One of The Country’s Oldest and Most Respected Massage Schools is in SF

The San Francisco School of Massage & Bodywork team at Mill Valley Music Festival

While bellying up to the bar at the Mill Valley Music Festival I heard a deep, satisfied, moan to my left, cutting through the sweet melodies of Thee Sacred Souls who were performing on the main stage.  To my surprise, I saw a man face down in a massage chair, in what sounded like a state of suspended ecstasy.

So naturally I waddled over beer-in-hand, to find that the storied San Francisco School of Massage & Bodywork had set up a free massage booth, and their team of smiling masseurs were working fingers and elbows on several satisfied concertgoers.

There I met Marcella Gries, the Administrative & Operations Manager of San Francisco’s School of Massage & Bodywork,  which is one of the oldest and most respected massage schools in the country.   They’ve been training highly skilled massage therapists and bodywork professionals since 1969.

You may have seen their school on Valencia Street in the Mission, or seen their bodywork booths at Sunday Streets in SF or at different music festivals and street festivals all around the Bay Area.

Needless to say, I received a free 5-minute massage at the festival and afterward felt as light as a feather for the rest of the day.  Later I signed up for a 60-minute massage at SFSM and was pleasantly surprised at it being half the cost ($50) as an average hour-long massage in SF.

I also got ask Marcella some questions about the school and massage best practices…

Name: Marcella Gries
Title: Administrative & Operations  Manager
IG: @sfschoolofmassage

BAS: If you could describe The San Francisco School of Massage & Bodywork in three words, what would they be?Marcella: Fun, educational, rewarding.

Where around town do your massage therapist graduates work now?
Our graduates work all over the Bay Area, in spas, chiropractic clinics, yoga studios, wellness centers, gyms, hotels, acupuncture clinics, hospitals, doing corporate chair massage and operating private practices. There are so many different places Massage Therapists can work!

What other festivals/events will you guys be at this year (giving FREE massages?!)
We are going to be at some Sunday Streets and hopefully at some big upcoming summer and fall music festivals.

I saw a guy get a massage from you guys at a festival while tripping on ACID, does that kind of thing happen a lot at music festivals?

It’s hard to say what folks may be on at festivals but we just try and give our clients a good experience so they can feel good if they happen to cross paths with us. We are all about making folks feel good and participating in those events just helps people feel good and carry that with them throughout the day. I know festivals can be a lot so getting some bodywork is something nice you can give your body and mind to relax and focus on breathing and what feels good. Sometimes it’s hard to stop and do that in the everyday grind. It’s amazing what 5 minutes of massage can do.

Is it industry practice to tip your massage therapist?

Yes, it’s industry practice and very appreciated. Massage Therapists consider tips to be an important part of their earnings. It’s common to leave a $20 tip for a one-hour massage. For a chair massage, $5 or $10 will do.

What’s your favorite type of massage to get, and to give?

Deep tissue and trigger point. Lots of folks don’t realize how much they can release with work like this and it’s a great feeling to recognize your body feeling better after a massage. It can have the same benefit that a good yoga or workout class feels like. The body needs self-care and relaxation in order to do the things we want from it.

If I want to learn massage when can I start this summer?

Well, you may want to ask what we have after summer as our summer track just filled up. Once fall starts, we have three different tracks starting. We have a part-time program starting on September 24th, an evening program starting October 22nd, and a full-time program starting on November 6th.

Getting massages can get expensive so it’s always good to know where to get a good discounted $50 massage from students!  And if you’re curious about becoming a massage therapist yourself, there’s no better place to start.

To get a massage or learn how to give one visit: www.sfsm.edu