Boulder, Colorado, January 29, 2001 -- When Boulder-based OmegaTech was looking for a cost-effective perk to make the company a more attractive place to work and improve retention among current employees, they settled on a novel idea: soothing 15-minute on-site massage breaks from MassageSpecialists.com, a massage therapy wellness program provider of Boulder.

OmegaTech, which specializes in research, development and production of nutrients for use in foods and animal feeds, is just one of many area companies that have hired MassageSpecialists.com to provide in-house massage visits and promote wellness through on-site massage sessions, and by offering advice for preventing the aches and pains common to office workers in the Internet-age: eye-strain, lower-back pains and repetitive motion injuries like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

"The mission of OmegaTech is to preserve and improve health. We do this through the products we deliver to the public, and we make a commitment to provide an environment to our employees that supports their health," says Richard Merchant , Director of Human Resources at OmegaTech. "With MassageSpecialists.com therapists working at our site, many of our employees are able to take advantage of a few relaxing and centering moments."

Launched in in 1997, MassageSpecialists.com now employs a staff of 18 and regularly sends massage therapists to a growing list of area companies, including IBM, QWEST, MatchLogic and National Business Media.

High Touch Meets High Tech: Web-Enabled Appointment Scheduling

MassageSpecialists.com is also the first massage therapy company to offer Web-enabled 24/7 appointment scheduling.

"Web based scheduling makes an important difference for our corporate in-house massage clients because it lifts the management burden off of the HR department, or the office assistant to actually coordinate a massage program," says Dirk McCuistion , founder of MassageSpecialists.com. "Instead, the employee can schedule their own appointment time by logging onto their company's page on the MassageSpecialists.com site and clicking on an available time-slot. Web-based scheduling also puts an end to phone tag -- a very common problem in the massage business."

Ergonomics, Insurance and Productivity: The Bottom Line of Massage Therapy

But giving positive perks to employees through on-site therapy is just one way that MassagesSpecialists.com makes companies more comfortable. MassageSpecialists.com also boasts a program that can reduce traditional treatment costs for RSI and Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD's) by as much as 80%.

Worker's Compensation claims went up 720% between 1985 and 1995, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) accounted for 25% of all illnesses/injuries requiring days away from work.

To address the larger issues of workplace strain, MassagesSpecialists.com offers a range of ergonomics consulting services. These include assessment, treatment and re-education for workers, plus site reviews and recommendations to reduce stress and increase comfort in the workplace.

"Massage treatment is only as strong as the habits the person engages in before or after their therapy session," says McCuistion. "We can treat a problem and make a person feel better, but it will re-occur if you don't change the environment or the habit that created the problem."

Adds McCuistion: "Overall wellness is a real need for companies; it should apply to work environments and how people use their bodies while working."

Additional Services

In addition to corporate in-house massage services and ergonomics consulting, MassageSpecialists.com also offers:

About MassageSpecialists.com

Based in Boulder, Colorado, MassageSpecialists.com is a massage therapy wellness program provider formed in 1997 to address the growing need for effective treatment of musculo-skeletal stress that leads to cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs).

Company founder Dirk McCuistion, CMT/NMT is a certified massage and neuromuscular therapist and former instructor of Anatomy at San Diego State University and an associate instructor of Neuro-Muscular Therapy at the Boulder College of Massage Therapy. Since 1994, Dirk has specialized in refining treatment of musculo-skeletal stress, and has developed new techniques and protocols for the treatment of CTDs, and for enhancing ergonomic wellness in modern corporate work environments.

Collectively MassageSpecialists.com's therapists have over twenty years of treating stress related injury and illness. Therapist each have over 1000 hours of specialized training and average three years technical job experience. All MassageSpecialists.com therapists are certified and insured, and are members of the American Massage Therapy Association.

Learn more by contacting MassageSpecialists.com, 1640 Broadway St. Boulder, Colorado 80302, Tel (303) 938-0388, E-mail Info@MassageSpecialists.com Website: www.massagespecialists.com.