Up until recently, landscaping's been the only profession Frank Arredondo's known.
As a teen-ager in West Sacramento, he raked leaves and mowed lawns to earn pocket change. Later as an adult he owned his own landscaping service.
And for the past 10 years he's worked as a groundskeeper at UC Davis, weeding, pruning shrubs and doing a variety of other landscaping chores in the area around Hutchison and Storer halls.
But a few years ago, Arredondo attended an employee health fair and eased into some new professional possibilities.
Arredondo, who likes to box, weight-lift and grapple (a form of wrestling that emphasizes arm and leg holds) was looking for relief from some aches and pains when he stepped into a massage chair at the fair.
What therapist Joelle Danae did for him was magic.
"What she did for me -- she made my body feel so much better," Arredondo said.
Soon after the experience he enrolled at the Massage Therapy Institute in downtown Davis.
Arredondo's now a certified massage therapist, but he needs about 100 more hours of class time to become licensed. Once he has the license, he'll be able to open his own business. That's his dream, he said.
For now, Arredondo's practicing his skills performing chair massages for campus employees, traveling on his lunch hour to offices around the university.
Debbie Abbott, an academic counselor in the section of neurobiology, physiology and behavior is one happy client. She's received noontime back massages from Arredondo several times.
"(Afterwards) I had so much energy," Abbott said. "I felt like a new person. My shoulders weren't tight. It was so rejuvenating."
Arredondo charges $15 for a 15-minute massage, or $18 for 20 minutes. He can be reached at (916) 715-3253 to schedule an appointment.
Arredondo lives in the Land Park area of Sacramento. He has two daughters, Stella, 23, and Leticia, 16.
What's your favorite place on campus to work?
The rose garden (near Storer Hall). I like working with the roses, and when you are working there, people will always stop and talk to you. They are friendly -- as opposed to when you are picking up trash.
What's your least favorite aspect of work?
Picking up trash.
Is performing massage more physically demanding than your groundskeeping job?
No, I mostly use my elbows and forearms. I only really use my hands (at the beginning). I use a lot of body mechanics. It doesn't take much out of me.
What do your co-workers think of your new line of work?
They used to kid me about it a lot. I say, I'm the one who's laughing now. I'm making really good money.
Who in the world do you most admire?
My uncle, Victor Torres. He was like a father to me growing up.
Who would you go to for a massage?
A lady named Joelle Danae from Professional Massage Therapy in Sacramento. She's the one who inspired me to be a therapist. I always tell everyone she's the best massage therapist in the world.
Would you recommend any self-massage techniques?
Accupressure. You can do pressure points on your own body. You can put tennis balls under pressure points and lie on the balls. You can relieve a toothache or headache or other pains that way. You can find books on accupressure at bookstores everywhere. •