I went to college in 1966 to become a civil engineer so I could build roads. I came out a shop teacher (BS in Industrial Education) in 1971. During college, my summer job was operating heavy equipment building roads. I got the building road thing down, just on the wrong end of the food chain. During the school year my part time job was being a musician (drummer-vocalist). Each year I would find or form a band to play with. All the bands I played in were “happy bands”. We played people music to help them feel better. Some would call my groups “party bands.” My last year of college, the band I had formed, Rural – Iowa’s first country-rock band - was so good and so much fun that we went full time from 1971 – 1976. Rural played in 9 states, recorded 2 singles, one album (all original songs), and was inducted into the Iowa Rock n Roll Music Association (IRRMA) Hall of Fame in 2006. After Rural, I had a music store for 2 years (Hi-Fidelity Audio), briefly pumped gas, worked as an electrician, auto mechanic, truck driver, (shop teachers can do lots of stuff), and finally became President of a housing construction company in Clear Lake, IA for 3 years. I though building houses was to be my life’s work, but the Universe had bigger plans for me. Yes, another band, The Deputy Dawg Band formed in 1978 just for something to do on the weekends. Then I was told, “lots of people can build houses Ralph, but not many can play music and make people smile.” March of 1980 found me back on the road full-time helping people feel good. The Deputy Dawg Band played in 13 states and Canada, recorded 3 singles (one charted in Billboard Magazine), an album of original songs, and will be inducted into the IRRMA Hall of Fame Labor Day weekend, 2009.

In 1983, after playing one night in beautiful Beulah, ND, a state we called “NoDak”, a guy gave me a foot-reflexology treatment at an after hours party. He said, “There, you won’t feel nearly as bad as you deserve to tomorrow.” I didn’t. I was so impressed that when we got back to civilization, I got a book on reflexology and started doing it on myself. The book had some nutritional and health information that I put into practice along with the techniques and very quickly I was feeling and playing better. My switch had been flipped. I began reading everything I could find on massage, nutrition, and natural health.

We were back in NoDak, about 9 months later, playing in “Fargone” (Fargo). Across the street from the club was a story and a half house in need of paint with a sign out front that said, “L.L. Bakkee, Masseur – Steam Baths.” We laughed that he must be legitimate as the sign went off at 9 pm. One afternoon I called him and asked if I could get a massage. He said, “You're in luck, I just had a cancellation, can you get here in 10 minutes.” I said, “You bet” and dashed across the street. I entered a small vestibule with a bench. I sat down. A door to the inside opened and a man wearing dark glasses stepped in and commanded, “Stand up and let me take a look at you.” He frisked me, sniffed me, and directed me into his treatment room. I realized he was blind as he followed me into the room. He was 64 years old, a retired YMCA therapist, and build like a wrestler. He dipped coconut oil out of a vat, used a barber's electric hand vibrator, cut the coconut oil off with rubbing alcohol, knew his anatomy (talked it to me as he did the massage) and finished with non-specific stretching and Swedish gymnastics. During the massage I asked him about the profession. He told me of the 2 year program YMCA therapists went through, how he had almost single handedly passed one of the first massage licensing laws in the country in North Dakota, and encouraged me to become a professional therapist. That is still one of the best massages I have ever received. I walked out of his office and across the street, barely touching the ground. I said to myself, “This would be better for people than playing them music, I have to learn how to do this.”

The study of natural health and massage became my passion. I discovered the AMTA, who had a group of 32 “curriculum approved” massage schools. At that time the standard was 1,000 hours, which was later reduced to 500. A survey found that most schools were not really providing 1,000 hours, so instead of bringing the schools (and the profession) up to the standard, AMTA came down to “the price” of 500. That marked the beginning of a downward spiral toward the lowest common denominator our profession can find, but I digress.

I started getting massage everywhere I could find a professional therapist. In those days they were few and far between. I investigated all 32 schools in the AMTA program (there were only about 50 schools in the entire country at that time, none in Iowa). I chose the New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics in Albuquerque, NM. They had the most extensive natural health curriculum I could find, not just massage, but health. They taught both structural and energy based techniques, homeopathy, herbs, colonics, hydrotherapy, exercise and nutrition. They greatly exceeded the new 500-hour standard.

The Deputy Dawg Band broke up Labor Day, 1985. I was 37 as I moved to Albuquerque and started filling in The Anatomy Coloring Book. I had no background in anatomy or health sciences prior to massage school. I graduated at the top of my class and moved back to Iowa. I opened the first office practice of therapeutic massage open to the general public in Iowa City, IA September 16, 1986.

The rest is history. It is an interesting story. If you would like to read it, let me know and maybe I can jot it down.