EW's Field Guide To The Next New Things

Touch Tones

Add backstage massages to the list of rock-star perks -- and not from groupies. Coldplay, blink-182, Weezer, and Depeche Mode are just some of the artists being rubbed the right way by East Village, NYC-based Tranquility Massage Inc. After creating the company last year, Stephanie Whittier and her posse of seven have been providing production crews (like Madonna's Drowned World Tour ''family''), tour managers, and musicians with what Whittier calls ''integrated bodywork'' -- a fusion of techniques, including Thai and deep-tissue therapies. (They also work with vocal coaches to treat fatigued pipes.) The Tranquility team have gotten the kinks out at Ozzfest, Moby's Area: One festival, and MTV's TRL Tour. ''In the '70s and '80s, rock stars tended to rely on drugs to refuel,'' says the 40-year-old Whittier. ''Obviously, that still goes on, but now there's more interest in massage, yoga, and spiritual healing.''

Originally posted Aug 24, 2001 Published in issue #610-611 Aug 24, 2001 Order article reprints

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