Our new location is looking great and we are looking forward for you to see it for yourself.  Here are some photos.

Please visit us at our new location at 20 Stockbridge Road in Great Barrington- just north of downtown GB and off route 7.

Rosie Router

Colleen is busy painting

And more painting....

I am painting too!

More photos soon...

Many have asked us about our location- it is a unit in a commerically zoned home right off Stockbrdige Road, it is quiet and ample parking!

We are now putting up sheet rock and plaster

We will be painting soon....

The Highland Center is at the crest summit of Crawford Notch on Route 302 in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire.  It is owned and run by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC).  It’s surrounded by mountain peaks that reach heights of more than 4,000 feet, where there is outdoor activity at its door step. 

It is a mecca of outdoor activity, providing a center for outdoor activity, environmental education, lodging, meals; and expanding its programs to include wellness, yoga and health.  It even offers massage sessions on the weekends for accessible and affordable rates.  In addition, any guest can have use of the L.L. Bean gear room for free.  I was thankful for this when I woke up to snow!

The center sits where the Crawford Family’s home began taking in travelers as far back as the early 1800s, hence why it is titled Crawford Notch.  The hospitality is still present, but the building is now “green”.  The Highland Center was recognized as the “Best Green Resort in New England” by the New England Travel Writers Network, and received the “Top 50 Eco-Lodges 2009″ award by National Geographic Adventure magazine (Maine Outdoor Journal, Fish, August 2009).    

Not only is the entire center environmentally friendly, it has a community feel to it due to shared lounges with scenic views, bathrooms, and dining room.  The meals are served family style, which gives you the opportunity to meet others staying at the center and hear about their adventures of the day. 

The Highland Center offers convenient comfort for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, but it also offer space for workshops and conferences at affordable rates.  While I was there, a group of Unitarians from all over New England hosted a seminar on ‘Leadership as a Spiritual Practice’.  I discovered that any organization that books a group of rooms can use their conference rooms for free. 

Overall, the Highland Center’s hospitality is superb, affordable and environmentally friendly.  It is a destination that offers much to all.  It is a place where I feel good to spend weekends, vacations; and attend conferences.  It is easy on the environment and not too luxurious where you feel guilty. 

With yoga and retreat centers gaining much attention and attendance at high rates- it is nice to learn about a center that offers the same environment and similar programs at accessible and affordable rates without the pretentiousness.  It is truly an authentic and organic place that will surprise you and having you want to go back for more. 

For more information, go to http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/whitemountains/highland/

I enjoyed climbing around the rocks of the streams and stone bridges.

On the first day of class I ask the students, “Why are you here?”  Many verbalize that the income seems good.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wages of massage therapists, including gratuities, were $16.78 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $11.36 and $25.14. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $8.01, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $33.47 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Massage Therapists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos295.htm (visited March 27, 2010)).  The income is good, but the students have an impression that they will be rich.  They do not understand that a full time massage therapist works only 15 to 26 hours a week, and when they do not have a booked appointment – they don’t get paid.  They arrive to massage school with a misconception of the field. I follow up with a question, “Have you ever received a massage?”  The majority of students answer, “No.” 

It amazes me that students come to massage school with the unrealistic expectation that they will be rich, with no experience of having a massage and verbalizing no passion for the work.  Where is the passion, love, and drive for massage therapy? 

The students come to massage school to learn a trade in order to gain financial benefits, which I can appreciate and understand.  However, many of these students have unrealistic expectations of the amount of income they will make.  It is the common mistake that one will make $60 to $80 an hour without considering the business expense(s) or the corporation percentage split.  In addition, you make money only when you are booked.  And to have a schedule with booked appointments, one must have the knowledge and art of skill to be a good massage therapist where people want to schedule an appointment with you.  Therefore, students need to understand that their income depends on their knowledge and skill in the field. 

To gain the knowledge and skill of the trade, one needs to know physiology, anatomy, kinesiology, pathology, massage technique, and professional ethics.  In my opinion to be a good massages therapist overall one must have; the knowledge and art of the skill, intuition, and intention.  This takes time investment, body awareness, openness, passion and dedication from the student. 

Currently, massage programs are basic and quick. They are geared to follow the standards and requirements of the Department of Education (DOE).  Most massage programs are minimum 500 hours with little advanced massage curriculum nor focus on enhancing body awareness and intuition.  I feel that the current infrastructure of massage programs are significantly lacking.  There are no classes to improve bodily awareness and intuition.  The programs are so quick, that students cannot integrate all they learned until they are in the field working with clients, nor develop their intuition and body awareness.  In my opinion they begin working in the field neither fully prepared nor ready. 

 In addition, most massage schools are private, vocational institutions, that focus on “for profit” and sales.  As a small business owner myself, I can appreciate the sales model but I have observed massage schools accepting students with no basic skills to thrive in the program just to fill their sales quota(s).  There are students who cannot read, write nor speak English.  It is difficult to teach anatomy and physiology to students that cannot read, write nor speak English.  Further, they are students that lack the supportive resources to come to school with proper hygiene.  I have heart for those that do not have the resources to shower nor have clean clothes, but proper hygiene is a necessity in the massage field.  It is a requirement. 

Unfortunately, the current infrastructure of massage schools are not meeting the needs of the current type of student going to massage school.  Massage schools are not set up to be a social work agency to provide the basic needs of students to come to school with proper hygiene.  Massage schools are not set up to teach bilingual classes nor teach them how to read or write in order to thrive in certain classes required to take. 

The admissions process is not working.  Admission counselors are sales associates that accept anyone to meet their sales quota, not considering if this student has the skill nor dedication to thrive in the massage program.  Admission counselors do not evaluate the student for proper expectations of the massage career.  I feel prospective students should meet with department chairs of massage programs to discuss clear expectations of the field prior to being accepted into the program, however this would negative affect the admission counselors sales quota.  Therefore it does not happen. 

Overall, the current classrooms are filled, but not necessarily with the type of student that will thrive in the program nor even succeed to graduate.  The lack of success and low graduation numbers triggers another problem for students.  The school loans are required to be paid back with no certification to do massage.  These students are paying for an education that they cannot use- they are paying back on a contractual, financial agreement and it seems many of these students do not have the resources to do so; therefore are in debt and trouble. 

And for those massage students that do succeed to complete the massage program are not confident in their work.  They finish the program with little time to integrate the work and feel incompetent.  I receive many emails and calls from massage students asking to pay me privately to work with them on skills they should have received in school; but they communicate a lack of sufficient time in school to fully integrate the massage technique and academics- they do not feel ready. 

The reality is that the business of massage education is a big, corporate business.  The financial focus in massage schools impedes the quality of education and massage practitioners.  It also does not serve the students needs to become superb, competent massage practitioners.  The infrastructure and mission of massage schools are insufficient; however the growth of this field is on the rise but not necessarily with competent massage graduates. 

I want to make it clear that I am not saying there are no well qualified massage graduates and practitioners out there.  I do see some truly talented massage graduates stem from my classes but not the majority in my classes; which I feel may not neccesarily be the students’ fault.  What I am saying is that the business of massage education does not meet the needs of the current student which is truly unfair, and frankly just a shame.