'Abandon Your Aches' with massage
Massage is often viewed as an indulgence, but it is fundamentally a form of therapy, according to Abandon Your Aches Massage owner Laura Evenson.
"To change a person's life by relieving pain is the most important part of my job... It's very rewarding," she said.
Evenson is a licensed massage practitioner involved in belonging to organizations such as the American Massage Therapy Association and the National Certification Board for Massage Therapy and Bodywork.
She loves her career, which wasn't the case five years ago when she worked in finance.
"I was behind a desk for ten years and I was never satisfied," Evenson said.
Then, on a dare, she began training to become a massage therapist at East West College of the Healing Arts in Portland, Ore., in 2005.
"The first day of class, I was hooked," Evenson said.
Since then, Evenson has opened her own massage therapy business, Abandon Your Aches Massage. She Her training focused on Deep Tissue, Trigger Point and Thai Massage.
According to Evenson, the benefits of massage therapy go beyond stress relief - massage therapy increases circulation, stimulates the immune system, softens scar tissue and helps the waste-removal process in muscles. Craniosacral therapy (CST) is another massage technique that Evenson offers. CST addresses conditions like scoliosis, migraines, headaches, and central nervous system disorders.
Evenson has expanded her expertise of CST through the Upledger Institute. Evenson has taken a specific course focusing on obstetrics, which focuses on the woman and child during pregnancy, childbirth, and after birth for things such as colic and the inability to latch-on while nursing. She also took a course specifically for brain and spinal cord injuries that has been "extremely rewarding."
"Helping people and helping play a part in making life better for them... that's what I get to do everyday," Evenson said.
Abandon Your Aches Massage is located at 1034 N. Third Street, Suite 5B in Coeur d'Alene. Evenson can be reached at (208) 691-2497.