National Massage Therapy Awareness Week this year is being held October 20th through 26th. This is an annual week of promoting the health benefits of massage therapy and the massage therapy professionals of this industry. While some people may think that massage therapy is a modern-day trend, according to Florida Academy, massage therapy dates back to 3000 B.C. when it was first documented in India and is the oldest method of healing. In India it was part of their natural healing system in Ayurveda “life health” medicine. From massage therapy’s documented origins, the practice of massage therapy was passed down through generations to heal injuries, relieve pain, relieve stress, provide general wellness, and to both prevent and cure illnesses.

A massage therapist uses touch, pressure, and movement to treat their clients’ soft tissues and joints. They may use their hands, fingers, forearms, elbows, and feet as tools during a session. There are eight different types of massage that include Swedish, Reflexology, myography, sports, craniosacral, zone therapy, neuropathic, and American, which can all include different styles such as deep tissue, cross fiber, etc. The benefits of getting a massage include stress relief, the opening of blood vessels that allow for new blood flow to painful areas of the body that allow for healing, and improvement of well-being overall. In order to become a licensed massage therapist, a person needs 600 credit hours. To maintain their licensed status, the massage therapist must pay yearly fees as well as log eight hours of continuing education every two years.

Wagner is very lucky to have three licensed and currently practicing massage therapists: Loretta Soulek, Yelle Turner, and Jenna Krcil.

Loretta Soulek has been a licensed massage therapist for the past 29 years, beginning her career in 1995. She originally became interested in massage therapy because she was looking for a new career path. One day while reading the Daily Republic, she came across an ad for a massage therapy school in Sioux Falls. After doing some research, Loretta found that there was a massage therapy school even closer in Mitchell. Loretta enrolled in Carrie’s Kadesh School of Massage in August of 1995 and graduated in December of 1995, having completed 1100 credit hours.

When asked what massage techniques and styles that she uses, Loretta said that she incorporates all of them depending on the needs of her client. She has found in her many years of being a massage therapist that most of her clients require a combination. She customizes her massages to meet the needs of each individual client. What has kept Loretta as a massage therapist for so long is the satisfaction that she gets from knowing that she has helped a client with rest, relaxation, and relieving their symptoms. Throughout her many years of being a massage therapist, she has enjoyed every minute. One of the most challenging issues as a massage therapist for Loretta is being able to give a client total relief of their issue(s).

Three of the most unique aspects of massage therapy for Loretta include that every client has different needs that need to be addressed differently; not every therapist uses or specializes in the same techniques and styles; and finally, that some massage therapists do not tell their clients to come back right away, they want them to wait at least two weeks before scheduling another appointment.

In order to be an effective massage therapist, there are some qualities and characteristics that are good to have. In Loretta’s opinion these include being a people person; having good communication skills in order to be able to explain what will happen during the session as well as being able to ask the right questions to better be able to treat a client; and the ability to remain confidential. If after several weeks after receiving a massage there is still no relief, then Loretta would recommend to the client to see a medical professional as the client needs a different path of healing their body.

Danielle “Yelle” Turner has been a licensed massage therapist for the past 20 years, beginning her career in 2004 after attending the South Dakota School of Massage Therapy in Sioux Falls. She originally became interested in massage therapy when she was injured during her senior year basketball season at DWU and began offering massages to her teammates. Her teammates never complained and Yelle found that she really enjoyed giving massages, so she started researching schools to attend once she had completed her degree at DWU.

Yelle considers herself to be an integrative therapist. After consulting with her clients on their goals for each session, she includes modalities that she feels best meet the client’s needs and wants. Yelle usually starts with her primary modality which is Swedish massage along with some deep tissue techniques and stretching. She also incorporates heated stones and cupping when requested by clients. What Yelle enjoys the most about being a massage therapist is building relationships with her clients because of the importance to her and the rewarding aspect of doing so. One of the most challenging aspects of being a massage therapist for Yelle is finding time to schedule clients. Between her full-time day job and her busy family that includes four active children, she does not always have the availability. Her own self-care is important as well, so she makes that a priority.

Yelle finds that the continuing education part of maintaining her license can be challenging at times. She finds it difficult to find different educational opportunities in the state, so she tends to reach out to other local therapists for recommendations. Yelle hopes to at some point learn about and attend a heated bamboo session.

Jenna Krcil has been a licensed massage therapist for the past five years, beginning her career as a massage therapist in the fall of 2019. Jenna was originally interested in massage therapy while she was in high school, but due to the advice of an advisor at the time she changed her mind. It was not until seeing her mom’s best friend in the hospital fighting cancer and watching her lie in her hospital bed in an extreme amount of pain that brought back her desire to pursue massage therapy. She wanted to be able to help people manage their pain. After some urging and the support of her husband, Travis, she finally enrolled at the Spring Bath School of Massage in Mitchell in the spring of 2018, graduating in March of 2019. The different techniques and styles that Jenna is trained in include Swedish, deep tissue, hot towel, hot stone, cupping, prenatal, and Thai. One area that Jenna would like to explore more training in is sports massage. She knows that especially in her amazing community and hometown of Wagner that there is a need for more of this type of massage because of all of the activities that the community offers. Jenna most enjoys using the Swedish and deep tissue techniques along with adding a hot towel to help with muscle relaxation. Not only does the hot towel relax and comfort her clients, but it also relaxes and calms Jenna as she gives massages allowing her to focus completely on her client. Jenna’s goal is always for her clients to feel better when they walk out of her massage room. Massage therapy is a win-win for both her and her client as the client gets stress and pain relief, and it improves Jenna’s mental health by relaxing and de-stressing her in the process. From Jenna’s perspective, massage therapy does present challenges. Some of the challenges include being on one’s feet for long periods of time; using one’s hands constantly which can cause carpal tunnel; back pain as well as other injuries over time if a person does not use their body mechanics correctly; and the rising costs of continuing education.

A big misconception of many people is that massages are just a luxury service, when in all reality a massage (especially a routine massage) can be very beneficial to a person’s overall health. Massages have been found to lower blood pressure, lower stress, lessen pain, help with anxiety issues, etc. She wishes that people would keep in mind that not all massage therapists are the same, each massage experience with a different professional will be unique. In Jenna’s opinion the characteristics and qualities that a good massage therapist are having patience and people skills.