HACC offers two ways to join in the festivities through Oct. 27 HARRISBURG, Pa. – While the American Massage Therapy Association has been hitting the road to bring massage therapy awareness to cities nationwide, HACC provides two local relaxing alternatives.

You can schedule your own session at the Harrisburg Campus studio in Hall Technology Center, Room 203. Or cheer on students at the 64th Annual Yorktoberfest Halloween Parade in York on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013, where they will begin at 2 p.m. and will be promoting the opening of HACC’s Massage Therapy program in York.

“I think we’ll have a nice presence and I think we’ll have a little fun,” said Nina Kottcamp, HACC’s Massage Therapy program coordinator.

Be on the lookout for a 48-foot trailer draped in green and purple and with massage therapists donning giant purple hands signifying their hands-on approach to therapeutic care. They’ll be doing a hand dance to “Hands Up” and “Happy Days are Here Again.” And Hemingway the Hawk, the HACC mascot, will be in attendance and demonstrating life as a massage therapy recipient. “It will be a fun, upbeat thing,” said Kottcamp.

Starting in January 2014, the York class will meet Monday-Wednesday evenings from 5:30-9:30 p.m. as well as six Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m.–5 p.m. over a 12-month period. The Harrisburg class will meet Tuesdays-Thursdays.

The public and prospective students are invited to an open house event to learn more about the program and its opening at HACC’s York Campus. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the Leader Building, Room 119 at the campus at 2010 Pennsylvania Ave. Park and enter at the back of the building. A formal presentation is scheduled for 10 a.m. with a question-and-answer session before and after. Those interested can also call 717-221-1386 for more information. The registration deadline for the session beginning in January is Dec. 15, 2013.

HACC’s Massage Therapy in Harrisburg also has a full-time day program scheduled Mondays-Thursdays, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., for seven months at the Harrisburg Campus with sessions beginning in March and September.

This week has been designated National Massage Therapy Week, in honor of one of the fastest growing professions and one enjoying more and more medical acclaim. So, why not celebrate?

“National Massage Therapy Awareness Week is a confirmation or affirmation of how mainstream the industry is in the healthcare field,” adds Kottcamp. “It speaks to where we’ve come as an industry.”

The number of practitioners has doubled in the last decade, up from approximately 150,000 nationwide in 2000 to more than 300,000 in 2010 – and growing. This surge in interest falls on the heels of more and more support from both the public and the medical community. A recent survey shows that half of all Americans have had at least one massage – and would like it covered by insurance - and 15 percent have had one within the past year. Almost half of those say they do so for health conditions with 90 percent citing its effectiveness in reducing pain.

Massage therapists use touch to manipulate the soft tissues of the body – skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments - in settings as varied as hospitals and medical offices, fitness centers and spas, nursing homes and shopping malls, cruise ships and rehab facilities.

At the Harrisburg Campus, student massages are available for $30 an hour.

Nationwide, a growing number of patients are seeking massage therapy for health reasons versus simply a day of pampering and, likewise, more and more physicians are recommending massage for pain relief, stress relief and as a complement to care.

For more information or to schedule a massage, call 717-221-1386.