When stress is too tough to handle ... UNWIND with a good massage

When the stress of college becomes too much to bear, the IU Health Center offers a chemical-free way to relax, even if it is just for fifteen minutes. The Health Center employs licensed masseuses available on appointment.\n"For most people, it improves mood and promotes relaxation, which is good for stress management," said Anne Reese, director of Health and Wellness Education at the Health Center. "Massage is a chemical-free way to relax -- it's not drinking, it's not smoking, it's not doing other drugs."\nBesides relaxation and mood improvement, Reese said massage increases circulation, decreases muscle tension and can improve flexibility. And on top of that, Morgan Patten, teacher and supervisor at Associates of Integrative Health, a Bloomington school that teaches massage, said massage can improve all aspects of a person's health.\n"You can help people in many different ways with massage; physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally," she said. "If you help a body on the outside, you're going to help it on the inside."\nBarbara Lis, government relations chair for the Indiana chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association, said in an article she wrote that massage has also been shown to reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure, improve range of motion and increase \nendorphins.\nReese started the Health Center massage program eight years ago after seeing the positive reactions from an outreach program in residence halls. The program was called "Massage for Stress Management," and its employees taught the residents how to do simple massages and let them practice on each other.\n"I really understood that there was a need for a place on campus, and I thought the Health Center was perfect because it provides a safe and comfortable environment," Reese said.\nStudents who have paid the health fee can choose between a 45-minute full body massage for $33 or a 15-minute chair massage for $11. The Health Center staffs five licensed masseuses, and students can request them by name, gender, type of massage or times available.\nFor the full body massage, students undress to "the level of their comfort" and lie on a sheet under a blanket on a special massage table for 45 minutes. Massage oils are used. For 15-minute chair massages, students sit fully clothed in a special chair that allows the therapist to work on their backs, necks and \nshoulders. \nMassages can be charged to students' bursar bills, and Reese said the bill won't specify what services were charged, other than that they come from the Health Center.\nThe Associates of Integrative Health offers a program for people who want to obtain a massage license themselves. Patten said that while some people earn the license so they can practice in a salon, others just want to learn to practice on their friends and family. The program takes 500 hours to complete: 250 in class and 250 in clinic and research. The classes meet one day a week from 9-5, and Patten said the whole process usually takes about a year to complete. \n"There's many opportunities right now," Patten said. "The massage practice is growing, and more and more places are looking for therapists."\nWhile this may be too large of a commitment for some people who just want to learn for fun, Reese said six week classes are often offered in the Indiana Memorial Union. Students can't actually earn a license through these, but they will teach the basics so students can practice on their friends.\n"When we teach, we're not really doing professional massage," Reese said. "We talk a lot about the importance of touch. If you're going to be giving a massage to a good friend or relative, you need to talk to them and ask them what feels good and what doesn't feel good. Get feedback from that person as to what they like because everyone is different."\nAll masseuses at the Health Center are licensed, but Lis said massage licensure is becoming an increasingly important issue. Because Indiana does not legally require a license to practice massage, anyone with any level of education, can practice. For this reason, the Indiana chapter of the AMTA is working to push House Bill 1098 through the legislature, which would require a license to practice.\n"There are 36 states that require licenses for massage therapy - Indiana is not one of them," Lis said. "We have been working for licensing for the past eight years. We're trying to get it passed so there is a standard of education in our state that will help protect the public and help the profession."\nThe AMTA provides a national locator service, 888-THE-AMTA, to help people find licensed professionals.\nReese said semiannual satisfaction surveys at the Health Center regularly yield positive results.\n"Besides (the surveys), people will walk out from their massage, and they're just very relaxed, and they're glowing from their increased circulation," she said. "They have rosy cheeks, and they have definitely reduced their stress"