IT'S GOOD TO FEEL KNEADED; MASSAGE THERAPY MOVES INTO THE MAINSTREAM.

Byline: Jenifer Hanrahan Daily News Staff Writer

You lie naked, cocooned in a fresh sheet on a cushioned table in a dimly lit room. Before long, a pair of strong hands begin to kneed the knot from your neck, the kink from your shoulders, the ache from your back.

Ahh. A massage. A little to the right, please. That's it. There.

Sound hedonistic? Sure it is, but it's an indulgence that's getting easier to justify.

A growing body of medical evidence shows that massage may not only make you feel good, it may be good for you.

Scientists have found that massage can reduce blood pressure, help rid the body of harmful stress hormones, enhance the immune system and raise mood-elevating brain chemicals such as serotonin.

``I don't think we're going to cure a tumor with massage,'' said Rob Landel, an associate professor of clinical physical therapy at the University of Southern California. ``But in terms of relieving some of the symptoms or the suffering of someone who has a tumor, that I certainly can see.''

It's no wonder so many Americans are turning to massages, once considered pampering for the wealthy or - to the chagrin of legitimate massage therapists - a wink-and-nod cover for prostitution. Nowadays, with the increased interest in alternative therapies, it's become a rather commonplace indulgence for those of more ordinary means.

About 8 percent of adult Americans reported having a massage in the past 12 months and 17 percent had one in the past five years, according to a survey by an independent market research firm for the American Massage Therapy Association.

The signs that massage has moved into the mainstream are everywhere. Doctors have started prescribing massage to help patients manage stress. More insurance companies are paying for it to augment conventional treatments.

Cut-rate massage services are also making it more affordable. The Massage Co., with locations on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks and Studio City, offers hourlong massages for $39 - cheaper than the typical $60 and up fee.

You can also get quickie massages in unlikely places. Great American BackRub opened last week in downtown Los Angeles' Arco Center, offering neck and back rubs for $1 a minute to the fully clothed. To soothe weary travelers, the company is opening a storefront later this month in New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Whole Foods grocery store's two locations in Sherman Oaks also offers $1-a-minute rubdowns.

``Our customers are a little fried from coming home from work, and they can really use it,'' said John Loomis, store team leader.

For the most ardent believers in the power of healing touch, regularly scheduled massages have moved from luxury to necessity, an essential ritual needed to maintain well-being.

Several years ago, Marvin Drabinsky, 42, of Tarzana was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a neurological disorder that causes muscular pain and double vision. A certified public accountant, he had to stop working full time. But the anti-depressants, muscle relaxants and painkillers he took made him feel like ``a zombie.''

He tried massage at the Touch Therapy Institute & Massage Center in Encino as a last resort. By going one to three times a week for as many as three hours a session, he has been able to work part time and has stopped taking much of his medication.

``I had tried every medication and all the doctors, and I still felt bad,'' Drabinsky said. ``I'd much rather go to a movie or do some exercise. But this is really the only thing that has given me relief.''

Likewise, Bill Bickley, 51, a television producer, began seeing a massage therapist weekly to relieve the pain of two ruptured discs and several surgeries.

``Massage not only solved my back problems, it really gave me an overall feeling of healthiness - mentally and physically,'' Bickley said. ``It really has a very holistic effect, which I had not been looking for or expecting.''

Even though the back pain has subsided, he continues the massages, using the time to relax and meditate. An added benefit: solutions to problems or new ideas for television shows pop into his head, unbidden.

Bickley is a client of Sherman Oaks resident Lois Ewing, who runs the Body Project, a mobile massage service, with her husband, Scott. Inside a trailer, Poly Veitzer, 30, a yoga instructor, got her weekly rub-down.

Cars whooshed by outside, but inside the dimly lit room with the curtains drawn, all was tranquil and smelling sweetly of lavender aromatherapy candles.

To Ewing, massage is an art form. She uses her fingertips, knuckles, palms and elbows to work Veitzer's deep muscle tissue.

``The massage is a mutual experience between the therapist and the recipient,'' Ewing said. ``Some people fight it because it's a little uncomfortable at times. They tense up or flinch. It's better to breathe through it.''

