On November 15, the Salt Lake Community College Health and Wellness Center will present a one hour workshop called “Buddy Massage.”
Scheduled to be in the Multipurpose Room of the Student Center on the Taylorsville Redwood Campus, this hands-on training will start at 11:00 a.m. and teach techniques to aid students in helping each other relax.
“It was a very nice stress reliever in the middle of the day,” said Carlee Beyer, who participated in the “Buddy Massage” workshop that the Health and Wellness Center held on October 25.
Students who participate in the workshop will learn about how posture affects a good massage and how to give a massage using fingers instead of thumbs. Three licensed massage therapists (LMT) will be on hand to instruct on the finer points of giving a massage to a friend.
Holly Crofts, LMT, Dan Smith, LMT and Justine Gautier, LMT are the massage therapists who work for SLCC and gave the October 25 training. Students learned how to give a seated massage for the shoulders, neck, scalp and back. They also learned how to give arm and hand massages and foot rubs.
The information that the LMTs talked about was put into practice as each pair of students tried their new skills out on each other. The LMTs offered individual instruction during the practice portions of the workshop. Students practiced keeping their body position straight and keeping a neutral wrist position. They also practiced using the fingers to give a massage, because thumbs tire out quickly.
According to Smith, massage helps with relaxation, pain relief, increased circulation, muscle health and can enhance overall health.
“Touch is good for you,” said Gautier.
“Buddy Massage” is for personal use only and does not certify students to practice massage as a profession.
Those interested in participating in the workshop need to pre-register and should bring a buddy with whom they can partner. Space is available for 50 students.
The Health and Wellness Center has five LMTs on staff. SLCC students get one free one-hour massage every semester. One hour massages are just $30 after the first one. The Taylorsville Redwood Campus has about a three week wait for massage appointments. The Jordan Campus has a shorter wait time.
The Health and Wellness Center also offers students the opportunity to see a nurse practitioner. New patient visits are free and established patients pay just $10 for an office visit. Licensed clinical social workers are also available for students’ counseling needs. The first visit is free and visits thereafter are $10 each.
Every month the Health and Wellness Center provides health education services. On December 1, 2011, the center will provide free HIV testing with an HIV-related event the following day.
