EDWARDSBURG — Adams Therapeutic Massage is a bit off the beaten path, but its rural setting in Jefferson Township suits Ruthann Adams’ outdoorsy personality.
Plus, as her own boss, she no longer feels the desire to slug clients as she did when she determined she’d been a medical technologist long enough.
Adams Therapeutic Massage has been around since January 2003. She built a snug stand-alone building adjacent to her residence at 26228 Yankee St. in 2006.
Gentle music and the faint splash of water in a small fountain set a soothing mood before her healing hands melt stress into her heated table.
“I had been receiving massage, really enjoyed it and thought providing it would be a good mid-life change,” said Adams, who once analyzed blood and other bodily fluids necessary for medical diagnosis and therapy.
“Drawing blood didn’t bother me for the first 20 years,” said Adams, who grew up in northern Indiana.
But at some point during her 25 years as a medical technologist, she had enough.
“I had enough with inflicting pain and being called ‘blood sucker’ and ‘vampire.’ Everybody who said it thought they were clever and first to come up with it. For 20 years, I laughed along with them. After that, I wanted to punch their lights out, so I knew that an unreasonable, out-of-proportion reaction like that wasn’t good, and it was time for a job change.”
As a nationally certified member of the American Massage Therapy Association, Adams works with two groups of people — those seeking relaxation and to “chill out” with long, soothing strokes on skin with lotion — and therapy, in which the client is more interactive by engaging muscles with resistance and stretches.
“Cortisol (stress hormone) levels are lower after a massage session,”said Adams, who offers sessions in half-hour, hour and 90-minute increments.
National certification assures 500 hours of training, adherence to ethical practices and 50 hours of continuing education every four years.
“Hopefully, when people know that,” Adams said, “They say, ‘She takes her job seriously and is professional.’ ”
Adams offers gift certificates and has the ability to take a massage chair to businesses and corporations, which hire her for employee appreciations.
Adams arrived in Edwardsburg by marrying Duane, who grew up in Niles.
Though he earned a forestry degree, he remains a medical technologist.
They lived in South Bend, where he worked for South Bend Medical Foundation, and she worked at Elkhart General Hospital until they decided to move to the country. They met through the laboratory.
Duane also teaches photography at Southwestern Michigan College.
For their 25th wedding anniversary, the couple biked through Italy.
They also enjoy camping and kayaking.
“I have one person with cystic fibrosis,” she said, “and massage keeps him pain-free for a couple of weeks.
“It’s really cool to be able to work with people and offer them relief. That’s my reward.”