A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star

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Roxie Walker put off signing the paperwork on her second franchise because she wasn't totally sold on the benefits of massage.

At that point, she had never had one and considered a massage "fluff and buff" reserved for a day at the spa or a vacation.

Ultimately, the wishes of several clients at her new personal training studio and her own epiphany motivated her to sign on the dotted line.

She opened Arizona's first Elements Therapeutic Massage on Oct. 23, five months after opening a Fitness Together personal training studio next door in the shopping center at the northeast corner of North Dove Mountain Boulevard and West Tangerine Road.

Client Sabria Berisha, 24, owns a business a few doors down from Elements and is constantly on the go. Once a month, she makes time in her schedule for a Swedish massage.

"I go to relieve stress. It makes a huge difference in my legs and back," she said. "It's so relaxing. When I leave there, I always want to go home and sleep. It puts your mind at ease."

Walker, 57, concedes that the decision to start two franchises in the same year was either "brave or a little nuts." In 2003, she opened Tucson's first Fitness Together on East Wrightstown Road. Walker and her new husband moved to Dove Mountain in 2006. She sold the East Side franchise to concentrate on offering health and wellness services to people who live in the area.

Last February, Walker was rear-ended in a car accident. At first she felt fine, but four months later, she was in pain. Her chiropractor discovered three dislocated ribs and whiplash.

The massage therapy she received in conjunction with chiropractic care was essential to her recovery, she said. The experience changed her opinion of massage.

"We want them (clients) to experience a massage in a way that helps them realize that this is a part of their health and wellness," she said.

Robert Centuori, 41, a massage therapist and the business's manager, said he noticed that many people over age 55 seem reluctant to get a massage.

"A lot of people still associate the word 'massage' with things it shouldn't be associated with," he said. "Massage can be just as important as medications they take or exercises they do."

Client Joan Rietz, 63, goes in once a month for deep tissue and trigger point massage.

"I became a believer when I had tendinitis and had massage therapy, and it relieved the symptoms," she said. "It mellows me out. In between time, I can feel the tension building in my muscles."