Masseuse

Serious massage has nothing to do with pornography, we were happy to learn during a visit with Ann Smolowe '81, a professional massuese. She is the youngest person ever trained in the "Cayce technique," developed by the seer Edgar Cayce, and she has. practiced since the age of 15, after being certified at the Cayce Foundation in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

There are a few basic schools of massage, she explained. The Swedish technique emphasizes stroking, kneading, and compressing. Japanese massage, or Shiatsu ("finger pressure"), works the 361 pressure points on different parts of the body. The Cayce method combines elements of both. "The main difference between the Swedish massage and the Cayce massage is that the Swedish work away from the heart," said Smolowe. "We work toward the heart."

Massage can be "tonic" — for purposes of relaxation — or therapeutic, we found out. In giving a tonic massage, which we received, the Cayce practitioner considers "CARE" — circulation, assimilation, relaxation, and elimination. Smolowe's therapeutic massages are administered to injured athletes,or to patients referred by doctors. She may spend an hour and a half working a single injured area, but not necessarily by direct manipulation. One of the ways she treats injuries is through "reflexology," or acupressure, during which she attends to pressure points or nerve endings in the feet, hands, or back.

Each masseuse has a favorite blend of oils, which are worked deeply into the client's skin, essential for reducing friction. Smolowe mixes her own variety of five, including rosewood oil for scent. As we stretched out on her portable table, she switched on some classical music, a frequent accompaniment to her work. She usually begins by massaging the left side of the body, working toward the heart to increase circulation and encourage relaxation.

People store up tension in different parts of the body, she pointed out. In men, tension is most often found in the neck and shoulders; in women it more frequently accumulates in the lower back. Smolowe also finds women more sensitive in their feet, more flexible, and quicker to relax. Instead of faces, a masseuse tends to remember the shapes and sizes of patients' bodies. Smolowe vividly recalls working on a wrestler. A masseuse also needs to be strong. During a tonic massage, Smolowe puts the effort of her whole body into working the entire body of her client. She senses tension, calcium deposits, and stiffness. "That's what makes it so interesting," she said. "You can read so much of a person from massage."

One advantage of her trade is its portability. "It's such a nice thing to have," Smolowe noted. "You can take it with you wherever you go." She spent eight months administering massages to Israeli soldiers in the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem in 1976-77, and in Hanover, she has worked at Mary Hitchcock Hospital. But mostly she enjoys massaging friends, and now only accepts other clients referred by doctors.

Smolowe doesn't promise miraculous cures, although she thinks massage can be beneficial as a preventative medicine. She regularly massages her own feet and hands by reflexology, but she confessed she can't receive a massage from anyone else. "I hate massages," she said. "I tense up."