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PHOTO BY MEGHAN ERKKINEN

SIT DOWN AND RELAX. Steve Hanna, owner of Executive Massage at Tacoma Mall, said his business is successful because of the loyalty of his clients.

Former teacher works out the kinks

By Meghan Erkkinen

Steve Hanna has dedicated his life to helping people. He was a teacher for more than 30 years, mentoring struggling students and turning around young lives. But about eight years ago, Hanna decided to pursue his passion – massage therapy.

After several attempts to go to school for massage when he was a teacher, Hanna decided to quit and pursue the career head-on. He quit his teaching career and went to school full time. Now, he feels like he is making a difference in another way – by removing people’s chronic pain.

“Keeping people healthy without drugs is so rewarding,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything more rewarding.”

After Hanna graduated from school, he spent about three months in Las Vegas – a massage capital of the world, according to him – where he discovered what people were looking for. Customers seemed to flock to Caesar’s Palace for therapeutic chair massages – where they will sit in a chair backwards and with their face in a headrest.

Hanna realized that in just a few minutes, a therapist could take away many people’s chronic pain, whether it is caused by migraines, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, or other muscle or joint pain.

“We can take that pain away usually in 20 minutes,” he said. “They can go back to work without pain. They work longer and they’re stronger.”

He decided to take that idea and turn it into his own business, called Executive Massage, which he opened about four years ago in the Tacoma Mall between Sears and JCPenney. Now, he is able to provide the therapeutic effects of massage to customers for a reasonable price.

“I wanted to make it affordable for working people,” he said. “I like to call it affordable healthcare.”

Although the job was rewarding from the beginning, it did not come without challenges. The long workweeks – seven days a week, late into the evening – were one of those challenges. He also had challenges building a staff and figuring out who was the best fit for the company.

“I learned by trial and error,” he said. But today, he said he has a solid staff that know good customer service and are great listeners – after all, “solving problems is what we do,” he said.

Hanna does not have big goals for expanding his business, but he does hope to get the word out about the benefits of massage therapy.

“From my point of view, chair massage is wholly therapeutic,” he said, adding that it reduces stress, relieves pain, and can even ward off ailments such as strokes and possibly even heart disease.

Hanna is hoping the healthcare industry comes to better recognize the benefits of massage, and specifically chair massage. He said he would love to see chair massage available at hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

He hopes to continue increasing knowledge and understanding of the benefits of his profession by continuing to offer his services at the mall.

“My second career and my first love – massage – is so rewarding,” Hanna said. “I love what I’m doing. It’s been a dream.”

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