Employment - Blue Highways Shiatsu & Massage

Who Are We?: Blue Highways shiatsu and Massage has been in business in Whistler since 1993. We are proud of our growth from a small, one-room clinic into 9 rooms located in the Market Pavilion. The staffing at Blue Highways has grown from one year-round therapist to a 6 year round therapists. The winter seasonal staff numbers have grown from one to well over 15 therapists. Blue Highways is considered the leader in high quality, professional bodywork by Whistler residents. We have earned a reputation of being innovative in raising the level of awareness of professional bodywork to the resort's international guests.
What are we looking for?: At Blue Highways, our reputation is our product. Our Canadian therapists are graduates of 2200-hour programs in massage therapy or shiatsu therapists with the CST or RST designation. They are members of their provincial association and/or college and hold professional liability insurance. Our focus is on staff who are effective and have demonstrated a desire to bring excellence to their practice. We are looking for people who can work in a team. Our work environment is cooperative, and the company policies support this from compensation to pricing to scheduling. We have found that our company's core strength comes from working together in a supportive atmosphere.
The Therapist's Experience: Our therapists have the opportunity to treat an international clientele ranging in age from 10 years to 75 years old. Each full-time therapist will gain 300-400 hours of practical experience over the winter season. The majority of our winter clientele suffer from sports-related injury. Working in a resort is geared towards the schedule of the wuest. For example, the majority of appointments occur after 3:00 p.m. when skiing ends for the day. Holidays are the busiest time, so therapists must work during traditional holidays. The week between Christmas and New Year's is the busiest single week of the year. Therefore, therapists should expect income fluctuations, since the work is not distributed evenly through a month or through the day. We estimate that a full-time therapist will average $3000 per month over the winter season (this includes gratuities) based on 20-25 hours of coverage per week.
The Environment: The resort Municipality of Whistler is situated in a beautiful mountain valley 125 km north of Vancouver (approximately 2 hours driving) on the Sea-to-Sky Highway 99, one of North America's most scenic roads. Whistler has approximately 9,000 permanent residents and innumerable transient residents. The average temperature ranges between a low of -12°C to a high of 11°C (December-April). The winter's average snowfall is 914 cm (30 feet).
Information via the Web: Blue Highways Information
Resort Information: www.whistlerblackcomb.com
Food Prices:: Food, rent and utilities tend to be more expensive in Whistler than in larger cities.
Places to Live:: www.piquenewsmagazine.com or www.whistlerhousing.ca; Most people arrive in Whistler in August or September to look for accommodation for the winter. Accommodation is difficult to find if you arrive after October. Blue Highways has some staff accommodation available.
Transit:: www.whistler.com/taxi_and_bus/; Whistler has a transit system "The WAVE", a taxi service and daily transport to and from Vancouver by either Perimeter Tours or Greyhound.