John Louis mugWinnetka, Ill. — John Louis, founder and CEO of Massage Therapy Center of Winnetka, is a busy guy. He is an in-demand massage therapist, an inventor whose tools are used by fellow therapists as well as professional sports teams, an award-winning video producer and a local business owner whose thriving practice is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Oh, and he just received a prestigious industry award from the American Massage Therapy Association’s Illinois Chapter for distinguished service.

Twenty-five years is an achievement for any business — even more remarkable is the fact that some of Louis’ clients have been with him since the beginning, like Sonja Bjornstrup of Northbrook. A financial executive for 56 years, her high-stress job had left her with debilitating neck pain. Nothing helped, until she discovered Louis.

“I wouldn’t be in the shape I am without John,” said the unsinkable 76 year old, who just returned from a gorilla trek in the jungles of Rwanda. “I’ve had massages all over the world — the Himalayas, Laos, the Maldives, Bhutan — and no one competes with him. You don’t have to tell him what’s wrong; he knows.”

Louis, who was a massage therapist for the White Sox during their 2005 World Series win, said, “I work harder on Sonja than on Frank Thomas.”

In fact, Louis’ second career as an inventor developed out of such hard work.

By the end of the day, his hands ached from hours of applying pressure to resistant muscles. After trying and discarding every therapy tool on the market, he realized the missing ingredient was weight.  He developed a line of tools for himself, and before he knew it, he was marketing them to therapists and athletic trainers through a second company, Acuforce International. He uses a fair trade manufacturer carefully chosen for its safe worker environment.

Not all massages are created equal. Louis and his staff provide therapeutic massages, not pampering spa massages. Clients come seeking relief from sports injuries, chronic pain conditions and pre- and post-surgical support. Sometimes, the treatments are prescribed by their doctors and reimbursable by health insurance.

Louis hires only highly-experienced therapists with advanced training (they average at least 15 years of practical experience). The center provides a wide range of specialized services — trigger points therapy, deep tissue massage, Shiatsu, neuromuscular therapy, for example — and each therapist is adept at multiple techniques. Over the years, it has received numerous “best on the North Shore” ratings. 

Another client, Allison Bernstein of Northbrook, Illinois, turned to Louis because physical therapy wasn’t working. A college tennis player at Brandeis University, she was sidelined by a painful shoulder injury. After going to doctors, chiropractors and acupuncturists, it was Louis who got her out on the courts again.    

 “John literally saved my college sports career,” the grateful senior said.

Louis has also won multiple awards for his instructional videos. Inspired by his three children, he created “Infant Massage Lessons for Dads,” an instructional DVD that teaches fathers how to bond with their babies, while helping infants sleep better and develop more rapidly.

In addition, he’s a clinical instructor at two universities and is one of the Top 100 health experts on Twitter.     

Long-term client Mark Howey, a Winnetka-based real estate broker and appraiser, said Louis was essential in helping him recover after a very difficult surgery.

Although Howey is back on his feet, he continues to receive therapy every few weeks, noting, “If I don’t go, I just don’t feel as well. Even my wife will remind me it’s time.”

Therapist, inventor, business owner, producer — Louis is something of a Renaissance man. But it all comes down to one thing, in Howey’s words: “John has magical hands.”