Last week we referenced a news article about a massage therapist volunteering at a hospital, helping a 13-year-old through his painful condition. This week another story caught our eye, this time from the Saskatoon StarPhoenix (in central Saskatchewan, Canada).
Apparently, for at least the past 18 years, Axl Rose, frontman for 80’s hard rock group Guns N’ Roses, has had a massage therapist on call as the band tours. After reading the article, it makes sense that Rose would need an on-call massage therapist as he puts on quite a show, one that can be stressful on the lower back, he says.
However, the idea of this hard rocker – who has been known to trash hotel rooms and has admitted to illicit drug use – embracing massage therapy is somewhat surprising.
The therapist in the article, Cornelia Tan, said she has a slow, strong, and deep style of massage therapy, and that she usually works on Rose before concerts. Her work appears to be appreciated as she left with Guns N’ Roses back in March for its tour of South America, a long trip from Saskatoon.
With some therapists staying home and doing much-appreciated therapy on sick children at hospital, and others on far-flung trips with rock stars at the world’s nicest hotels, I wonder if any other profession offers as much variance as massage therapy.