Long nights of studying can really cramp more than your social life. Fortunately for the overworked, overstressed Hopkins student, the Health and Wellness Center is now offering massages to make sure that your back and neck aren't as sore as your brain is after cramming for an exam.
The Center has hired a certified and licensed massage therapist to offer massages to Hopkins students two days a week: Thursdays from noon to 5:15 p.m. and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The cost is $25 for a 30-minute massage, and $45 for a 60-minute massage. While these prices seem expensive, they are actually similar to prices at other colleges offering massage therapy programs, and are cheaper than many spa treatments.
The Wellness Center has decided to start offering this service in an effort to improve the health of Hopkins students. In her time here, Nurse Practitioner Allegra Hamman, from the Student Health Center, had been struck by how often Hopkins students get sick. Knowing the link between stress and sickness, she wanted to find ways to reduce stress to keep students from getting sick so often. Hamman examined the health programs of other colleges and found some that were using massage therapy to relieve student stress. She visited a number of campuses, and at the University of Maryland -- College Park (UMCP), she ran into Emily LaBathe, a massage therapist there. LaBathe was very well regarded at College Park, and had just moved to Towson. Hamman saw the chance to bring massage therapy to Hopkins students.
Massages were offered starting in November. In the beginning, the service was available only on Thursdays, with space for five appointments every afternoon. However, by December demand had skyrocketed, and appointments had to be offered on Friday afternoons as well to accommodate all the students that wanted massages.
"[Right now] it's a learning process for everyone," Hamman explained.
There are hopes to expand the program to more sites at more times if the demand keeps up.
The massage therapist, Emily LaBathe, has been working for 12 years as a certified and licensed masseuse. She went to the Baltimore School of Massage for her instruction in massage therapy. It is considered one of the best two schools of its kind on the East Coast. She also has a B.S. in Kinesiology from UMCP. In addition to her work here at Hopkins, she also runs a private practice.
Massage therapy is a good stress reducer and pain reliever. The goal of massage therapy here at Hopkins is to show Hopkins students how to relax. As LaBathe explained, students here are always "outputting," churning out homework, problem sets and papers. This makes their lives out of balance -- there is not enough input to make up for so much output. Massage is a source of intense, high-quality input that can restore that balance. Massage can also aid students in their studies by relaxing them, so they are better able to work. For example, "people are under a lot of stress here at Hopkins," LaBathe noted, "and you know how sometimes you'll be in the middle of a paper, and you just can't get what you want to say. Then you'll go take a shower, and then you'll come back and what you want to say will just come to you. Massage can do that for you too."
What exactly goes on in that exercise room on Thursday and Friday afternoons? At the beginning of the session, LaBathe will introduce herself and ask whether there are any specific areas to be focused on, or any pain. She offers two types of massage: relaxation massage, which consists more of an all-over light touch, while therapeutic massage is more of a deep tissue massage. Most people want a combination of the two. The massage session is intended to relax the recipient, so LaBathe will make sure that the student is comfortable at all times.
Students have the option of undressing; if the student chooses to undress, he/she will be draped in a cloth. Most students so far have chosen to undress, however the fully clothed massage can be beneficial as well. A fully clothed massage involves neck, foot, and hand massages. Soft music is also another option.
Judging by the expansion of the program and the number of people who have had massages, it is a safe bet that this massage therapy does work, and has an impact on the health of the recipient.
Senior Dawn Furfaro, director of A Place to Talk, has been a frequent visitor to the massage room. Her chronic back pain worsens with stress, and she was looking for a way to relax and relieve the pain. After her first appointment, she was "hooked."
"Frankly, I was amazed at how good the massage was," Furfaro said. "I usually have a very hard time relaxing, but the massage helped me to really let go of all the anxiety and tension I'd been feeling." Furfaro scheduled another appointment as soon as she could, and since then has tried to make it a weekly visit.
"I know it must seem like I'm exaggerating, but I really just can't tell you enough about what a wonderful thing these massages are," Furfuro said. "Even for people without any back problems, it's an incredibly relaxing, stress relieving experience."
To schedule an appointment, call (410) 516-8270, or go directly to the Health and Wellness Center. For more information, go to the massage therapy website, located at http://www.jhu.edu/~shcenter/massagetherapy.html. The Student Health and Wellness Center's website is: http://www.jhu.edu/~shcenter/index.html. They offer more information about stress at http://www.jhu.edu/~shcenter/stress.html.
