Three reasons Chair Massage opens the Gateway to Massage

By Jennifer Shaw, Austin Massage Therapist and Guest Blogger If you’re new to massage, chair massage is the perfect gateway to your new career. There are many reasons chair massage is a great “entry point” for those new to massage therapy. Convenience is probably the most obvious reason – chair massage can be done any…

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Massage School Graduate’s Dream Comes True – in Germany!

by Lauren Palmour, Graduate from the June, 2009 program Working in Europe was a dream of mine that I’ve had for years. So when I found this job through one of my Lauterstein-Conway Classmates Dawn Page, I was ecstatic.  It’s a job at a Military Resort at the base of the Bavarian Alps, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen…

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Massage From These Heights: Diary of a Massage Chain Employee

By Jennifer Shaw, Massage Heights Lakeline LMT and Guest Blogger It’s been three weeks, and I am suddenly struck by how happy I am to go to work. Yesterday, I even gladly picked up a Saturday shift, and took two days off in the middle of the week. This morning, I’m sitting at the Starbucks…

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Cranio-Sacral Massage Therapy – Legitimate Therapy or Quackery?

By Jennifer Shaw, Austin Massage Therapist and Guest Blogger Cranio-sacral therapy (CST) was initiated by osteopath, Dr. William Sutherland, in the early 1900’s and further developed by Dr. John Upledger and others beginning in the 1970s. Essentially, the cranio-sacral therapist senses the pulse of the cerebro-spinal fluid and looks for any subtle restrictions of its…

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Relaxation with Hot and Cold Stone Massage

By Joy Sablatura, LMT What are the benefits of hot stone massage? It’s relaxing and increases circulation to the specific area being treated. This increased circulation, called “hyperemia” brings in fresh blood with its oxygen and nutrients to assist in healing. The sedative aspect calms the nervous system and brings the client into a deeper…

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Massage School | How to “Get Through”

By Jennifer Shaw, Guest Blogger and Austin Massage Therapist One of the questions I get most about massage school is about how I got through it – like it was a terrible life crisis.  My first response is to laugh and say off-the-cuff, “It wasn’t hard.” And it wasn’t. After all, we are talking about…

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Individualized Massage Therapy for Individuals with Special Needs

by Christopher Allan, LMT In my professional lifetime I have found nothing more rewarding than working with kids and adults with disabilities. I have also found most massage therapists are not fully prepared to handle the unique challenges brought forward when working with these individuals;  which was the behind purpose creating the course, “Massage Therapy…

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Tensegrity and Myofascial Release

Have you ever heard the word tensegrity? If you’ve been an engineer you might at least be familiar with the concept. But as a massage therapist – especially one who seeks to relieve pain and improve range of motion, understanding tensegrity is imperative to performing impactful bodywork. James Earls and Thomas Myers say it best…

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How to stave off holiday stress!

The holiday season is stressful. There is no way to escape all of the various commitments that come with family, shopping, work, and parties. But we can take time to escape from the chaos and ensure our own health and sanity! Here are five ways to help make this holiday season a little more manageable.…

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Three Ways to Use Your Massage Income for Good

By Jennifer Shaw, Austin Massage Therapist and Guest Blogger The American Massage Therapy Association says 83 percent of massage therapists’ careers started as a second job – a means to supplement the income of a job they already had. Not for me. I wore rose-colored glasses. When I decided to go to massage school, massage…

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