Anthony Taylor has been massaging since he was 13. Fed up with his family’s constant comments of how much money he could earn by his skill, Taylor obtained his certificate in Massage Therapy and Holistic Health and has put his hands to work at SF State’s Village Fitness Center (VFC).

“I’ve been doing massage therapy unofficially for 10 years, but have been doing it professionally for the past two years because my friends and family took advantage of my ‘magic hands’,” said the 23-year-old sociology major. “Let’s just say I couldn’t stand people saying ‘hey, you should get paid for this, you’re good.’ So that’s exactly what I did.”

In fall of 2005, Taylor took a semester off from SF State and enrolled in the National Holistic Institute in Emeryville, Calif. Upon returning to SF State in the spring, Taylor interned in the Athletic department on campus where he helped student athletes with their rehabilitation process, increasing the range of motion for muscle adhesions and minor strains, said Taylor.

Taylor offers a variety of massages including Shiatsu, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Sports, Pregnancy, Lymphatic, Myofascial Therapy and chair massages. According to Taylor, Swedish and Myofascial massages are the most popular with his clients and have become his favorite massages to give.

Taylor believes that his rates are quite reasonable and realizes that students’ wallets “can go through a squeeze every now and then.” He charges $1 per minute in 15-minute increments for chair massages and $35 per half hour for a table massage.

Taylor said he often offers free demonstration massages during midterm and final exams in the Cesar Chavez Student Center and it’s then that students get an idea of what he can do. Michael Arce, the VFC service advisor and Taylor’s co-worker of one year notices the positive reactions from Taylor’s clients.

“It’s pretty cool to see the positive and relieved responses he’d get after just three minutes,” said Arce. “I’ve had a chair massage from Antonio in the past, and I will say that he is great at his craft and his technique is very exceptional.”

Taylor’s career at the VFC started as an internship proposal, said Taylor, but instead he chose to intern at the Athletic department because it was an opportunity that fit more with his interests. After obtaining his certificate Taylor applied to work at the VFC because of its family-oriented atmosphere.

“The Village Fitness Center felt more like home,” Taylor said. “The staff was very welcoming and I like that.”

Taylor’s days are usually booked with classes and appointments. He prefers scheduled appointments to walk-ins because it not only gives him advanced notice, but it allows his clients to prepare themselves for the “full effect of relaxation.”

Taylor’s schedule at the VFC is rarely steady compared to his weekly schedule at the Quan Yin Healing Arts Center where he has an average of 10 clients per week. Since the majority of his time is spent on campus and at the VFC, Taylor’s clientele consists mainly of SF State faculty and students. Around 65 percent are faculty members, Taylor said.

Besides working at the VFC and at the Quan Yin Healing Arts Center—a wellness center in the Mission district that offers acupuncture, massages and educational classes—he also works as a mail clerk in the College of Behavioral Social Science and assistant to the Operations Manager. With such a busy schedule Taylor said he rarely has time to just kick back and relax, but when he does he enjoys hanging around with his friends.
“He’s a pretty chill, easy going guy,” Arce said. “Good times.”

You can experience Taylor’s “magic hands” by calling the VFC at 415-452-1010 and scheduling an appointment or stopping by. They are located at 750 Font Boulevard, Building A, Suite 5000.

“I feel that students, as stressed out as we are, could benefit from this gift,” said Taylor. “Students should realize that a massage is something that should be sought especially after the hours of work we push to make the grade.”