By Desirae Contreras |Staff Writer|
The Body Shoppe is here for you.
It’s a one-stop shop for relaxation and rejuvenation. The shoppe is open Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and offers 5–30 minute chair massages in a spa-like room to CSUSB employees and students. The massages are given by certified therapists and only cost a dollar per minute.
According to Valerie Merrow, Admin Support assistant, the chair massages are given by the certified “Hands on Medical Massage School” therapists in Redlands whom are linked with the Wellness 2 U program at the Loma Linda Hospital and now service us here at CSUSB.
All of the massage therapists are under a contract with CSUSB and Wellness 2 U, assuring they must has either completed a two-year schooling program.
Each massage therapist has logged 400 clinical massage hours, 1200 schooling hours and have a massage business license or State Certification.
The Body Shoppe opened Feb. 29 in the Student Health and Psychological Counseling Center. Scheduling appointments ahead of time are recommended but walk-ins are always welcomed.
“As a student it was affordable and definitely worth it. I will be coming back and taking advantage of it,” said Dyanna Jordan.
Prior to a massage, students must sign a waiver clarifying they are at least 18-years-old, not in the first trimester of pregnancy and do not have any health issues that may be hindered by the massage. All of The Body Shoppe earnings go towards the program and massage therapists.
According to student Karina Reynoso, the massages are definitely worth the price. “It was uplifting and I’m in a totally stress free mood I have such a big smile,” said Reynoso.
Student Ricardo Rodriguez shared praises as well about the Body Shoppe. “The massage was fantastic. You can tell the therapist was experienced by his techniques and I would recommend anyone who is having neck pains or lower back pains to come because they will take care of you,” said Rodriguez.
The program is supported by Ombuds and Gender Equity, Student Health and Psychological Counseling Center, Recreational Sports, Wellness 2 U and the Human Resources Center. The program was first initiated by President Dr. Albert K. Karnig and the staff members of the Wellness Committee.
“When I first came in I was really stressed out from my classes and the lighting and atmosphere of the room was very inviting,” said Jordan.
Jordan continued by saying, “the therapist talk with you before and asks if you have any areas that you may need work on.”
“The massages are very beneficial for students in clubs because a simple five dollars you would spend on something unnecessary can go toward a nice massage that is going to relax you and lower your anxiety and stress levels,” said Reynoso.
The Body Shoppe allows students, staff and faculty to enjoy a professional massage in a comfortable environment. “[It] gets you away from the stresses of life and students have a lot of tension in theirbacks from carring their backpacks, it varies for every client but number one is to give a client a whole outer body experience and relax them with soft flute music and lower dimmed lighting,” said Wellness 2 U massage therapist Andrew Hegel.
Photos by Desirae Contreras
