AMERICAN FORK — Nothing beats a great back rub.
So when Massage Envy opened its doors as the first massage clinic in north Utah County, resident Shelly Mitchell decided to try it out.
"I was intrigued by it," she said. "The mood is very relaxing. They have soft music and soft lighting."
Prior to going into one of the 11 massage rooms, Mitchell filled out paperwork that let her choose where she wanted the masseuse to concentrate. She could choose from light, medium or heavy work for a deep massage that gets down to the stresses and anxieties of daily living.
The lighter Swedish massage is designed to relax and calm one's muscles. Clients can also specify where they want the masseuse to concentrate and if they want work on trigger points (painful spots in a band of muscle that could refer pain to other parts of the body) or acupressure.
"I'd never been in a massage clinic before," she said. "I didn't know what to expect. They were very professional and very caring."
After the massage with a female masseuse — Mitchell chose medium pressure — she went into a quiet room where she could relax and listen to the soft music.
"I'm considering a membership," she said.
Memberships are a way to get frequent massages and save money, owner Bobbie Jo Andersen said.
"This world is kind of crazy," she said, reflecting on daily events that cause the stresses she and her trained masseuses work out.
Licensed for two years, Andersen at first worked out of her home. When the opportunity came along to open a Massage Envy franchise in The Meadows Shopping Center, she took it. Now part of a national chain, Andersen found that working with a franchise has its perks.
The franchise takes care of marketing and branding. The spa-like ambience is the same in her clinic as it is in the other 88 Massage Envy clinics across America.
Massage Envy has 14 staff members, and one of its rooms is specifically for couples. Among the techniques practiced are reflexology, which massages hands and feet to affect other areas of the body, and head massage, which affects the spine, neck and shoulders. Both techniques rely on working with pressure points and nerve endings that lead to other parts of the body, Andersen said.
E-mail: rodger@desnews.com