April Lane

April Lane graduated from DA05 at the Arizona School of Massage Therapy in March of 2002 with a job waiting in the wings for her at a very unique and brand-new spa, a spa located inside a hospital.

The spa, Essential Touch, is located inside the Scottsdale Healthcare’s Shea Campus Hospital in a new Women’s Center, and is only the second of its kind in the entire nation. Not only does this spa cater to the patients of the hospital, mainly those in the maternity ward, but to the public as well. April has been an integral part of the planning of the menu of services, the construction of various spa protocols, and has also had the opportunity to help implement a cutting edge doula program. But her focus isn’t only on pregnancy and infant massage, she also has a steady flow of clients that see her for herbal wraps and for Hot Rock massage therapy, as she is one of two certified Hot Rock therapists on staff.

The decision to go into a hospital setting was easy for April, as she was previously a Certified Nursing Assistant. She felt as though she was "drawn" to the holistic healing field and recently told the Career Services department, "I have always felt very comfortable in hospitals and the healthcare field. Massage therapy was perfect for me, as it allowed me to work in bodywork, which I love, and a hospital setting. I work 30-32 hours a week and have the opportunity to learn so many new things that I wouldn’t have learned before while applying some of the things I already knew."

Since she was hired before the spa even opened, April has had the opportunity to watch Essential Touch grow and flourish. She is excited about implementing the hospital’s new geriatric program and teaching more infant classes, as well promoting the in-room services to the patients.