Jul 14, 2021 | Articles, Classes
KI Guided Couples Massage is designed for the two of you to learn how to give and receive bodywork to each other. We will walk you and your favorite partner (you must bring your own) through different techniques including, but not limited to, massage techniques, range of motion, and breathwork.
This workshop is 90 minutes total, with each partner receiving and giving a 35–40-minute massage guided by our massage instructors in the proper techniques and forms (This week, is taught by Lisa…yes, THAT Lisa). Each week is different according to the needs of the participants, it may be repeated as often as you like, and you will learn new and exciting techniques every time. This class is limited to SIX people (3 pairs of partners), is done fully clothed (so do wear comfortable clothing), and is ONLY $35 each ($70 for the pair)!
May 27, 2021 | The Rub Blog, Articles, Classes
This story begins on a somber note: my father passed away recently — and to be candid, some might say he died when he retired. He was a very passionate cook his entire life and it’s all he loved to do. Shortly after he retired he had a stroke and his health, slowly at times and quickly in others, declined, until he was no longer able to cook or taste things of which he was once a master. I learned a lot from my father; how to be passionate about the work I do, a good work ethic, and not living my life in fear of living. The last one by omission as my father never pursued what he really wanted: to own his own restaurant out of fear it would fail. From watching his trepidation growing up, I worked on building my resistance to fear and the skills for something I was passionate about.
Finding that passion took a lot of twists and turns, but eventually, I landed on the thing I knew I was meant to do. I have always (even as a child) been interested in the human body and anatomy, especially the way the body works.
As condensed as possible, my story:
While living in South Korea in the mid-1990s, I studied to become a group fitness instructor and entrepreneurially began a fitness program for the military children after school as a volunteer, while also teaching aerobics at Yongsan AIN, and conversational English at a nearby university – my education passion was sparked. After we moved (off to Germany that time) the volunteer position I’d created became a paid position, which proved there was demand in the market for what I wanted to teach. When we moved to Frankfort (Rhein-Main AFB), I added personal training to the mix and managed even more after-school programs for kids (this time a paid position, modeled on the one I created in Seoul), with, of course, a focus on physical fitness. More sparks.
The irony of that position was how excited I was to have my own office with a desk (not exactly physical fitness), which I didn’t use much as I was always playing with the kids. While in Germany a friend of mine, an occupational therapist, suggested she thought I would make a good massage therapist and the idea just stayed in the back of my head. Once I returned stateside — we were living in Utah in a small town on the south side of the Great Salt Lake – an hour away, Salt Lake City (at the time) was the capital of massage training (I don’t know if it is any longer) and after a tour of the Utah College of Massage Therapy campus, I was so excited I signed up for the program on a Friday, paid for my parking pass, quit my job and started classes that next Monday. As anyone who has been through massage school can tell you, it’s rigorous training and it changes your life, from the inside out — The very first day, I was hooked. I chose massage because it’s a vast field of change, opportunity, and many modalities to choose from so I knew I would never be bored with this job. That’s right! I’d found what I was passionate about.
I was also right that I would never be bored. My massage career in 21 years has had a lot of twists and turns, but I’m still doing bodywork and have really created my own style, which I introduced with That’s the Rub 12 years ago in our wonderful little burg of Bloomington. For the last five years, I’ve been teaching in the massage program I helped found at Ivy Tech some of my style and now I’m bringing it to our own school with the opening of Keplinger Institute of Massage and Wellness (website coming soon). Not only will be teaching massage professionals continuing education, we will be introducing wellness classes to the community while also working on our trade school curriculum to soon be able to train people for licensure.
Every day I choose to live through my passion for the anatomy of the human body that has followed me since my early childhood. Each time I strayed something brought me back to it. Anatomy, massage, fitness, nutrition, teaching, growing, and wellness, the options are endless, and I am most passionate about sharing them with YOU!
I invite you to join me for our FIST community offering: Ki for Stretch and Relax, and very soon for Guided Couples Massage, or any of the classes my passion leads us to. Sparks are flying, I’m excited about the adventure, I can’t wait to meet you!
That’s the Rub,
Lisa
Sep 25, 2018 | The Rub Blog
So, what I mean by the title of this article is: there are no do-overs. When we’re young, we feel like we’re going to live forever. Our bodies feel spry, we can get hurt (or not) and recover quickly, we can eat anything (!!!) and it doesn’t seem to affect us. Then we turn 40, and our body starts to tell us the many ways in which we’ve abused it over the years and begins to take its revenge. We can no longer eat the way we once did without it biting back. We exercise, but it takes two days longer to recover. We’re forced to face all of the ways we’ve abused our bodies in the past and expected them to just keep going. Even when we’ve acknowledged all of the abuses we’ve put our bodies through, the misdeeds of poor nutrition, lack of recovery time between exercise bouts, injuries and the like, we just expect it to keep going — No maintenance required.
