Feature photo by Maia O’Brien
Story by Noah McLane
MTSU’s Relaxation Station at Health Services opens Dec. 4 in the Recreation Center. This space allows students to relax and escape the stress of finals, which is evidence of MTSU Health Services’ effort to extend its care beyond counseling and check-ups.
“Essentially, it’s a place that students can reserve online to go and relax, either in a massage chair or playing board games,” Chipper Smith, campus health promotion coordinator, said. “A lot of times, our physicians talk about wellness with patients, but they only think about it when they’re sick. What can you do when you’re well, to stay well?”
The area was designed to be “a space on campus for students to not think about academics for 30 minutes,” said Smith—which can actually be good for students, especially during finals.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, recommends taking short breaks to relax while studying to help reduce stress.
Students can reserve a massage chair for 30-minute blocks through the same online portal used to make appointments at the clinic.
Interior architecture students designed and converted the space over the course of the fall semester into a refuge they think students will find comforting.
“It was designed by students for students,” Smith said. “We hope that’s applicable when people see the space.”
The idea had been about a year in the making.
Rick Chapman, the director of the Student Health Center, attended a conference last year and came back talking about how many schools’ health centers have converted unused spaces into wellness areas outside of administering vaccines and treating sick students, said Smith.
He also said that Chapman looked at the University of Memphis, which had already converted spaces into wellness areas around campus, and noticed how well-liked they were.
Smith expects no significant challenges arising from the station besides the usual technical difficulties that seem to haunt all MTSU technology. He said the reservation system may take a while to nail down, but he hopes the Relaxation Station will be open through finals week and again during the spring semester.
Students are encouraged to reserve this area for use ahead of time beginning on Dec. 4. All amenities will be available during regular Health Services operational hours.
Health Services will host an open house in the Recreation Center atrium on Dec. 3, from 9:30 to 11 a.m., for students to check out the space—and test the massage chairs.
Noah McLane is the Lead News Reporter for MTSU Sidelines.
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