For the past eighteen years, Ed Strahm has been sharing his passion for healing as the Director of Blanchard Valley Academy of Massage Therapy (BVAMT). The local academy trains students in the art of massage therapy with over 750 classroom hours and hands-on clinical experience. The clinic offers one-hour therapeutic massages performed by students for only $30. Focusing on health and wellness, we were eager to try student massages.
About BVAMT
“At BVAMT we specialize in therapeutic techniques and our training includes trigger point therapy, deep tissue work and spot therapy when needed. My goal is to teach students how to be healers,” says Strahm. With small class sizes and flexible class times, students are prepared to pass the state medical board exam to become Licensed Massage Therapists following the twelve-month program.
Benefits of massage
What are the benefits of massage? “It is a huge stressbuster. As we know, chronic stress can be a killer. Massage therapy increases circulation which feeds the cells and tissues with fresh blood and oxygen, gets rid of toxins in the body and breaks the pain cycle. It also helps reduce the stress level and allows the mind to go to a happy place,” explains Strahm.
The student massage experience
The massage rooms are simple and clean with relaxing music and comfortable massage table beds. Strahm reviewed my medical history with me and introduced me to Kayla, the friendly student who would be doing my massage.
Thanks to a silly handstand contest with my daughter, a lingering neck injury has been bothering me for months, so Kayla spent quite a bit of time on my neck, upper back and shoulders. She told me to speak up if I needed more or less pressure and had a good understanding of referred pain and trigger points. 60 minutes went by quickly and my tight muscles felt much better afterwards. $30 is a great deal for a one-hour massage therapy session that will leave you feeling relaxed.
BVAMT’s program is approved by the State Medical Board of Ohio and students are well-prepared to help clients. To schedule an appointment or find out more go to bvamt.com or call 419-423-2628.