Why do we just expect our bodies to keep going? Our body needs to be cared for, nurtured, strengthened, stretched, and fed properly. We wouldn’t expect a car to just keep going with no gas, oil changes, or regular maintenance, eventually, the car says “I’m not going anywhere.” Therefore, you must take care of it or get another car. Meanwhile, we complain about what a piece of crap it is, not taking responsibility for the fact that if we’d been doing proper maintenance we wouldn’t be facing the issues with our car. Well, our bodies are the same, they need regular, consistent maintenance, but unlike a car, you can’t turn it in for a younger version. So, it’s better to take care of it, you’ve heard the saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It’s time to take responsibility for your body maintenance and give it the attention that it deserves.
Bodies behave best when properly taken care of: stretching daily to get all the stress out of the body and its tissues after using it in our activities of the day, strengthening it so that all levers and pullies are doing their jobs equally in respect to their size and their mechanics and using proper nutrition to fuel our activities and our bodies in a nurturing way so that it gets what it needs to continue functioning at the optimum levels. When we don’t do these things, the body breaks down. We call it getting old, but the fact is that’s the excuse we use when we don’t want to take responsibility that we’ve not treated our body all that well and it’s letting us know it. The good news is, it’s never too late to change old habits. As long as you’re breathing and your heart is still beating you can take steps to improve your body’s performance.
We tell ourselves that change is too hard, to give us an excuse not to change. We tell ourselves that we can’t change, which is untrue, but if you believe that you can’t you are correct because you have to want to change. Change isn’t that hard if you really want to do it. The catalyst shouldn’t have to be “if I don’t do this I will die.” How about change for the sake of knowing it’s better for you? Take your power back. Change because you know it will help your body feel better, you will feel stronger, happier, and you will feel healthier knowing that you empowered yourself with change. We tell ourselves it’s hard because it gives us an excuse when we fail. Oh, it was too hard so I gave up. What if we gave ourselves other words? For instance, this change is a small one, so it’s going to be easy. Implement the change, embrace it, and then move on to the next change and so on. Baby steps…but keep stepping! There is no limit to this way of thinking about change and it brings the change and the word into the positive realm, instead of placing it into the too hard to be accomplished.
The mind is a powerful tool. Use your mind to your advantage by living in the positive now and leaving the negative I can’t or its too hard behind. By living in the positive now, the changes you wish to bestow on the one thing there are no do-overs on, YOUR BODY, you will empower yourself to be your best advocate for any positive change you would like to make. Massage, facials, acupuncture, yoga, more natural body products, we carry all of those things and more at That’s the Rub. Be the change!
That’s the Rub,
Lisa
Aug 3, 2018 | The Rub Blog
This might be a surprise to you or maybe not, but all massage therapists are not created equal, not all massages are the same, any more than all bodies are the same. I bring this up because it occurred to me that the major reason people may not like to try another therapist is loyalty to their therapist or fear of the unknown. After all we like the massage we’re getting, so why change therapists? Well, let me explain.
When you first schedule your appointment the front desk staff asks questions to not only get you the best time for your schedule, but also to try to match you to the best massage for your goals and the best personality fit between you and the therapist you will be working with. Usually our staff nails it, but, sometimes, this doesn’t work out so well which isn’t a surprise, we’re trying to make all these decisions within a five minute phone call.
Did you know if you don’t mesh with the massage type, the style of massage used by your therapist you can (and should) ask for different things for your next massage? Or if you and your therapist don’t jibe personally (hey, it happens, no harm, no foul) that we don’t think twice about scheduling anyone with another therapist who may suit you better, we’re cool like that. We know that everyone isn’t meant to get along and so we have other therapists for you to try, until you find the right fit for you.
Massage Type: There’s a vast pool of massage types that we in the business call “modalities”. In the bodywork world we know that there are different massages that work best on different pathologies (issues) in the body, based on your needs and your goals, we book a massage based on what you say you’re looking for. On the day of your appointment we do further intake to ensure that we’re doing the best massage for what you’re looking for by discussing what your goals are and come up with a plan together.
Massage Style: Massage style refers to the way the massage therapist applies their massage techniques. Each therapist does more than one massage modality, but their massage style is what brings it all together in a treatment that is customized for you each time you visit. You may have a deep tissue massage from one therapist and a deep tissue massage from another therapist and they are completely different. It’s like Frank Sinatra and Sid Vicious both recorded “My Way” but they are vastly different (and you’re bound to prefer one to the other)!
Choosing your massage based on type, style, and personality fit may take a few times, but when you get that right combination, you will know it and it’s worth the pursuit. We look forward to helping you find your right fit for the results you’re looking to achieve.
That’s the Rub,
Lisa
Jul 24, 2018 | The Rub Blog
After years of requests, and no small amount of bribery, Lisa has finally decided to “start writing it all down.”
The Rub Blog with Lisa is where Lisa Keplinger, LMT, Hospitality Consultant, Spa Developer, Massage Therapy Instructor, and President of That’s the Rub, LLC shares her decades of experience, wit, and wisdom, as well as her personal insight on new products and services at The Rub.
Occasionally, there may even be a guest writer or two (Jim’s been known to wax poetic a bit, after all). Come back regularly for new insights on massage therapy, facials, waxing, acupuncture, and other wellness modalities either offered at That’s the Rub locations or that are currently getting our attention. Heck’s the occasional book recommendation or podcast tip alone will make this one of your favorite spots online for finding out more about how to take care of the most important person in your life: YOU!
