Note: Over the next week, I will be introducing readers (however few there are) to the new format of The Daily Octane. Each day will be the topic reveal for that calendar day going forward. Additionally, I will provide context for why I feel I have ANY business even writing about the subject.
One of the most common questions I get asked on a regular basis is, “How did you end up becoming a massage therapist?” If you don’t know me and are setting eyes on me for the first time, that is a totally logical question to ask. If there is a stereotypical look for a massage therapist, I am about as far from that as one can get.
A Dead End Professional Career
I graduated high school in 1993 from a small rural school in the Fingerlakes region of New York State. During my childhood, I was fairly sheltered from the rest of the world and my upbringing was one a typical middle class conservative family. I started working when I was 14 years old at a dairy farm. That was shit work (see what I did there?) and lasted only a few short weeks. At sixteen, I took a job at The Hollywood Restaurant in Auburn, NY. Some of the teens I ran with at the time had also worked there so it seemed a logical choice. I worked as a dishwasher and then later as a prep cook.
I tried college for a bit. The world of television and radio was calling me. My aspirations out shined my ambition and I quickly floundered. At the same time, I was struggling to socially adapt to adulthood and began an excessive amount of drug use. None of it was illicit narcotics or anything like that, but it was affecting me all the same.
Click here to read about how Sundays Are For Entertainment
There is an age old trope in early adult life. If you feel trapped and need to escape your life, go in the military. So that is precisely what I did. I landed in The United States Marine Corps and left for Parris Island in November of 1994. While in the Corps, I carried the Military Occupational Specialty (or MOS) of 4641, which is a Still Photographic Specialist, otherwise known as Combat Camera. That was a lot of fun and high stress but it served me in a transformational way. Like many veterans, I left the military with a clearly defined understanding of work ethic, responsibility, and initiative.
After my separation from active duty, I stayed in Southern California, where my last assignment was. To make money, I worked part-time as a bouncer. I also started selling cars. A dear friend of mine at the time was doing that and he brought me into the dealership. I had a knack for it but it was still not enough money for life in Huntington Beach, CA so I sought out something additional.
On a whim, I walked into the casting offices of Disneyland. The first time I entered a Disney Theme Park was AFTER being hired to work there. Like so many people in this world, I was a Disney fan, so working in the park seemed a logical thing to do in my early 20s.
A little over a year later I decided to move back to New York. I took a job as a car salesman at a local dealership and also worked part-time in a camera store. Neither was financially fruitful. This is primarily due to a dramatically shorter car sales season in an area with prevalent snowfall.
I Begin My First Real Job
In 2001, my aunt was able to get me a job at AT&T. I worked in customer service and sales in their small business division. Business to Business sales served me well and I was good at it. I commonly ranked high in their national salesperson rankings…right up until the call center closed in the spring of 2005. Over the next three years I jumped from sales job to sales job, never being satisfied. Along the way, I learned about wholesale distribution, payroll administration, media marketing, and advertising. Sadly, I even sold male enhancement products in the middle of the night at a toll-free number call center. That was gross.
All of that changed in the fall of 2008 when the stock market crashed. Overnight, the sales jobs dried up. The company I was at called 75% of their workforce into a large conference room and unceremoniously fired us. The President at the time, George W. Bush, along with Congress, passed an Unemployment Insurance Benefit extension, which allowed me to collect payments for 99 weeks. I realized during that time that I was not qualified to do anything but sales. And there were no sales jobs in Syracuse right then.
Sometime in 2010, a friend called me out of the blue. It was a woman I worked with at a Karaoke joint. I used to be a DJ while she was tending bar. The call changed my life and I will never forget it. I was walking the aisles at a Wegmans, shopping with no money, when I answered the ring.
She was going back to school. She wanted to be an esthetician. Her current boss wanted her find someone to replace her position. That was where I came in. She went on to explain that the owner could be sort of difficult to work for. He was a chiropractor but also a massage therapist and a good business man. He also didn’t want to waste time on a hiring process and was trusting her to find me. I took the job.
My Entrance Into Massage
Over the next couple of years, I went from receptionist to office manager. I played a part in the growth of the business and along the way I learned a lot of valuable information about the industry I was in.
In late 2012, a series of events occurred that forced me to make a difficult decision. I will most assuredly address this in a later blog post but for now lets just say I made the choice to leave the office I worked at. There was only one thing I realistically should do at that time. I registered for Massage School.
The Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage is without a shadow of doubt the best in the region. They have two campuses, one in Rochester, New York and the other in Syracuse, where I went. If you ever wondered what massage school is like, lets just say it is unbelievably different than traditional college. I will recount that transitional period of my training at a later time, as there are a load of good stories.
One amazing reality that is hard to believe all these years is that I had no earthly clue in 2012 if I was even going to like being a massage therapist, never mind be any good it. Thankfully, it turns out both were incredibly true.
I graduated in June of 2013 as the Salutatorian of my class. I passed my boards and was officially licensed by New York State in October of that year. My first paid massage position was at Align Chiropractic & Massage in East Syracuse, NY. It was owned by two friends and former co-workers of mine from the previous office. Immediately, I knew I had found my calling.
Less than a year after starting with them, and just slightly over a year after graduating massage school, I made the choice to open my own practice. In hindsight, it was a very humble beginning. I rented a single room in an old house that was converted to offices. I borrowed a small amount of money from a friend and purchased a high end massage table, a website, a computer, and sheets. The rest is history.
At a later time, I will recount the growth of my company and how I got to where I am today. For now, I will leave you with this:
Camillus Massage Therapy, P.C.
Presently, my humble company that started as a small DBA has evolved into a professional corporation. Camillus Massage Therapy, P.C. employs twelve employees working a varied schedule in four treatment rooms. We have business relationships with The Upstate Cancer Center and Syracuse University to provide chair event services for events. I also have a contract with Syracuse University Athletics where I serve as the only Licensed Massage Therapist providing treatment to that department. That work consists of season long treatment of several of the teams, and it is work I love.
Another amazing working relationship is with The Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage where I serve on their Program Advisory Committee. They invite me to come to the school to speak on Q&A panels for new students, participate in strokes clinics where I assess the preparedness of students to enter public clinic, and as a facilitator of mock interviews for the students preparing for graduation.
I could not have imagined being where I am today when I graduated High School. I also couldn’t be any happier. My career is the most fulfilling thing I have ever experienced next to the love of my two sons.
After 25 years of being pretty good at some things, I have become an expert at this. Massage Therapy is a growing industry with more and more acceptance as a medical treatment option. I have plans for the future in this field, but I will keep those pretty close to my chest for the time being.
In future blog posts, I will make an attempt to demystify the massage industry and explain exactly what it is that I do and maybe answer some lingering questions people have.
Christopher Hess, LMT
Be sure to return tomorrow to see what Tuesday’s topic will be.
