Aalto Enhancement Center:  Massage for Life Enhancement

To complement their medical array of offerings, the Aalto Enhancement Center also includes a complete massage and wellness center. Kathryn A. Aalto, LCSW, CADCIII and founder of the Center, often recommended to her patients that they do something good for themselves to help them deal with stress.

"I was always recommending that they get a massage or take a yoga class," Aalto explained. So massage therapy became a natural extension of the outpatient clinic's offerings.

The clinic boasts a separate suite just dedicated to massage. The Center features two massage practitioners: Dawn Aalto, Aalto's daughter and Shannon Vorwald. Each practitioner specializes in different techniques, and they complement each other. Dawn Aalto specializes in Swedish and Vorwald emphasizes reflexology.

"Nothing beats helping a person feel better," Dawn Aalto said.

The Center offers a wide variety of massage treatments, including: Swedish massage, which is a relaxation massage; deep tissue, which benefits tired and overworked muscles; Earth rock or hot stone massage, which uses heated stones to massage the body; side-by-side or couples massage, which offers two people the chance to receive a massage at the same time; and the ultimate in pampering, massage a deux or dual massage, in which two massage practitioners work on the same person at the same time. The Center also offers face massage and pampered feet, which incorporates reflexology into the massage, and reiki, which is an ancient healing tradition of Tibetan monks which taps into universal energy to help promote well-being. The Center is also one of the few centers in Southeastern Wisconsin that offers day, evening and weekend hours, and every month, there is a special for certain types of massage treatments.

"Everyday, we are able to help someone feel physically, emotionally and spiritually better." Massage  gives people hope, Vorwald said, adding that it can help people who suffer from different physical problems, including carpal tunnel syndrome. "A lot of times, people come in for a massage as a last resort before surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome," Vorwald said. "It is a wonderful feeling just to see the look of relief on people's faces when you know you have helped them."

Jeanette Hurt is a freelance writer from Wisconsin. She can be reached at jhurt@execpc.com.