Corporate Massage Pioneer

In 1987, when Donna DeFalco (’81) had a vision of bringing massage therapy to corporate workers, her first meeting with Wall Street executives was a disaster. “I had created a professional presentation about the benefits of reducing stress and avoiding injuries in the workplace with massage,” Donna recalled, “and felt confident about what I was offering. But they laughed. They asked me if I was from “42nd Street”, associated at the time with sleaze and prostitution. I was embarrassed and shocked that the work I cherished could be so misunderstood and maligned.”

Instead of being crushed, Donna was galvanized. Today, her Health Enhancement Company employs 25 people and provides on site massage, acupuncture and ergonomic counseling for an impressive roster of Fortune 500 companies. Including top firms on Wall Street. How times have changed. As a pioneer in a growing industry, Donna would be justified in saying “eat my dust” to those who didn’t share her initial vision. But ever the professional, she would never slam a door behind her.

Getting started
In an ironic twist, her first prestigious client — HBO — was located on 42nd Street. “I approached HBO because I felt that as part of the entertainment field, they might be more open to having massage on site,” she explained. She was right, though it still wasn’t easy.

She sent presentation packets several times, kept calling and finally made a breakthrough when she offered to show up at the office for a hands-on demonstration. After providing massage sessions for a few people, Donna was prepared to follow up with a presentation. But before she could say a word, was asked if she could start the following week. She did and continues to work there two days a week, with other employees taking on additional hours as she tends to her growing business.

In addition to HBO, Donna’s roster of clients includes American Express, Citibank, Cigna, Master Card and Pricewaterhouse Coopers. She has locations around the country and in Europe.

A specialized training
“People think they can just adapt their ordinary massage sessions to the chair, but that’s not making the best use of the chair,” she said. “I have created a blend of massage, CranioSacral Therapy and Polarity that I use, though I don’t separate the modalities. I believe your tools become who you are.” Donna created a 15-week training program, Tension Breaker Corporate Massage, in which she shares not only the seated massage she has perfected over the past twenty years, but her hard-earned lessons in approaching prospective clients.

In addition to teaching in venues around the U.S., Donna also travels a couple of times a year to Zurich, Switzerland, where she enjoys skiing, the local cuisine and lots of chocolate!

Education as part of health
Donna sees massage as an educational benefit as well as a health care benefit. “I do a lot of health fairs at companies,” she says, “and I ask people if they know that massage can affect blood pressure or how it reduces pain.” Helping people learn more about the reality of massage and the body is still exciting to Donna. “If you can educate a company, think of how many people you can educate!”

Her next project has grown out of her involvement in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. (Nearly 1,400 massage therapists helped rescue and recovery workers in the weeks and months that followed 9/11, and Donna was one of the first to get to Ground Zero. She was chosen to carry the Olympic torch for half a mile as a representative of the massage therapy volunteer effort. For more see the first issue of SINEWS.)

The new program, called Project HECTOR (Health Emergency Core Training Overview and Response), organizes emergency preparedness fairs that present information from the NYCPD, Fire Department, FEMA, and offer workshops in CPR, awareness and fitness. Donna hopes to give individuals the tools they need to deal with emergencies so they won’t come out of one with post-traumatic stress syndrome. “If something happens, do you know where to go? Can you stay mentally alert? Are you fit enough to walk down 40 flights of stairs?” Though her work may change with the times, she remains true to her mission, written 20 years ago: To address the health and stress issues facing corporate America.

More stories >