Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 24, 1990 TAG: 9003260009
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KIM SUNDERLAND CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
"People are more open to massage today," said Noelle Dijoud, a 43-year-old massage therapist who has practiced here for four years. "It doesn't involve sex; it involves touch. And people can touch without having sex."
Massage therapists consider themselves knowledgeable professionals who have learned their techniques at reputable colleges across the nation.
"The image of massage is changing," said Jeff Tiebout, a 36-year-old veteran massage therapist who graduated from the Florida School of Massage in Gainesville. For the past four years, Tiebout has worked at Wellness Support Services in Christiansburg.
"I work with both physical therapists and physicians who have written prescriptions and referred patients to me," he said. "The gap is closing on how other professionals view our work."
"Most people are not aware of the benefits that massage provides and, therefore, aren't requesting it," said Dr. C.E. Castleberry, a chiropractor in Radford for 10 years who also performs deep-muscle massage.
Castleberry believes, nonetheless, that massage is up and coming and more people will try it because it increases circulation.
"And circulation is a person's life system," he said. "I have all the business I can handle, but that's not even one-tenth of the market."
Despite the apparent changing image of massage, legal restrictions remain.
In Blacksburg, for example, the town code includes a section prohibiting "massage or bath administered by [a] person of [the] opposite sex."
This does not apply to physicians, surgeons, chiropractors, osteopaths or physical therapists, nor to barber shops or beauty parlors in which "massage is given to the scalp, the face, the neck or the shoulders."
Adopted in 1974, the ordinance makes a violation a class four misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,000 fine or a year in jail.
"All ordinances in the town of Blacksburg are enforceable," said Town Attorney Richard Kaufman. "The purpose of this ordinance was as a disincentive for proliferation of a massage-type business that did not coincide with health and safety practices."
Dijoud, who makes house calls, said she respects the law and works only on women in Blacksburg.
"I feel at some point this law will have to change. It just doesn't make sense," she said.
Montgomery County has a similar ordinance against opposite-sex massages. Christiansburg effectively prohibits opposite-sex massages by not listing massage parlors in its zoning ordinance.
"If it's not a listed use, then it's not permitted in the town," said Imogene Brumfield, assistant town manager.
However, this does not mean that a masseuse cannot work in a physician's office, for example, since a doctor's office is listed as permitted in the zoning ordinance.
The city of Roanoke still has extensive laws regulating massage parlors, adopted when citizens complained of parlors that proliferated along Williamson Road, and opposite-sex massage is still illegal there.
Despite the benefits claimed by practitioners and clients, massage therapists think their struggle relates to the call-girl image of massage parlors.
Cathy Sink, owner of Good Looks in Radford, said the massage business struggles because "people are still old-fashioned about it here. In this salon, I have maybe three to four massages a year mainly because of traditional mind sets."
Louise Devine, who offers massage therapy to women from her home in Blacksburg, attended the Florida School of Massage and has given instructions at the YMCA Open University.
Devine wants to challenge the Blacksburg ordinance and have it changed.
"Massage has always been associated with prostitution, but that's changing," she said. "It's commonplace in most cities."
Tim Rowe calls himself the "Massage Man," a traveling masseur for BodyWorks, a business he founded two years ago. He, too, makes house calls.
"I want to introduce regular massage to people, particularly those who have never experienced it before," he said.
Rowe, a 26-year-old Blacksburg resident, got into massage when he couldn't afford a therapist for his back problems. He practiced on friends and family for about three years before he decided to put his computer science studies at Virginia Tech on hold and start his own business in 1988.
"I've gotten a great response," he said. "I have a lot of regulars. Half my clients are students and the other half come from the community."
Rowe's routine is simple. He sets up a portable massage table, heats almond oil in an electric coffee pot, starts some soothing music and asks you to undress.
"At first, people are apprehensive," Rowe said. "But after a few minutes of massage, they forget about being tense."
Rowe's procedure includes a Swedish deep-muscle massage, Shiatsu, which works on pressure points as acupuncture does, and reflexology, which stimulates reflex points on the feet that correspond with other parts of the body.
Although self-taught, Rowe considers himself a massage therapist, a practice that does not require a license in Virginia but does in about 13 other states. He charges students $10 and others $15.
"People who train hard really appreciate what I do," he said.
David Tonkin, a 21-year-old hotel management student at Tech, has been running cross-country, indoor and outdoor track for three years. This kind of schedule means daily workouts with no time off. It also means Tonkin aches once in a while.
He began a weekly rubdown with Rowe in the fall and finds many benefits in the program.
"The recovery time between workouts is faster," Tonkin said. "My muscles loosen up and I've got better blood flow. It's a really good idea and very relaxing. I usually fall asleep on the table."
Falling asleep is normal. Rowe said it's an "amazing feeling to have someone totally relax under your hands."
\ SIDEBAR\ MASSAGE TIPS FROM TIM ROWE, MASSAGE THERAPIST
Purchase a good reference book to learn techniques.
Don't be afraid to try; it's not critical to perform the techniques exactly.
Use your body weight; hands tire too quickly.
Use patience.
Use a lubricant to cut the friction between hands and skin. Baby oil is good enough.
Don't talk; it's distracting.
Concentrate on touch. Everyone needs to be touched, including babies and the elderly. There are programs and techniques for everyone.
The physical benefits of massage include: Relaxation, muscle toning, increased circulation, better digestion, longer muscle and joint tissues, injury prevention.
The mental benefits include: Stress relief, relaxation and a feeling of being cared for.
Memo: sidebar