In the past six months, we’ve welcomed five guest rovers and ravers from the United States and two other countries. We’ve reviewed movies, videotapes, Internet movie sites, even the publicity surrounding a movie. We’ve looked at pets, family history, and Georgia on the net, and various columns have been linked to from well-known sites on topics as diverse as Shakespeare, child abuse, genealogy, and movies.

We’ve met parents grieving the loss of their son, an alcoholic rejoicing in his recovery, and a folk artist who was just about the craziest or the sanest Georgian of all time. We’ve dabbled with computers, reflected on spring, and tangled with a weird Australian critter. We’ve looked at stars, listened to music, and probably driven Peanut’s webmaster Kent Guske crazy with some of the demands these columns have sometimes put on him.

And to think it all began with "The Massage Parlor." Although I still feel that massage is a good image for what I’m trying to do with these articles, I have felt a little ashamed of that title, with its hint of exploitation. I feel especially guilty since an ongoing theme in these articles has been healing—with herbs, acupuncture, and a Native American technique (thanks for a guest columnist)—and things to heal from. So, to set the matter right, I want to share with you some information on one of the most pleasant and misunderstood of therapeutic modalities, massage.

Touch is a peculiar and wonderful thing. It is not a luxury, it is a basic human need. Yet, all too often in many cultures, touch is automatically considered sexual. As a high school teacher for twenty years, I know that I probably touched my students more than many teachers do, yet less than I felt I should. Now, working mainly with elementary school students, I am amazed at the difference. It is not unusual to see two students, regardless of race or sex, holding hands, and as I walk along with them, I sometimes have two or three kids on each hand, and a couple more hanging onto my belt. I’ve had more than thirty second graders hug me in one day.

No one can deny that ours is an age of stress. All too often, it is also an age of alienation. I wonder, whenever I hear of senseless violence perpetrated by teenagers, how often were they hugged? That may be as simplistic as some of the answers floating around the talk shows and think tanks, but I still wonder.

So many of us are walking wounded and scarred, with a strong shell to protect us from being touched, or from touching. We’ve gotten out of touch with our bodies, and they retaliate (hey, look at me, listen to me) with carpel tunnel syndrome and TMJ as diseases de jour.

Massage has slowly, stubbornly moved into the mainstream as a logical response to a number of problems. I’m not going to go into the scientific studies supporting the benefits of massage therapy, but there are many such studies. The point I want to make is that my title "massage parlor" was very misleading. The modern massage therapist has completed, usually, at least six months in a school approved by the American Massage Therapy Association. She is not a masseuse, he is not a masseur. They are both therapists, proud of their knowledge and abilities, and frustrated by prejudices. To put it bluntly, they are not prostitutes. Enough said, for a community freenet.

They are not necessarily specialists, and they are certainly not diagnosticians. But, they can help you relax and in general tune up your body. Many massage therapists have an interest in and knowledge of nutrition and herbs although they do not necessarily have any special training or certification in such areas. I have noticed that many massage therapists maintain an ongoing meditation practice for themselves, and, although this may be surprising to some, massage can lead to a meditative state. It is no surprise to people from Eastern spiritual traditions, where the body is a partner to the spirit, not an opponent.

But in the United States, massage is not something that takes place in church—although I remember some hearty hugs during Mass in a monastery in the backwoods of South Carolina. It is more likely to take place in a health spa, sports club or gym, and it is most likely to be based on the work of a Swedish physician more than a century ago, and so, called Swedish massage. However, with its simple movements and lack of pretension, it is in many ways a very American kind of massage. It is not a subtle massage, working as it does on large muscles with large movements of the therapist’s hands.

But, it does feel good. While a professional therapeutic massage should not be sexual, it should feel good, and you and your therapist should both be comfortable. It is typical in Swedish massage for the recipient of the massage to be naked, covered by a sheet. If you are not comfortable with this, tell your therapist, and make the necessary adjustments. In other words, keep your drawers on.

Typically, massage is offered in thirty, forty-five, or sixty minute sessions. Your therapist should ask, but if not, be sure to tell her/him about any injuries, surgeries, or other health problems you may have. Otherwise, keep talking to a minimum.

There is also a range of special massages, such as acupressure (to stimulate the points of acupuncture, on which there has already been a column), reiki (a hands-off massage), and reflexology (a special massage of the feet). Often, people who have training in AMTA institutions and state licenses will have additional training in these specialties. As a rule, if the therapist does not have a state license and AMTA certification, find another therapist.

If any therapy is strong enough to be effective, it is strong enough to be dangerous. In general, massage is a very safe, non-invasive therapy, but there are some problems. If you have a circulatory problem, such as edema or varicose veins, if you have diabetes, if you have ulcers or osteoporosis, you should check with your primary health care provider before having a massage. If you suffer from sports injuries, including broken bones, arthritis, or other chronic medical problems, again, check with your primary care provider before looking for a massage therapist.

Also, if you have some psychological wounds, especially if you were sexually abused as a child, you should approach massage with care and caution. At least, you should discuss the matter with your therapist before beginning massage.

I have come from under the hands of some skilled massage therapists feeling positively reborn. Also, over the years, I have gained a reputation among friends of mine as quite a masseur—not certified, not trained, not qualified as a therapist, but simply intuitively aware of the value and power of touch.

If you do not have such an awareness, you are missing one of life’s true pleasures. Warmly massaged and massaging, with dry feet and hearts full of noble thoughts, rove to the American Massage Therapy Association. Push into acupuncture and acupressure resources, get in touch with reiki, aim your dry feet toward reflexology, and check out a human and humane guide at  About Alternative Medicine .