New Massage Business Grown out of Need to Help

A few years back, resident Andrea Farneti was having issue with her neck and went to her chiropractor to get it checked out.

She had a good experience with the chiropractor, Barry Anderson, who would later refer her to the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard.

"I just wanted to help people like he helped me," Farneti said Wednesday, celebrating her new Chamber of Commerce membership for Pure Relaxation Therapeutic Massage, which she opened in April in New Lenox.

She said that after visiting the chiropractor, her son Jake, a sophomore at the time, felt some aches in his neck and shoulders. Farneti tried some massage techniques she had learned, and it was her son who suggested she become a massage therapist.

"People can really reap the benefits," she said. "I think it's really important for overall wellness. People are looking at more holistic approaches to being healthy and I think massage plays a big part in that."

The small office has one bed and is open by appointment only, though private parties are also available. Farneti, who is a classroom aid for students with special needs in District 122, has help for such events from students Colette Welch and Caitlyn Gurnea.