After Hours: Spa Prices Making You Tense?

Get a treatment where students learn their craft and you pay a lot less.

by Nicole D. Smith

May 30, 2008

A hhh. Just saying the word massage induces a feeling of relaxation. Massages stimulate the circulation, increase suppleness and relieve the tension that you haven’t been able to shake since you left the office.

But those soothing touches meant to help you unwind come with a price. Some Atlanta spas charge more than $120 for one session. Some people feel the luxurious experience at a spa is certainly worth the money. But if you’re all about that strategically placed, stress-relieving rubdown or other pampering, you have another option: massage schools and institutes.

Is money really no object?
Just by doing a simple Internet search for Atlanta spas, you’ll find that 90-minute massages at a spa can ultimately cost you two or three times the price of the services available at an institute of massage. And, depending on whether a massage is a special treat or your normal regime, relaxation can really add up.

Nevertheless, massage schools offer a less expensive way to reach your destination of repose. “You’re paying half of the price. That’s the biggest thing,” says Casey Hunter, a licensed massage therapist and the clinic manager at Atlanta School of Massage. “We have spa treatments, which are absolutely luxurious. [Techniques] are done just as if you were in a high-end spa. … [The students] learn all of the same things: body wraps, body polishes and other things like that. It’s just as fabulous.” The Atlanta School of Massage also offers deep tissue therapy for $40, along with other self-indulgent treatments – such as facials and body waxing – at lower costs.

Better than the real thing
Instructors at massage schools are the first to advocate the benefits of an institute over a traditional spa. In fact, some teachers at the institute assert that customers receive better service. “I feel like you get more,” says Julia Perales, Skincare Department Coordinator of the Atlanta Institute of Aesthetics. “It’s the same people who in a few weeks are going to graduate, doing the same services.”

Typically, clients will also have more than one person taking care of their massage and spa experience in an effort to ensure a positive and comforting experience. A licensed aesthetics therapist is usually overseeing the entire process and in some cases, quietly assisting. And the massage students themselves are more inclined to provide a better-than-usual experience for you – the client – and for their grade. “If you think about it,” Hunter says, “as a student you want to do everything perfectly because you’re learning.”

Shhhhh….
It’s only natural to wonder about any possible disadvantages of an institute versus the typical spa experience. After all, the old saying is, “You get what you pay for,” right? Remember, this isn’t a spa; it’s an institute. So, the perks of waterfalls and soothing music may yield to some additional noises. Since this is a school of learning, you are more susceptible to be surrounded by others receiving the same treatments as you are. “There’s not quite as much privacy,” Perales says. “Some of our services are done on a clinic floor. Some are done in private rooms. Body treatments are done in private rooms. Waxing is done in semiprivate rooms. In other words … not everything is done in a private room.”

With less privacy, ambient noises and conversations are more like to intrude and be overheard than in established businesses, including talking about your massage or treatment. “There are going to be conversations happening during your massage or during your spa treatments,” Hunter says. “It’s always very low talking.”

But first, you must complete the following
Before being named a licensed massage therapist, students must complete a number of requisites. At the Atlanta School of Massage and at the Atlanta Institute of Aesthetics, the massage program requires 750 hours of lecture time and practical work on clients. “ They learn neuromuscular therapy, Swedish massage, deep tissue therapy and spa therapies,” Hunter says. “They learn all of those things, and they practice in the clinic, in our public clinic.” The certification process is often done over a span of seven to 14 months. After completion of the program, many graduates find jobs in local spas and dermatology offices, and some open their own businesses.

Finally, even though empathy is not a requirement for certification, instructors say students complete programs with a genuine compassion for relaxing people. “They all have a very genuine passion for the industry,” Hunter says, “and they [care about] the wellness of others.”

Prices for Spa Treatments at the Atlanta School of Massage:

50-minute massage: $40
Soothing and Smoothing Body Polish: $30
Aromatherapy Wrap: $40
Seaweed Wrap: $40

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After Hours: Spa Prices Making You Tense?

Get a treatment where students learn their craft and you pay a lot less.

by Nicole D. Smith

May 30, 2008