Lisa Bowen
Massage Therapist

I become a massage therapist because I wanted something more for a career; I just didn’t want a job.  I always felt that I had a nurturing spirit and one day, the words, “massage therapy” came to me.  Since this was going to be a career change for me, I spent a year researching the industry, trends and visited a few institutions.  Finally, I took the plunge and now I am a nationally certified massage therapist.  It’s a great feeling to say, “I love my work!”

There are so many things I love about being a massage therapist.  One of the things that I love is working with people.  When a person comes to me for a massage, the nurturing abilities come out.  I want to take my time getting to know my client and what they need so that I can give a great massage.  Something else I love is understanding how the human body works and how it responds to integrative therapies.  Being in this industry, there are so many resources of information for the therapist to help their knowledge grow.  This is an ever-advancing profession and to have access to that information is valuable and wanting to share that information with clients is great.  And finally, being surrounded by healing aromas and soothing music in a comforting treatment room makes a great workplace.

Relaxation massage is what I enjoy especially for a client who really wants to pamper themselves with a session that lasts longer than the typical hour.  A client who suffers physically from everyday stress can really benefit from a longer massage session in order to pay more attention areas of frequent tension in the back, neck and shoulders.  Feet take quite a beating and can hold a lot of stress.  For those who are on their feet constantly for work, taking the time to really wring them out with some peppermint foot lotion is heavenly.
I believe that what a client should get out of a massage session is exactly what they came in for.  If they need special attention to the back, then I try to devote most of the session time working on the back and working there first.  But I want to educate the client as well.  I want to work with them in finding out what causes the frequent back pain and maybe give other suggestions on how to find relief.  I can suggest massage maintenance where that client could come in once a month to keep the tension from building up.  I can also suggest some stretching techniques or refer them to a yoga instructor or personal training for some simple stretching exercises.