Giving the gift of massage – Therapist returns to her native Lakes Region

GILFORD — Susan LaFrance has training in occupational therapy, and has owned and managed large day spas. But some of her most rewarding work has been the simple and powerful act of massage.

After working in the Seacoast for 16 years, LaFrance has returned to the Lakes Region, where she began her professional career. Her business, Integrated Body Therapies, is located on Country Club Lane in Gilford.

LaFrance grew up in Pittsfield and, after high school, received training to become an occupational therapy assistant. She has more than 30 years of experience in OT, and continues to work in that field. Her interest in massage was sparked when she became a mother, and found that massage could help her baby. So she sought training for infant massage, and applied her training at Lake Region General Hospital, where she worked as an occupational therapy assistant.

“I saw so much benefit for them,” she said, that she decided to become a licensed massage therapist. But when an injury prevented her from being able to give massages, she transferred into an administrative and managerial role. She ran day spas, both locally and in other parts of the state.

As her ability to give massage returned, though, she felt compelled to leave the stress of the desk and return to the massage table.

While some might associate massage with a luxurious spa trip, the therapy has been practiced since ancient times by humans all over the world. Lafrance has seen massage work wonders for her clients. She has seen inconsolable babies calm and fall asleep. Adults leave her table with less pain and greater range of motion than when they arrived for her appointment. An autistic child spoke his first words during a massage. The therapy, she has seen, can even help babies who were born to mothers who had been using opioids during the pregnancy.

“I think that massage is a crucial, valid therapy for any person, whether it might be life stresses or an acute injury, it’s good for emotional stress, physical stress,” LaFrance said. “It’s really good for chronic conditions, it helps with depression, sleep disorders, neurological conditions. I think that anybody could find validity with massage therapy if they did it regularly… I’d have one every day if I could.

“To be able to be a massage therapist is a gift. Not everybody has the ability to heal. Massage is very healing. I look forward to it every day."