First-time massage clients, Ewing says, should know that they can direct the massage therapist.

``It's the client's responsibility to tell me what's enough, what's not enough, if they want it deeper or softer,'' Ewing said. ``Some people don't like their feet touched. That's OK. You can't hurt our feelings.''

Everyone knows how good it feels to reach up and rub the knot from your neck. But how deep is the relief?

The precise mechanism that makes a massage effective remains something of a mystery, although dozens of researchers at medical schools and universities across the country are conducting studies in an attempt to find answers.

What's sure is that massage stimulates nerves that carry signals to the brain, triggering changes throughout the body, said Dr. Tiffany Fields, director of the Touch Research Institutes at the University of Miami School of Medicine.

In a 1986 study by the Touch Research Institute, premature infants who were massaged three times a day gained 47 percent more weight than other preemies and went home from the hospital an average of six days earlier.

A more recent study shows that babies fall asleep faster when massaged than when rocked. Even better, they not only doze off sooner, but they stay asleep longer.

Massage also has been shown to change brain waves. In a 1996 study, co-workers given a 15-minute massage while sitting in a chair had lower levels of alpha and beta waves - indicating more mental alertness - than colleagues who simply sat quietly in their chairs and tried to relax.

When asked to do math problems, the group who had the massage solved the problems faster and made half as many errors.

Still other studies indicate massage can increase blood flow to the muscles and move fluids around in the body, relieving swelling and muscle inflammations, Landel said.

Then there's the psychological impact of a massage, an aspect that may be the most difficult to pinpoint.

``The thing we can't measure so well is the effect on a person of `laying on of hands,' '' Landel said.

The placebo effect, or the benefit gained from the belief that a treatment is going to help, is a powerful phenomenon.

For instance, in drug trials, as many as 25 percent of people on a placebo medication - or sugar pill - respond positively, said Jason Olin, an assistant professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences at USC.

``If you have a caring person who is listening to you while you're having your body manipulated in a way that feels good, that has value,'' Olin said. ``Massage is a soothing process that helps people relax, and relaxation is something important therapeutically.''

Techniques at a glance

You're considering getting your first massage, but you feel a little nervous about having a stranger touch you so intimately yet platonically.

Many people feel a bit uncomfortable the first time, said Lois Ewing, who runs a mobile massage company called the Body Project.

Here's what to expect. You'll strip down to the skin in private, then lie down and cover yourself with a sheet before the massage therapist comes into the room. The massage therapist will only remove the part of the sheet over the body part that's being massaged. Some clients opt to leave their undies on, Ewing says, which is fine.

Here's a sampling of some types of massages you can sign up for:

Swedish

When not stated otherwise, this is probably the massage you're going to get. The aim is relaxation, relief of aching muscles and improved circulation of blood and lymph through the muscles using long, rhythmic and smooth strokes.

Shiatsu 

Shiatsu, which means ``finger pressure'' in Japanese, encompasses a broad range of styles. What they share in common is a belief in Eastern concepts that the health and vitality of the human body depends on a balance of energy. Shiatsu practitioners try to ``unblock congested energies'' by pressing on key points that run along 14 major meridians, or energy channels, in the body. The technique is based on concepts similar to those used by acupuncturists.

Reflexology 

Reflexology, like shiatsu, is based on the Chinese concept that the body has energy channels and that they can be manipulated by applying pressure to specific locations in the hands and feet. Different areas of the foot and hands correspond to body parts elsewhere. By pressing on the correct spot on the foot, for example, a reflexologist could be trying to relieve a stomach ailment, or a headache.

- Jenifer Hanrahan

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos, Box

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) A pressing need

Massage gains favor for its relaxing, restorative powers

(2) Shelly Luna charges $1 a minute for neck, shoulder and back rubs at Whole Foods Market in Sherman Oaks.

(3) Lois Ewing works out of a mobile massage trailer in Sherman Oaks.

(4) Marvin Drabinsky's weekly visits to licensed massage therapist Ana Maria Rodriguez have allowed him to cut back on painkillers for a neurological condition.

Gus Ruelas/Daily News

Box: Techniques at a glance (See text)