Discussing The Art & Science of Massage
C o v e r S t o r y by Paul Smith
Meet Our Massage Therapists
Discussing The Art & Science of Massage
When I contacted the Massage Therapists of Incentives as a first step in the preparation of this feature , I absentmindedly used the term “ masseuse ” in reference to their profession . Several delivered a friendly but nevertheless firm correction . That word no longer retains any currency . It is an archaism relegated to the dustbin of history . Massage , I quickly learned , is a practice and an industry striving to overcome certain undesirable preconceptions and associations epitomized by that grammatical relic . It can no longer be plausibly thought of as mere indulgence — a treat for the pampered upper crust . It is now known properly and accurately as Massage Therapy , and given the high degree of training , education , and experience modern massage therapists bring to their profession , the updated phrasing could not be more timely and appropriate .
Beginnings
I began by asking if the therapists could identify when and how they came to select massage as a vocation . “ I was 18 years old ,” says Mehgan Ioveno , “ I became interested in massage therapy as a career path . I was interested in helping people , the health field , holistic medicine , and especially acupuncture . I originally focused on the New York College for Holistic Medicine because of their acupuncture program , but because of my youth , my lack of an Associate ’ s degree , and not having enough preliminary college credit , I could not enter the acupuncture program . I decided that an alternate gateway into holistic medicine and Eastern philosophy might be through the massage therapy program the school offered . I also have a friend who has a bad back and a very stressful life as an owner of a restaurant . She was seeking weekly massage therapy sessions which she ’ d found benefitted her tremendously . I ultimately did obtain an Associate ’ s degree in massage therapy from the New York College of Health Professionals and followed this by completing my Bachelor ’ s degree at Farmingdale State College with a concentration in science . I have since been practicing massage therapy since 2001 .” Deb Conroy was looking to make changes in her professional life . “ At age 30 ,” she says , “ I strongly felt I needed to get out of the corporate world . I ’ d been told I had a talent for quality massage , so I
Kristin at the Reebok Spartan Race decided to pursue it as a career . I attended the New York College of Holistic Professions in Woodbury and eventually became certified in Hot Stone and Maternity Massage .” For Jennifer Kerr , massage provided an ideal outlet for her to express her interest in natural healing modalities . “ I started collecting stones and crystals at the age of five ,” she says . “ Then I became interested in flowers and plants . As I got older , I constantly sought out ways to combine science and nature to affect healing . I have always been a creative person , making art in the form of painting , building things , music , and crafts . I ’ ve always used my hands to create . At the age of 30 , I decided to go back to college and become a massage therapist .” Jennifer attended the New York College of Health Professions and graduated in 2011 . “ It was the best decision I ever made ,” she continues . “ Now I create art in the form of massage , and I can apply all my years of natural healing and learning — I have 25 years of experience using healing stones , aromatherapy , meditation , elemental and energy work — in my treatments . I also do extensive independent study to keep up-to-date on what is happening in my field as well as various continuing education courses .” Susan Greenli experienced a form of the lightbulb-over-the-head moment . “ I was on vacation , and someone signed me up for a massage . I ’ d never thought about it prior to this , and immediately , once the therapist began working on me , I had an epiphany . This is it ! I thought . This is what I want to do . I was still in college , so I finished
up with school and then , right after graduation , enrolled at the Swedish Institute in Manhattan . I also attended the Gloria Frances School of Beauty . Now I am a licensed Massage Therapist and a licensed Esthetician .”
The next step in the journey would be the ways and means that brought the therapists to Incentives Organic Spa & Salon . For Deb , there was Google involvement ( as seems to be the case with so much of modern life ). “ Two years ago ,” she says , “ I found Incentives through an internet search . Incentives is conveniently located and offered the ability to make my own hours . Oh , and there was another determining factor : HEIDI !” Before there was Google , there was word-of-mouth , and it ’ s still hugely impactful . “ A friend of mine told me about Incentives ,” says Susan . “ She ’ s a Fitness Incentive member , and she knew I was looking for a change . She absolutely loves the gym and loves the people here . She ’ d also been to the salon and spa , and she couldn ’ t say enough . She piqued my interest , so I forwarded my resume . I must say that I loved the setup from the start . I ’ ve worked in other facilities that were contained within a gym , and I like that atmosphere and the clientele that trickles through the gym to us — they tend to be a little bit more interesting . I also love the fact that Incentives is organic . I already had experience working with Eminence skincare products and was really happy to see that Incentives featured this brand . It ’ s a beautiful , beautiful spa and I ’ m just so happy here .”
You ’ re in Good Hands ! ( L to R ) Deb Conroy , Mehgan Ioveno , Susan Greenli and Jen Kerr
continued on page 16
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Summer 2016 FIT to Print