For many students, finals week can be synonymous with stress. In an effort to combat this correlation, coordinators from McIntyre Library and University Recreation are working together to provide a convenient, effective way for students to relieve stress during this exhausting week.

Chair massages, provided by Keith Beckstrom, a certified massage therapist for University Recreation, will be offered from 6 to 9 p.m. May 17-20 in Room 104 of the McIntyre Library basement.

“It will be nice for people who are studying and just want to take a break,” library assistant Diana Germain said. “Our goal is to provide a place where students can study and relax.”

The massages will last 15 minutes and cost $10.25 a session. The chair massage provides therapy to the neck, shoulders, arms and back. These are the places where bodily stress usually accumulates, said Vicki Reed, associate director of intramural sports for University Recreation.

All appointments should be scheduled and paid in advance at the Student Service Center.

“If you want to take advantage of this service, I do advise that you get an appointment,” Germain said.

But she also predicts walk-in appointments will be welcome in the event that Beckstrom is not booked.

The service in the library is in addition to the usual massage options available through University Recreation. Table massages ranging from 30 to 90 minutes still will be offered at Crest Wellness Center during finals week. On-site chair massages for groups of three or more clients at a time also will be available.

Germain and her co-workers conceived the idea to provide the library service when they received chair massages at Crest Wellness Center earlier this year. While Germain was satisfied with the effectiveness of the relaxation and stress relief, she noticed that the setting and atmosphere of her massage were not optimal.

“It was right next to the weight room and wasn’t as nice as the softer atmosphere in a beauty salon,” Germain said.

She collaborated with Beckstrom and Reed to offer the chair massage service to students in the library where they would be able to study, relax and relieve stress, all in the same setting.

Library assistant Mary Finseth also received a chair massage from Beckstrom and said she was satisfied.

“He relieves stress in your neck, shoulders and back,” she said. “When you are done, it feels like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

“If students can afford it, they really should try it. I know students are under a lot of stress, especially during finals week, and this is a great way to relieve that stress,” she said.

“You don’t know what you’ve been missing until you’ve tried it.”