Staff and faculty will be treated to 10-minute chair massages on Thursday, Sept 10, thanks to the Washburn Employee Wellness Program. This event is held once a month during the school year for all employees who are interested. This is the third year that the event has been offered.

The chair massages will take place in the Topeka Room of the Memorial Union from 11:30-2:30 p.m. Melissa Wallace, will be brought in from “Moe”ssage as the masseuse.

“In the previous years, we have pretty much filled every 10-minute slot,” said Celeste Ehrenberg, employee wellness coordinator for Washburn University. “In the past we have done this event with reserved time slots, but this year we’re going to have it on a first come, first serve basis, where staff and faculty can sign up for a time on the outside of the door,” she said.

Ehrenberg said the idea for the chair massages came from a common misconception many people have regarding the term “wellness.”

“With employee wellness, most associate the term with fitness,” said Ehrenberg. “With chair massages we are trying to get people away from that. Things like massages may help a person’s well being. As well, it has been shown that people tend to be more productive at their desks or where ever they may be working just by taking a 10 minute break.”

There are seven dimensions of wellness: emotional, intellectual, physical, social, occupational, environmental and spiritual. The Employee Wellness Program plans events which span across all seven dimensions.

“These events also provide awareness,” said Joel Bluml, director of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. “For example, someone who have never gotten a massage may attend on Thursday and find and outlet. They may even continue to go and get more massages. We’re exposing people to new things.”

The program also provides staff and faculty the option of becoming trained in certain areas and also offers classes on varying subjects. For instance, on Friday, Sept. 11, the opportunity to become workplace CPR/AED/First Aid certified will be available.

On Sept. 15, at 5:30 p.m., Healthy Cooking 101 will be offered at Hyvee, which will give employees tips and recipes to try at home.

The Wellness Program also offers an assortment of individualized services such as fitness assessments, exercise prescriptions, nutrition analysis, and wellness coaching.

For more information on the Employee Wellness Program contact Celeste Ehrenberg at (785) 670-1313 or e-mail her at [email protected].