Massage therapist's mother was her teacher
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
In a world of desk jobs and push-button convenience, a therapeutic body massage can do a lot to increase circulation and improve mobility.
Lisa Wildin of Marion has been a full-time massage therapist since February. She spends two days a week in McPherson at Creative Hairlines Salon and Spa and three days working out of her mother's home at 510 S. Cedar.
Although she recently completed 105 hours of training at Butler County Community College in El Dorado under the tutelage of Carolan McFarland of Marion, her practical education began much earlier. She received hands-on instruction from her message therapist mother and became her assistant.
Wildin, a divorced mother of five, lives across the street from her mother and uses a special room in her home as her office. Her mother no longer is in practice.
"Most people get a massage to feel good," Wildin said. "But it not only makes you feel good, it is good for you."
She regards therapeutic massage as preventive medicine. She said it increases blood circulation and stimulates the lymph flow, the body's natural defense against toxic invaders.
Wildin said she has had success in treating clients with migraine problems. They get massages while not having the headaches, which become less frequent or stop altogether.
Some clients receive relief from lower back pain through regular massages if the problem is muscle strain. It the pain persists, Wildin sends them to a physician.
Children get massages with a parent present. Wildin said studies show massages increase concentration and relaxation.
Most of her male clients make their first visit when their health-conscious wives give them gift certificates, she said.
As part of her therapy, she uses a Hawaiian technique which utilizes her elbows and forearms.
Every first-time client is required to fill out a medical in-take form regarding health history. Clients are instructed to drink a lot of water following a massage.
"The massage releases waste products that need to be flushed out," Wildin explained.
Janie Meierhoff of Marion uses Wildin's services from time to time. She said Wildin is a good massage therapist.
"You've got sore spots in your body one day, and the next day they're gone," she said.
A history
Wildin is not a native of Marion. She was born in a Los Angeles suburb, has lived in Queens, a borough of New York City, N.Y., and graduated from high school in Tulsa, Okla.
While she was growing up, her family came to Marion to visit her grandparents, Ralph and Lois Wildin. Her brother Brad met and married Jeannie Widler of Marion.
Wildin moved to Marion with her children about eight years ago. Stephanie, 16, is a junior; Justin, 14, is an eighth grader; twins Cody and Dillon, 11, sixth graders; and Tyler, 8, a third grader.
Wildin had jobs at Flint Hills Embroidery in Marion and Williams Service in Florence before becoming a massage therapist.
"I didn't want to spend my life behind a machine," she said.
Her mother, Joy Wildin, moved to Marion to be near her daughter when Joy suffered a recurrence of breast cancer about six years ago.
Wildin's sister Kathy and husband Ralph Noriega and her brother David Shiplet and wife Marla soon followed. They wanted to help Wildin in caring for her mother, who thought she was dying.
However, after a mastectomy and chemotherapy, the cancer was gone, and the 63-year-old woman maintains an active life. She quit massage therapy to become a commercial truck driver and is on the road for weeks at a time.
Wildin is a member of the Association of Bodywork and Massage Professionals. The association has a strict code of ethics and requires continuous education. Wildin plans to continue her schooling until she is fully certified.
