The Chicago White Sox’s Massage Therapist

When John Louis was 18 years old, he was involved in a serious motorcycle crash that changed his life—for the better. It led to him finding his dream job as a massage therapist for sports professionals, opening his own practice and becoming a successful inventor.

“After the accident I went to a family friend who was a massage therapist, and he took me under his wing and taught me,” Louis said. “It was really exciting, and I discovered quickly that I had a gift for it.”

After getting his license, Louis worked at a Chicago health club and worked on the coach of the professional soccer team, the Chicago Horizon.

“Those athletes are very familiar with what massage can add to their games,” Louis said. “There’s still a lot of athletes who don’t understand the value and importance of massage.”

He soon met Harlem Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon, who asked him to tour with him and his basketball team, providing treatments for the players.

Louis decided to open his own practice in Winnetka, Illinois, in 1989, which is now the workplace of 10 therapists. It was there that he developed his own therapy tool called the Massage Star.

“So many of us were hurting our hands, so I went on a crusade to find good tools,” he said. “I invented my first product. Once word got out, I started getting calls and orders from pro sports teams.”

One of those calls was from the Chicago White Sox, and Louis soon became the full-time massage therapist for the team.

“I worked extensively with Frank Thomas, and he benefited immensely from the treatment,” Louis said. “He increased his overall home run production by 26 percent, and the only thing he identified as doing differently was massage therapy.”

In fact, when Thomas hit his historic 500th home run this season, he thanked Louis.

“When you play in this game, there is a lot of soreness and pain,” said Thomas. “I had never thought about massage until the past couple of years. It adds a lot of flexibility and relaxation.”

—Keith Loria