Live for Less: Stress Busters

The economy, the Atlanta traffic and shrinking bank accounts are reasons to feel stressed out these days. For those tired of feeling tense and worn out, there are ways to get pampered without going broke.

As wallets get tighter, a lot of people have given up on going to the spa or a massage therapist because it's just too expensive. There is a place where people can splurge on a stress-busting treatment without paying spa prices.

"I feel stress a lot and I carry my shoulders and my neck, all the time," said Cathy Giarrusso.

It can be hard to relax and enjoy the pampering of a massage, if you're getting all worked up about the cost, but Giarrusso wasn't sweating the cost just enjoying the massage.

"People at work go, 'you get a massage every other week!?' And I say, 'I sure do!' I don't drink, and I don't smoke, and that's where I spend my money," said Giarrusso.

For almost 20 years, Giarrusso and her partner Mary Louise Upshaw, have gone twice a month for spa treatments.

Inside a Dunwoody office park Giarrusso and Upshaw found a bargain.

"It's the best deal in town," said Upshaw.

"Everything is about 50 percent cheaper," said Casey Hunter of the Atlanta School of Massage.

The facility is a school and not a spa and clients can put themselves in the hands of students for a discounted rate.

"They're excited to have the public to work on. They don't have to work on each other!" said Upshaw.

The Atlanta School of Massage and Institute of Aesthetics charges about $40 for a 50 minute massage and $30 for a 50 minute facial.

Clients get half-off the price of treatments, while students like Misha Tomczick get hands-on experience.

"Well you definitely learn that massage is not just rubbing people. It's a lot of discipline. I think at a lot of people don't realize how much goes into it," said Tomczick.

"Now they're actually putting to work what they've learned and they're very cautious, very excited," said Upshaw.

Instructors drop in quietly during sessions and observe the students' technique and interaction with the client.

Unlike other spas, the students ask clients to fill out a client survey when they leave. The survey help students learn what they did right and maybe what they did wrong. One thing students will not ask for is a tip.

Since each student needs several hundred hours of hands-on training, Hunter said their main focus is getting experience and feedback.

"They're working for a simple evaluation form. It's like five questions, 'Did I do a good job?' and that's all," said Hunter.

And when it's time to go, Upshaw and Giarrusso said was kind of nice to walk out feeling like a million bucks without having to drop too much of their hard-earned cash.

"I walk out of here just feeling a whole new being. It's just wonderful," said Giarrusso.

The Atlanta School of Massage Clinic is open on Saturdays.