Hurricane Stress – Duo gives free massages in town

By Davion Smith, BVI News Online Journalist

In an effort to help residents free their minds of stress resulting from category 5 hurricanes Irma and Maria, a massage therapist has set up a tent in the capital of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to provide cover while he administers free body massages.

“There is no catch,” declared Levi James, who is a massage therapist and the mastermind behind the initiative dubbed Operation Relax, Rebuild, Reborn BVI.

“Many people have lost everything and something like this helps people to free up their mind to help them think on the next move – how to go about dealing with the house, work, the kids,” he told BVI News Online.

“Fifteen minutes of relaxation can help you sleep better tonight; so these are all the reasons why I decided to come out and do something like this.”

Like the many he described above, James was sucked into the local unemployment pool after Hurricane Irma destroyed his workplace at Journeys Health Spa.

The catastrophic event, however, led him into volunteerism.

“I was bored sitting at home for two weeks and I figured I needed to do something – get myself out there. I know people are stressed trying to rebuild, trying to figure out what to do; so one of the best things to do to destress is to give massages,” he explained.

The St Lucian stated that words about his voluntary massage operation have been spreading since he started last week.

“We’ve had persons lining up, so its becoming more popular. People are recognizing it. So we’ll see how far it goes,” he said.

Another therapist, Odila Weeks, said she was inspired and so joined in the effort after she passed and witnessed James at work.

“Instantly when I met Levi, we clicked because I just got that energy from him. He has a passion for what he does – just like myself, and from ever since we’ve just been doing our thing together,” Weeks told BVI News Online.

The duo now operates between Digicel flagship store and Clover’s store on Waterfront Drive, under a tent donated by Drakes Trader’s Limited. They operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays between 3pm and 5pm.