TLC Graduate: Kurt What are the best reasons to become a massage therapist? "I think we live in a very aloof world. Most of us don't have the ability to share ourselves. The ability to be able to touch someone one is an incredible gift and I would not be the same person I am today if I did not become a massage therapist. Frankly, I didn't even know I could do it. I became a better person. Not only could I make a living doing it, it changed who I am." Why did you become a massage therapist? "I knew this would be an avenue to get into working with athletes. At the beginning of my career, I worked marathons and various races around town. My career has evolved somewhat. I work at The Four Seasons. I just like working with people. To have someone come in and walk out — they have this pleasant glaze over their face for a while." Why is it important to you? "It is my avenue to share a gift that I didn't know I had. We don't make time for ourselves. With massage you can help remove some of the stresses. What I find is that people discover parts of our bodies we don't know exist because there are so many areas we don't see. A massage therapist can make you aware of those things. Talk to the people about breath and relaxation. We live in a society that doesn’t get touched enough. It is only non-therapeutic touch. To be able to share that gift with individuals is to allow them to let the world go away for a little bit. It is one of the few professions where falling asleep isn't a bad thing. We have a very short time on this planet, so I have a gift that I get to share and make money at it. How cool is that?" "There is definitely a different level of communication with massage therapist. I found that many people wanted their hands and feet massaged. And I asked, "What about the back?", but the hands and feet are the areas that get abused the most. No one is really touching the areas that are stressed for those people that are working all day and sitting at a keyboard all day. Massage is an incredible way to allow you to forget about this." Tell me why you chose Lauterstein-Conway? "I attended a different school at first because I couldn't fit my schedule with Lauterstein-Conway. So I went to the other school and got my license and really didn't know what I was doing. I had actually met John Conway at a video shoot for a massage school on access cable and I saw him working and I said, 'I want to do what he's doing,' because he was actually calling out the muscles and insertions. Because I enjoy working with athletes, I wanted to know a different level. So I came to Lauterstein-Conway for Semester Two. The light just went on. Anyone can teach you about physiology, anyone can teach you how to give a massage, but to teach you the quality of touch, to teach you how to approach each individual, to evaluate the individual beforehand. I remember coming out of here and looking below people's waists and watching them walk, because they taught me how to look at someone differently. I have a pretty good idea of what is going on ahead of time before I start. Sometimes you can ask very direct questions about what hurts and where, and they say, "How did you know that?" That would not have happened if I hadn’t attended the second semester at Lauterstein-Conway. Once I lay my hands on someone, I don't care what they look like or who they are, I care about the person while I am working on them." What would you tell someone considering go to school at Lauterstein-Conway? "If you are coming to Lauterstein-Conway, you are willing to put in the work because it's not easy. They're not just handing out certificates. They give you the knowledge to be a very intelligent massage therapist. They are going to give you the anatomy, the physiology, and the quality of touch. They are going to allow you to incorporate the senses. I was blown away by the way they approach teaching. They aren't trying to shove it down your throat. They aren't trying to intimidate you. They want you to be a knowledgeable, quality massage therapist and they want you to incorporate your personality into it."