What does a massage therapy career look like? Find out how our Director has earned her living as a massage therapist.
From teaching to washing clinic sheets, Adrienne Permar does it all for Oconee School of Therapeutic Massage!
OSTM encourages you to follow your path. Adrienne’s path led her to create a Massage Therapy school that gives students a well-rounded understanding of what it takes to become a Licensed Massage Therapist. Her students learn every bone & system of the body, get support from working LMTs, and leave feeling prepared for rewarding careers.
As you’ll see in the interview below, Adrienne has a passion for Massage Therapy. Her many hours of training and holistic approach have helped her create a unique school. She’s curated an incredible staff of teachers, speakers, & businesses to encourage a fun yet practical classroom environment. Many students have her to thank for being the light on their path to becoming a confident, successful LMT!
Biography: Adrienne completed her original 700-hour Spa Therapy program in Vancouver, Canada in 2008. Originally, her plan was to use this certification to inform a career in spa development, which she studied as part of her undergraduate degree in Hospitality Management at Cornell University. During this Spa Therapy program, however, she fell in love with massage, and decided to make it her full-time career. She went on to complete her 3000-hour Diploma as a Registered Massage Therapist in British Columbia. After working two years as an RMT, she completed her Certification as a Vodder Certified Manual Lymph Drainage Therapist and opened her own clinic, The Lymphatic and Massage Clinic of Vancouver. She sold this business after two years in order to leave the city and pursue her dream of homesteading. After meeting her husband, she moved with him to his home of Watkinsville Georgia to start a family. She now lives on a farmstead in Newborn, GA, with her husband and two young daughters. For years, her dream has been to open a massage school which blends the holistic perspective of her original Spa Therapy program with the orthopedic treatment knowledge of the RMT program. Oconee School of Therapeutic Massage has been the culmination of that dream.
Why did you choose Massage Therapy as your career?
I originally planned to do massage training as a way to improve my understanding of massage from a manager's perspective. During my training I fell in love with massage. I loved how calming it was. Compared to the hectic nature of hospitality management, massage was an oasis. I loved the physical work--using my body. I loved feeling the tissue release under my hands. I loved helping people out of pain and connect more with their bodies. I wanted to share that with others through teaching.
What are your strengths as a LMT? What are your biggest challenges?
I have a lot of physical strength and am able to provide good pressure. I feel that as a therapist I can be very efficient and use a variety of techniques to accomplish deep work quickly. I also pay attention to what the client needs and am usually able to give them everything they ask for in the time allotted--I have always been very strict with myself about time and pride myself on my time management. I am also always learning and pushing myself to become more adaptable to each client's needs.
My biggest weakness is my right wrist. I slipped and broke this wrist right before I started RMT school and it sometimes causes me pain due to a chronic tendonitits. I have had to pay attention to what my body is telling me and adjust the techniques I am using so I don't aggravate past injuries.
Who do you love in Massage Therapy? Are there any blogs, podcasts, or social media accounts you tune into regularly?
I love to listen to The Thinking Practitioner podcast. The hosts always have great insights into the latest research and offer fresh perspectives on manual therapy. Myofascial work is one of my favorite techniques.
When I was writing my Practical Myofascial continuing education course, I fell in love with Robert Schleip. He is one of the world's leading experts on fascia research--and he's hilarious!
What is your most embarrassing moment working in Massage Therapy?
One time when I was temporarily renting a space in a gym to do massage, I had a regular client on the table. The space was cold and it was winter so I was using one of the gym's dish heaters to keep my client warm. I was in the middle of a relaxation massage, when I tripped and knocked over the heater. It had a built in buzzer that would go off--REALLY LOUD--when it got tipped over, to prevent fire. My client laughed, but it certainly ruined the mood!
When not massaging, where will we find you?
When I am not working on the school, I love to spend time with my family on the farm. I love to enjoy the peace and quiet of hanging out with the sheep, my pets, etc. There's always something exciting happening on the farm. We are planning to homeschool our girls when they are old enough, and this interest has brought me to dive into reading all sorts of classic novels, which I hope to read with them when they are older. Fav books: Jane Eyre, David Copperfield, The Princess and the Goblin :)
Any advice for our students?
Be prepared for a really intensive program--physically, emotionally, socially, and academically. Expect that you will be a different person when you graduate. There's something about receiving that much touch and pushing through so many boundaries that changes people and puts them in touch with their true selves.
