Massage center aiming to bring respect to industry
By Judith H. Cox, Correspondent
Falls News-Press - August 18, 1996

Stepping into Connecting Touch Therapy & Wellness Center Inc. is a giant step away from the pressures and problems of the everyday world into an oasis of serenity. No piped-in "elevator music," but restful nature sounds. No soap operas or talk shows on the television, but scenic views of oceans, mountain, fields and flowers. No hard plastic waiting room chairs. but upholstered rattan furniture. Green plants abound and gourmet coffees and herbal teas await the massage therapy clients.

Owned and operated by licensed massage therapist Jack Hayes, the center, at 960 Graham Road Suite 3, opened for business last fall. The building is located behind Arby's and Riggs Lamarr Beauty School and may be reached from either Graham Road or Hudson Drive.

Hayes' daughter Katie, formerly employed in the medical records department of Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, serves as office manager. Both male and female massage therapists are available and all are licensed by the State Medical Board of Ohio.

Hayes was not always a massage therapist. He worked for Ameritech in insulation maintenance for 25 years, but decided at that time that he was not satisfied "just stringing wires. I had a massage and thought 'Wow! This is wonderful!' if I can enable people to feel the way I do right now, this is the direction I want to go."
While still working full time with Ameritech, Hayes began 18 months of study to become a massage therapist and to put in the required 600+ hours of training for state licensing. To finance this, Hayes sold his home and used his buy-out money from Ameritech.

"It was a very difficult time, but I did it and passed the course and the State medical exam. This is my dream, this is my goal, this is my life. It took me a long time to find my niche, but this is it. I wanted to open a place that was very special, where people could come to escape the outside world for a little while."

Hayes continues, "One of my goals is to take massage out of the back alley and out of the massage parlor image into massage therapy because this is an accepted medical modality. I get a variety of clients who are recovering from strokes or neuromuscular diseases or accidents. People do need massage for recovery. Therapeutic massage is becoming more and more accepted and I think that needs to be stressed to the public. It enhances the healing process and is important for health and not just pampering."

Although the center does not do medical billing, a complete printout of costs is available to the client for submission to the insurer.

In addition to therapeutic and Swedish and English relaxation massage, Hayes provides special classes for both infant massage and partner massage.

A series of three one-hour classes in baby massage for parents of children from newborn to 18 months of age includes a manual and massage oil. Instructor for the course is Nancy Slocum, registered nurse.

"Nancy is certified in baby massage, a licensed massage therapist and a registered nurse at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland. She's wonderful with the babies," Hayes says.

"It (massage) helps the parents bond with the baby," he adds "and affirms to the parent that it's OK to touch, stroke or rock the baby. We take what the parent does naturally and instinctively and take that a step beyond and say it's OK to do all that stuff and this is why you do it. This is why you rub the abdomen in a clockwise motion. It's very good for colic and stomach ache because clockwise is the natural flow of everything in the stomach area. You can do a little range of motion -get the arms moving and work the little fingers - it gets the baby accustomed to being touched - it heightens their sense of touch and feel because that's all they know. That's how they communicate and to tap into that is absolutely wonderful."

Another special class is for couples to learn massage techniques designed to pamper the partner and to learn - in Hayes words - "how to rub your partner the right way." In addition to the instruction, costs cover "the manual, a bottle of oil and basically all the carrots, broccoli and cauliflower you can eat."

Hayes says, "I also take 15 percent off the cost of everything I have, like additional oils to take home. It's a fun night. The class lasts for about two hours - from 6:30-8:30PM on the first Tuesday of every month. It's a wonderful way for partners to bond with one another.

"I teach how to give your partner a massage without exhausting yourself. How to use not just your fingers, but your hands and arms and forearms and use your body weight and bio-mechanics a little more. I show how to apply oil and how to set the mood and the tone by keeping the lights dim, turning the phone off and finding a quiet area.
Chair massage is another service provided by Hayes.

"I take my massage chair and go to business offices," he says, adding, "I've coined the phrase 'take a stress break, not a coffee break." I've been the 'gift of the week," a Christmas gift and the 'teacher appreciation week gift.' Chair massage is about 10-15 minutes long and I usually do several people at the business.

"I encourage people to get an hour, especially if it's the first time. When people come in for strictly medical reasons, like a rotator cuff injury, that's a half hour.

"Where (massage therapy) differs from physical therapy," Hayes says, "is that I have the option of working with a larger area than just the shoulder. We know if (someone) has hurt his shoulder. It's probably affecting his back, his lower back and his neck. It's all tied together.

"The body is a very complex organism. I look at the body as a unit."

During the month of July, 5 percent of his gross sales, including all massages as well as gift shop sales were contributed to the YWCA Rape Crisis Center.

For massage professionals, Hayes is a distributor of Stronglight Quality Massage and Elements Plus products.
Massage accessories am available for purchase in the center's gift shop in the waiting area.

"I invite people to just stop in for complimentary gourmet coffee or herbal teas. They don't have to buy anything -just stop in. This is just my way of opening my doors to individuals to come in and relax and enter into this oasis of serenity.