Healing aches and pains through massage therapy

LAFAYETTE — Offering special attention to clients has kept Larry Lore's Lorel Massage Therapy in business for years.

No matter how long he's had a particular client — some of whom have been coming to him for more than a decade — he always starts each session with a short interview to get an understanding as to what the day's aches and pains may be and what sort of massage the client would like.

Changing careers
A former stand out high school football player, wrestler and track athlete, the Sparta resident graduated from Rutgers University and had a desk job for many years. In 2000, he realized that though he didn't mind the work, increasingly he did mind the lack of activity.

At age 45, he decided to completely change careers.

His wife, Dr. Michelle Takacs, fully backed her husband's desire to go to massage school and change occupations.

"Sometimes people kind of go through the motions doing something," said Lore. "I liked that doing massage would keep me in physical shape and the prospect about helping people feel better."

Lore came up with the name Lorel because it combines his last name with his wife's first. It also happens to be his last name followed by his first initial. At 6 feet, one inch, Lore's build and athletic background enables him to provide good, deep tissue massages. The keys to his success are being able to apply constant pressure, knowing all of the trigger points, and individualizing each massage.

As a father of three, Lore said being a massage therapist allowed him flexibility.

"I was able to schedule my clients around his practices and games during that period of his life which meant I could always be there," said Lore of his son's busy teen football schedule.

Flexibility also meant working around his clients' schedules.

"As a therapist, you can't say when you will and will not work," Lore said. "Being flexible and working nights and weekends is part of the business."

Though Lore and his wife have separate businesses, they combine forces through The Foundation for Wellness Professionals which is a national organization of which they run a local chapter. Proceeds from the foundation go toward local charities including Project Self-Sufficiency, Knights of Columbus and other charities in need. The health-promoting couple volunteer their time by doing health fairs and things like recently volunteering at the Helen Morgan School, in Sparta, to give teachers massages and health screenings during their lunch hour.

"Massage is viewed by many as a luxury, but it's really an integral part of a health regime," Lore said. "It makes the body feel better and de-stresses the mind."