Mind, Body and Soul

Description: This was a finals week stress reliever.  We set aside a room and had a massage therapist who donated her time to us.  When residents came through, they cycled through four different stations.  First, they just sat down and talked to one of the RAs involved.   Here, they just got a chance to talk about what was going on, let out frustrations, etc.  Next they spent a couple of minutes getting a "warm-up" shoulder massage from another RA.  After that, they went to the next station, a hand massage.   Finally they went to the final station, the professional masseuse.  During this time, we had lavender scented aromatherapy candles burning for relaxation, and mellow music playing.

What you need:
1) A massage therapist - offer to pass out their business card or a coupon to all residents that come through.  They can also hold a raffle for a free hour massage.
2) At least 4 RAs - One to sign people up, one for each of the three stations.  (it may be good to have more, in order to switch out, or to have multiple people at each station)
3) Candles - Lavender scented candles are supposed to help relaxation.
4) Stereo with soothing music
5) Promotional posters - If it says Free Massage from a professional massage therapist, people will come!

Things I learned/Things to consider:
Make sure you have a signup sheet, and tell people when to come back after they sign up for a particular slot.

Submitted by: Dan Oltersdorf - Colorado State University