A massage can be the answer to tense muscles caused by long hours on the computer and the stress caused by impending due dates.
Professional massage can be expensive for the student budget, but with many massage businesses offering student discounts, and the availability of instructional books and massage therapy classes, massage may be very affordable and accessible.
In Eugene alone, there are more than 40 massage places with a massage usually running from $20 to $50.
Ari Divine, a licensed massage therapist with a background in herbalism, has an office at the Easter Seals’ Fitness Center. Divine offers a 10 percent discount to students.
Divine uses many types of massage techniques: Swedish, which increases circulation, relaxation and proper muscle function; acupressure, which uses finger pressure to restore the body’s natural curative abilities; myofacial release, which includes gentle stretching to restore rigid tissue and eliminate muscle pain; and deep tissue, which relieves pain caused by scar tissue.
“Using and modifying massage for relaxation, stress reduction, pain relief and wellness is my goal for each client,” Divine said.
Many other massage therapists also promote Swedish, deep tissue and acupressure techniques, including Elena Mainville, a massage therapist at Massage For Life. Mainville offers package discounts for $45 an hour.
“Body is a whole being — it’s multiple-leveled — therefore, more senses are accessed in the healing process to ease and return the body to the normal state,” Mainville said.
Aside from visiting actual massage therapists, there is an option of taking classes at Lane Community College. LCC offers Massage, Paschelke Method I, which deals with therapeutic methods of pain and stress management, on Tuesdays from April 3 to May 1 from 2-5 p.m. for $35.
LCC also offers a class for basic stress relief techniques, entitled Basic Massage, on Mondays from April 2 to June 11 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. for $67.
“With stressful school work, I definitely need to get some sort of massage therapy,” freshman Jennifer Shyn said. “The LCC classes are affordable and something that I would consider taking if time allows.”
There are also books available for people who cannot afford massage therapy. In her book, “Massage (Teach Yourself),” Denise Whichello Brown offers clear diagrams and illustrations to demonstrate how muscles and bones are positively affected by each technique.
Brown’s book is available at Amazon.com for $8.95. Robert ThŽ, the author of “5-Minute Massage: Quick & Simple Exercises to Reduce Tension & Stress,” offers easy-to-follow techniques for beginners, and it is also available at Amazon.com, for $10.36.
For more information on massage, call Ari Divine at 342-1044 or Elena Mainville at 349-8117. For more information on LCC massage therapy, visit www.lanecc.edu.