Suffolk News-Herald

Mary Warren had a tough workout at the Suffolk YMCA on Thursday afternoon. But she’d been tensed up for much longer.

&uot;I’ve been feeling really tired lately,&uot; Warren said. &uot;I’ve been going to a lot of conventions for my church (she attends Windsor’s New Macedonia Church of God and Christ), and I wanted to relax.&uot; Luckily, there was a new way to do so.

In honor of Women’s Health Month, massage therapist Sonia Combs of Smithfield Relaxation Station provided free chair massages (when clients lay on their stomach on a chair) to the YMCA’s female contingent.

&uot;We opened last September, and not many people know we’re around,&uot; said Combs, whose facility is located at 14526 Benns Church Blvd. (365-4477). &uot;This is a really good way to do quick massages. It’s more convenient for us to carry the chairs than the big bulky tables.&uot;

Combs started off on a client’s shoulders, rubbing and squeezing them lightly. She then dug the heels of her hands in a line just next to the person’s spine. &uot;That helps to release the spine,&uot; she said. &uot;It gives counter-pressure against the muscles.&uot;

After rubbing the entire left and right sides of the back, Combs uses her fingers to massage a person’s head and neck.

&uot;There’s a lot of muscles in the head, such as in the scalp,&uot; she said. &uot;When they tighten up, it can cause headaches.

&uot;This is just a ‘teaser massage’,&uot; Combs said. &uot;The real thing would take between 15 and 20 minutes. It just lets them know how good it can feel.&uot;

Her techniques worked on Warren. &uot;That was wonderful!&uot; she said with a smile afterward. &uot;I wish I could have that every day!&uot;