• On 14 Oct 2015
• By Megan Kraeger
• General
• 0 Comments

Massage Therapist or Health Practitioner Office available

OPEN SKY has 3 rental openings for a N.Y.S. licensed massage therapist or health care practitioner. Our practice continues to grow daily. Our large client base of existing active clients over 2,000 is expanding.

You have the opportunity to be a part of the premier Northern NY Therapeutic Massage team located in the rural village of Lowville. Lowville is located in Lewis County, NY
one hour north of Utica. Check out this website to see all this area offers. www.lewiscountychamber.org

Kathleen Merrick, LMT owner and creator of OPEN SKY Healing Arts Center, LLC has dedicated 14 years of building a professional team, educating clients about benefits of massage and growing a community of healthy living choices. Kathleen moved to this area in 1999 from Albany, NY and has made it her home, close to the Adirondack Park and Tug Hill Region, it is an adventurist place to live and work. The people of Lewis and Jefferson counties are hardworking and authentic. There are several large businesses in this area including Kraft Heinz which makes Philadelphia Cream Cheese, hosting the annual Cream Cheese Festival. This is a wonderful place to raise a family and enjoy the outdoor activities in any season.

1 Full Time Therapist with your own room.
Our full time therapist committing to 15-18 massages per week. Monthly rental is $575 and a 1-year commitment lease is required.

1 Part Time Therapist with shared room privileges.
Our part time therapist commits up to 8 massages per week and working some weekends. Monthly rental is $300 and a 1-year commitment lease is required.

1 Part Time Weekend Only Massage Therapist.
Our part time therapist weekend only committing up to 5 massages per weekend, both Saturday and Sunday are available. Monthly rental is $200 and a 1-year commitment lease is required.

Established massage practice since 2001, we serve a large population both from Lewis and Jefferson counties. Our 2,200+ sq. ft. commercial office space is located in Route 12 in Lowville. There are 6 treatment rooms all on 1st floor level. It is a beautiful, peaceful and calming space. We welcome you to come for a visit and meet the other therapist.

Grow your own practice and provide massage for our existing client base. You will be supported by our experienced and skilled massage therapists. Flexible hours based on your availability. Visit our website to learn more about us. www.openskycenter.com

Call Kathleen at 315-777-0755 for an interview.

• On 27 Jul 2015
• By Megan Kraeger
• General
• 0 Comments

Mindful Meditation Class in Lowville

• On 3 Feb 2015
• By Megan Kraeger
• General
• 0 Comments

New Policies begin March 1, 2015

Back to Basics 

New policies at effective March 1, 2015. In an effort to reduce operational cost, and to keep the price of massage sessions affordable for our clients, we do not accept credit cards.
Cash & Checks only.

• Gift certificates are not offered at OPEN SKY effective March 1, 2015. (We do offer a hand decorated envelope & brochure for you to place cash or check inside and still give the gift of massage.)

• Cash & Checks only at OPEN SKY effective March 1, 2015.

• On 30 Jan 2015
• By Megan Kraeger
• General
• 0 Comments

Job Opening at OPEN SKY

Licensed Massage Therapist Job Opening at OPEN SKY

• On 14 Nov 2013
• By Megan Kraeger
• General
• 0 Comments

Massage as Medicine?

Massage as Medicine? Really?

With all the talk about Obamacare going around, I’ve had health insurance (and just health) on the brain lately. It so happens that I’m also personally interested in topics of health and wellness, especially how our society addresses health collectively. So, when a friend asked me the other day what three main suggestions I had for staying healthy, I answered without hesitation: “Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants” (full credit to Michael Pollan for that), move as much as you can, and get regular massage.

Now, I suspect I know what you’re thinking … massage?! Seriously?! Should that really be up there with healthy eating and exercise? In a word: YES.

Now, before I go on, I should probably address something important: I am not a medical practitioner. I did not go to medical school, and I have no practical medical experience outside of some medically related copywriting and sticking the occasional band-aid on my ever-rambunctious son’s scraped knee. I do consider myself rather well read on the issues of health and wellness, especially massage, but admit that my expertise ends there. In short, feel free to take everything I say as exactly what it is: informed opinion, but opinion all the same.

So, now that I’ve made my little medical disclaimer, I’ll tell you why I included massage in my list, and why I think you should, too.

As a nation, we are less healthy than we’ve ever been. You’ve probably heard the statistic recently floated in scientific and nutritional circles that this will be the first generation of children who will not outlive its parents. This should concern us (and I like to think that it does). The most prevalent reason for our health crisis has to do, not surprisingly, with processed foods and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. I know, I know: It doesn’t have to do with a lack of regular massage. Still, hear me out:

Massage, in my experience, is powerful preventative medicine. In conjunction with an active lifestyle and healthy eating habits, I think it can do untold wonders. Frankly, I think it can even do wonders in their absense. Massage has been clinically shown to increase circulation, reduce inflammation, reduce chronic and acute pain, lessen the frequency of migraines, speed athletic recovery, and release feel-good, anti-stress hormones. That’s no small task.

What’s more, massage is a self-centered experience in the most positive of ways. Massage is something you do for yourself away from life’s mounting pressures and worries. As a working mother of small children, I can tell you without hesitation that even an hour of massage a week helps me work through emotional issues and better cope with the stresses I know are inevitably on their way. This is important. It’s as important as reduced inflammation and athletic recovery. Why? Because happier people tend to have stronger immune systems. In other words, they’re healthier.

There are, of course, plenty of things you should avoid to stay safe and healthy: smoking, certain types of drugs, not wearing a seatbelt or texting while you drive. Lots of people have covered those dangers far better than I ever could. And I’m also not suggesting that other things might not provide benefits to the same end as massage therapy, but I doubt any of them feel quite as good as massage does or give you the same opportunity to unwind. That’s worth something.

I think it’s worth a lot, actually.

So, yeah, if I had to suggest three things as general preventative medicine, as your best shot for staving off illness, those are the things I’d do. In fact, they quite literally are the things I do. And, as it turns out, I have a massage booked tonight. Lucky me.

• On 5 Mar 2013
• By Megan Kraeger
• General
• 0 Comments

Massage is a Healthy Choice!

Massage can have significant benefit for muscle pain and is a drug free healthy choice!

I used to consider the occasional massage a blissful, self-indulgent luxury. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more and more convinced that regular massages are an important prescription for physical and mental well-being.

In fact, there is a growing body of research confirming that massage can be good medicine. “We now know that massage therapy is not just for pleasure, but has significant psychological, physiological and biochemical effects that enhance health,” says Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School, which has conducted more than 100 studies showing that massage’s benefits can include positive effects on depression and anxiety, sleep, stress hormones, immunity and pain relief.

“We have enough data to say the evidence is there that this really does help with back pain in particular,” confirms physician Josephine Briggs, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. She also cites a study published this year in the online journal PLoS One that found that patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who got a weekly 60-minute Swedish massage — a popular, gentle type of bodywork that may include kneading, pressing or stroking the muscles — experienced significant pain reduction and improved function compared with those who received standard care with no bodywork; the gains persisted even after treatment ended. By Carolyn Butler, July 30, 2012