Some things just aren’t worth the savings: a cheap suit, for example, or discount plastic surgery. Pre-professional massage isn’t one of those things.
Plenty of people take advantage of discounted massages at Charlottesville’s local massage schools, the Virginia School of Massage (293-4031) and the American Spirit Institute (244-6833).
“There’s a misunderstanding sometimes about training,” says Dr. Terri Leap, campus director at Virginia School of Massage. “People think you pretty much just come in and learn how to rub someone, but it’s more in-depth than that.”
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Helping hands: A student massage can still be blissful. |
Actually, trainees study anatomy and physiology and have over 600 hours of instruction by the time they see you in your skivvies. And clients seem to agree that the schooling has paid off. “We usually have a waiting list” for appointments, Leap says.
Betty Tebell, a regular client, says the school “has been very helpful to [her] personally.”
Sure, appointments may be a bit less private—there’s you, your therapist-in-training, and a supervisor—and service varies to a degree. “Naturally I’ve had some students that are better than others,” Tebell admits. But for a full-body rub down at half the price, “They’re as professional as I could want,” says Tebell. Amen, sister.
