With finals just around the corner, the Student Recreation Complex offers students something to help deal with the stress: full-body Swedish massages.
The group Performance Massage contracted with ASU for a year beginning this fall and offers Swedish, deep tissue, therapeutic and sports massages.
"Massage is one of the best things we can do to take care of ourselves," said Lynda Seefeldt, wellness and group fitness program coordinator at the ASU Student Recreation Complex.
Prices range from $30 for 30 minutes to $45 for an hour.
"The rates are really reasonable," Seefeldt said.
A full-body Swedish massage, available at the SRC, is a relaxation technique characterized by long massaging strokes, said Martin Giacalone, of Performance Massage.
Most full-body Swedish massages are done with the client naked, but Giacalone said a student could choose to wear clothes to be more comfortable. Typically a full-body session includes work on the back, arms, legs, feet, hands, head, neck and shoulders.
A therapeutic massage manipulates the soft tissue and a sports massage is designed to prepare the body for intensive workout or to relieve pain after working out.
There are many benefits that massage can bring, such as increased circulation, lowered anxiety and tension and reduced blood pressure and heart rate. Massage also stimulates the lymphatic system, which helps the body heal.
The most important benefit that massage offers is the ability to relieve stress, Giacalone said.
"There is an amazing healing power of touch," he said.
The two licensed massage therapists at the SRC also practice muscle manipulation used to ease sore muscles.
Seefeldt said she believes that everyone should get a massage once a week.
"It would make people kinder," she said.
Giacalone agreed that touch therapy is important in everyday life.
"Massage keeps you healthy, keeps you in school and keeps you functioning," he said.
Reach Jennifer Voges at jennyvoges@hotmail.com.
