Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 23/98) - It's been a busy day. And now, just minutes after you get home from all that work and stress, there's a knock on your door.

Outside the door there's a man, or a woman, with a lightweight folding table.

It massage time.

One of the big advantages -- for the customer -- of running a massage business is the convenience, says masseur Zdenek Mirejovsky.

Mirejovsky, and his wife Thelma, are both trained in the art of massage. They will go to a customer's home, or even office, to work their muscle magic.

They run the business, known simply as European Sport Massage, out of their 227 Northlands home where they have a massage room. They are available seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

"My teacher was Stanislav Herverrt, a masseur in (the former) Czechoslovakia. He worked with many national athletes," Mirejovsky, originally from Pardubice, in the Czech Republic, said.

Mirejovsky went back to Prague in 1995 to take the six-month massage course.

His wife, Thelma, originally from the Philippines, took the same course last year.

Prior to setting up the business in Yellowknife, Mirejovsky was a masseur at Jasper Park Lodge. He came to Canada in 1983 and first lived in Yellowknife in 1987. They may ultimately return to Jasper, but for now they are looking to expand their customer base in Yellowknife.

"It's a deep-tissue massage, a special combination of strokes for fast relief of tiredness. It's also for injury prevention."

To supplement their massage business, Mirejovsky drives a cab and Thelma works as a cashier.

Mirejovsky said when he first started, customer satisfaction was a big confidence builder.

"When people say, what a great massage, or, that was the best massage I've ever had, it's a great feeling," he said.

"My second day (at Jasper Park Lodge), one of my customers was a massage teacher from Edmonton."

Mirejovsky said he was nervous, but the customer went away feeling great.

The Mirejovskys offer a one-half hour or one hour full-body massage. They also offer a trio of 15-minute massages (facial, foot, neck and shoulders).

Thelma Mirejovsky said when the couple was in Alberta, "he did the massage and I did all the paperwork."

But her interest in massage grew and she said she decided to take the same course.

"I love it."

Thelma says many customers are business people, looking to reduce stress.

It's a way to relax the body and mind, she said.