When Vickie Miller gets stressed out, she’d like to hit the massage table.

Miller, senior in early childhood education, said massage is a useful stress reliever because it helps with relaxation.

“I think it’s the smells of the oils and the touch and massage that is really relaxing to your muscles,” Miller said.

She said it is a great stress relief, especially before finals. She’s only had one massage, but would really like to have more.

“I’d do it all the time if someone would pay for it,” Miller said.

She is not alone.

More and more Americans are turning to massage therapy, according to the Web site of the American Massage Therapy Association at www.amtamassage.org.

The percentage of American adults who have had one or more massages has more than doubled since 1997.

Stephanie Miller, director of education at Professional Cosmetology Institute, 627 Main St., said the government has recognized the healing power of massage.

“It’s proven that it’s therapeutic and the government has said that we don’t have to charge a tax on that [massage],” Stephanie Miller said.

Cindy Larson, a licensed massage therapist at Total Relaxation, 215 Duff Ave., said she thinks people are turning to massage therapy to help with stress relief.

“It’s growing — because of the economy, people are under stress and people are becoming more aware of it,” she said.

Larson said massage therapy is beneficial to the body because it helps with blood flow, circulation and recovery from injuries.

“It’s good to get them on a regular basis,” she said. “It reduces stress, prevents illness and helps build the immune system.”

Larson said she thinks massage can be helpful to students during highly stressful times, like finals week.

“I do get some students, it helps them relax so they can study better and it helps them retain memory better,” she said.

Brenda Luther, a resource nurse at the Thielen Student Health Center, said massage is useful in stress relief.

“I think that when you’re touched like that, it releases endorphins and takes away your tension,” Luther said.

She said the physical pain caused by stress can be reduced through massage.

“You can get chronic muscle tension and pain from being stressed,” Luther said.

She also said while massage is not the only way to manage stress, it is a growing trend.

“There are many ways to remedy stress and I don’t think there’s anything bad about them, except for they do cost money,” Luther said.

Massages in Ames range in cost from $48 for an hour at Total Relaxation to $25 an hour at Professional Cosmetology Institute where the massages are done by students in massage therapy.

Not all students are willing to cover the expense of having a professional massage.

Susan Kohlhaas, senior in genetics, said she has never had a massage. “They’re too expensive for a college student. I’d rather spend my money on other stuff,” she said.