Events Mark National Massage
Therapy Awareness Week, Oct. 21-27
posted: 10-26-07

Massage therapists across the nation worked to raise the profile of massage therapy Oct. 21-27, with events commemorating the 10th annual National Massage Therapy Awareness Week. The Week is sponsored by the American Massage Therapy Association.

Following is a roundup of events nationwide, compiled from MASSAGE Magazine special reports and information covered in the mainstream press:

ARKANSAS: Massage therapists provided massage Oct. 25 in the rotunda of the state capital and Oct. 26 at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, according to NWAnews.com.

CALIFORNIA: Members of the AMTA's California chapter and local units were involved in various events to promote the week according to chapter President Terri Mongait:
• The Greater Sacramento Area Unit offered chair massage on the steps of the state capitol. Therapists worked for four hours, providing approximately 300 massages to the legislature, staff and other employees. 
• The Los Angeles/South Bay Unit offered chair massage to staff and volunteers at Aveson charter school in Altadena.
• The Redwood Empire Unit offered massage to staff at the Fulton Campus of Memorial Hospital.
• The Orange County Unit provided sports massage for the Golden State Athletic Conference Championships in Costa Mesa. 

CALIFORNIA: Diamond Massage & Wellness Center in San Francisco provided more than $2,000 worth of complimentary 30-minute massages for any schoolteacher living or working in San Francisco.

CONNECTICUT: Members of the AMTA's Connecticut chapter fanned out across the state to provide hundreds of complimentary seated massages to students, faculty and staff at six colleges and universities, said Lee Stang, chapter president. Students learned how massage will assist them in their focus and clarity of thinking as midterms approach, and student athletes learned why massage should be incorporated into their overall training programs.

DELAWARE: Chair massages were given to members of the Modern Maturity Center, in Dover, according to AMTA-Delaware chapter President Wade Carey. More than 30 people were provided information about massage, including the pamphlet, What to Expect on My First Massage.

FLORIDA: The Florida Department of Health and the Florida Board of Massage Therapy both recognized Oct. 21-27 as National Massage Therapy Awareness Week.

MASSACHUSETTS: The students from Bancroft School of Massage Therapy performed seated massage for 200 staff and visitors at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Oct. 23, under the director of Sr. Pat Dowler, National Massage Therapy Awareness Week chair for the AMTA's Massachusetts Chapter (AMTA-MA). Other AMTA-MA Chapter therapists participated in special events throughout the state, Dowler said.

NORTH CAROLINA: Massage therapists at Signature Spas provided free massages on Oct. 25, according to The Charlotte Observer.

TENNESSEE: Members of the AMTA's Tennessee chapter boarded riverboats in Nashville and Knoxville on Oct. 21 to provide chair massage and raise money for Susan G Komen For the Cure breast-cancer foundation, according to chapter President Vicki Winston. Additionally, the mayor of Knoxville issued a proclamation for National Massage Therapy Awareness Week.

WASHINGTON: The AMTA-Washington, Olympic Peninsula Unit members planned to offer complimentary seated massages and distribute brochures on the benefits of massage on Oct. 27 at the Farmer's Market in Port Angeles, Washington.

—Karen Menehan, MASSAGE Magazine editor in chief