State Licensing/Registration

Effective April 1, 2009, anyone providing massage therapy was required to register with the State of Colorado as a massage therapist. Prior to this, many cities and counties across Colorado had their own licensing requirements, but Grand Junction and Mesa County did not have any regulations.

In order to register, the massage therapist had to show they completed at least 500 hours of instruction at an accredited school, been practicing for at least 5 years or have passed the national certification exam.

Registering massage therapists allows clients additional piece of mind that their therapist is legitimate and qualified. While unregistered massage therapists can still work in massage parlors, they can not advertise themselves as a massage therapist or their work as massage therapy.

If you are looking for a new therapist, please ask them if they are registered with the State, and confirm their registration.

All of the therapists at The Massage Store are registered.

If you have any questions about massage therapist registrations, please feel free to contact us by e-mail or phone, (970) 243-3934.

Massage Therapy vs Massage Parlor - What's the difference?

We frequently have people reference our store as a massage parlor. We kindly correct them that we are not a massage parlor, but many people do not know the difference.

The Massage Store only utilizes fully trained and experienced massage therapists. Each therapist has received a certain amount of instruction hours and hands on-experience, and they must be registered with the State of Colorado. Attending a massage school can cost up to $15,000 - $20,000.

But, not everyone who goes through is able to give a good massage or know what they are doing. So, we make each therapist take a strict test when they apply to work at The Massage Store. Many cannot pass, but those that do are usually offered a position.

A massage parlor uses women (usually) who are not trained and have not received any formal education on massage, the muscles and their functions. Massage parlors are usually in the spotlight for poor and sometimes illegal business practices. There is currently no regulation on these that we know of, as long as they don't advertise "massage therapy".

And that is the key, "massage therapy" vs. "massage parlor". The Massage Store is a massage therapy business, and all of our staff are massage therapists. They are not masseuses.

We take great strides to maintain our reputation and to make sure people that truly need therapeutic work done can come in anytime. For those with seedy, unethical requests, they can go elsewhere.

Montrose, here we come!

We have mentioned recently that we have a pending announcement. Well, here it is - we are opening an office in Montrose!

Our office will be located at 1020 S Townsend Ave, directly across from Dairy Queen and next to Western Convenience gas station.

We will open on February 22nd and will hold a Grand Opening the week of March 1. Appointment hours will be 10am - 6pm Monday - Friday and 10-4 on Saturdays.

One or two of our current Grand Junction staff will likely alternate between GJ and Montrose, and we may hire a new therapist for the Montrose office.

We will offer the same massage services as we currently do, including our signature 75-minute massage for just $60, as well as hot stone, prenatal, couples massage and more!

We will also be carrying some retail product, including massage lotions, oils and creams, Sombra pain relieving gel, Biofreeze, massage supplies, etc.

We will be offering specials for our Grand Opening, so check back!

Thank you!

Scott & Vivien
The Massage Store

Can massage help with migraines?

Here is an interesting article on the effects on migraines with massage therapy!

We have had many successful instances of relieving headaches and migraines for clients using various massage techniques. Let us know if we can help you!

The Massage Store
(970) 243-3934

Employee Stress - What is it costing YOU?

Now more than ever, stress is a major factor in most people's lives. It can be caused by work (or being unemployed), finances, children, marriage problems, and much, much more.

Stress is a contributing factor in up to 75% of doctor's visits. Keeping stress levels to a minimum allows everyone to be more productive, healthier and generally happier.

But how does stress affect employees at work? Whether most of us will admit it, many people carry their stress and let it affect other aspects of their life. Employee stress affects employers each and every day and can potentially have severe consequences.

Employee stress can lead to: absenteeism/sick days, accidents & worker's comp claims, errors in judgement, poor customer service, conflict with other employees, reduced productivity, decreased morale, and much more! Each of these can have a dramatic and costly effect on a business if left unaddressed.

So, what can you do? Recognize that stress is a factor is many of your employees' lives and provide them an outlet of relieving some of their stress on a regular basis.

On-site chair massage is a great way of accomplishing just that. We send 1 or 2 highly trained massage therapists to your office with portable massage chairs. We ask that you provide us a conference room, empty office, break room, or some place away from their normal work areas, if possible. Employees, if they desire, will receive a 5-20 minute seated, chair massage, while remaining fully clothed. The therapist will focus on the employee's neck, shoulders and back, but as necessary, other areas such as arms, hands and legs can also be worked.

We offer 2 options for payment. The preferred method is the employer pays an hourly rate for each therapist, and employees sign up ahead of time. More employees tend to take advantage of the massage when their employer is paying for it, but it is also advantageous to the employer to have as many employees as possible de-stress.

The other option is to have each employee pay for their own massage. This method is not as preferable because we usually see less participation from the employees, but we still see many take charge of their wellness and take advantage of the massage.

The frequency we come to your office is up to you. Maybe you want once a week, every other week, or even once a month. Sometimes the frequency is determined by the size of your staff. If we can't accomodate everyone each time, then have us come more often so we each employee is able to participate and no one is left out. If your business is seasonal, we can alter our visits to you accordingly.

In these economic times, everyone is watching their bottom line, and we fully understand that. But please remember, healthy, productive, loyal employees are a very profitable asset to your company. Can you afford to not take care of them?

Call or e-mail us anytime for more information!

The Massage Store
(970) 243-3934
Massage@TheMassageStore.net