followed Diana Scherer's lead and signed up for treatments taking no more time than a coffee break.

In New York City, Steve Herfield, president of Manhattan Temporaries, Inc., a temporary employment agency, foots the bill for weekly treatments for his 12 employees. The cost, at $65 an hour for about two hours, is an investment that Herfield finds adds mental muscle to his work team.

"It re-ignites us and relaxes us, but not to the point of tiredness,' he says. "It's a great way to break up the day and a real morale booster.'

International Health Systems, the firm that sends Herfield's massage therapist, employs 65 licensed practitioners. The full-service group offers referrals in 25 cities and gift certificates as well.

The company's cofounder, Iris Lee, sees massage fitting into the health programs of many corporations, but she says almost all payments now are made by individual clients rather than employers.

Although there are almost as many types of massage as there are brands of running shoes, two styles are most commonly used.

Swedish massage, the most familiar to Americans, uses long, deep strokes and sharp taps to increase circulation in the muscles and soft tissues. Shiatsu, the Japanese technique, is based on the application of pressure (with hands, knees, elbows and even feet) to specific points to improve the body's flow of energy. Acupressure, a variation of Shiatsu, is the style used in in-office sessions.

What kind of rub you get is a matter of taste and time. Stress-reduction treatment, according to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), is a quarter-hour designed to pick up attention, productivity and awareness.

Full-body massages, which take about an hour and require complete undressing, cost $20 to $75, depending largely on whether the client travels to the therapist or vice versa. The full treatment dilates the blood vessels to improve circulation, relaxes the entire body, increases nutrition in the tissues and alleviates pain and swelling due to arthritis or injury to ligaments and tendons.

Although massage can help some conditions, it is wise to see a physician if you have an injury or problem for which you are considering massage therapy. "In fact,' warns Dr. Anne Idiculla, medical director of physical medicine and rehabilitation for the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, "it is sometimes contraindicated. This is certainly the case if there is any problem of circulation, since massage may dislodge a clot.'

Some doctors, however, are starting to prescribe treatment by qualified therapists for some problems, such as sprained askles. With a physician's prescription, treatments are covered by health insurance.

Only 14 states have licensing procedures for massage practitioners. This relative lack of control, says AMTA, is one of the major obstacles to improving the caliber of work and to general acceptance of massage as serious business.

Despite its non-sexuality, massage is intimate, so there are codes of behavior that make sessions safe and discreet.

If you are meeting a therapist for the first time, says AMTA, you should be asked for a medical history. At each session, the therapist should ask if there are any areas of tension or tenderness that need special attention.

If you are having a full-body massage, you should have complete privacy for undressing and should be completely draped by a sheet or towels except for the one area being worked on.