Community Education

Articles Experiencing a Session Graduates Making a Life Hall of Fame Acupuncture Massage Therapy License Information Locate a Practitioner

We are like the musician on the lake, whose melody is sweeter than he knows; or like a traveler, surprised by a mountain echo, whose trivial word returns to him in romantic thunders.

R.W. Emerson, Art, 1841

Search: DawnElaneReedLMT@Google/nyc

In 2003, when Dawn Elane Reed ('02) began offering chair massage to employees at Google's New York offices, many of her friends had never heard of Google. Times have certainly changed. As Google has grown, so has its massage therapy staff. There are now seven massage therapists working there, with a dedicated room where chair massage, table massage or Shiatsu on a mat can be provided.

"The atmosphere here is wonderful," Dawn explained. "I really love it. People work hard and the massage therapists are the most popular people around." Dawn works a four-hour day, three days a week, at the Google office. In addition, she has a few private clients and still has time to continue a career in theatre. She is also a mom, with an active two-year old son.

Dawn was working as an actor and director when she decided to enroll in the Swedish Institute's Massage Therapy Program. "My friends were concerned that it was a change of direction for me," Dawn recalled. "But it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I gained a much stronger knowledge of the body, which helped me as a performer, because the body is a key to expression. I also learned so much about myself. I believe that the better you know yourself, the easier it is to connect with people and to communicate to the world."

"As I began to practice massage, I found that it is about communicating, much like performing. In the theatre, there is something between the performer and the audience that is ineffable. It's not about words; it's like a transmission of energy that takes place. The same thing happens between my client and me. I follow my hands, and then the client says, 'how did you know to go there?' Sometimes I tell a client that good massage is a blend of education and intuition. My hands often go to where the work is needed and then my brain catches up with the training and medical knowledge."

Does she get tired with all of the energy she expends in different directions? "Doing massage work actually energizes me," she responds. "I know how to pace myself, and I still practice the Qigong exercises I learned at the school. I love my work as a massage therapist. I love the theatre and I love being a mom! I enjoy all of it."

Dawn can be reached at Dawn@HealingArtMassage.com.