Curing Modern Society's Ills

In the current era of medical specialization, one rarely meets a man who can relieve headaches, whiplash, knee and ankle aches, tendonitis, toothaches, pre-menstrual syndrome and sunburn.

John W. Baltz claims to do so with two very simple tools: his hands. The former social worker turned street masseuse sets up office on any busy sidewalk with two stools and sandwich boards, one of which sings the praises of his "neck and shoulder therapy."

Last night that busy sidewalk was on Mass. Ave., and he was answering queries for just about every affliction.

The South Floridian native refutes the title of new-age healer. He is not new-age, he says, because he does not believe in reincarnation; he finds the very idea "embarassing." He thinks of himself as more of a teacher than a doctor, he says.

"We have most medicines in our body," Baltz says. "We just teach people what they can do for themselves."

Baltz says he does not want to replace doctors. He says he just wants people to realize what energy they have inside themselves, and to use that energy to help themselves.

He says he believes the '90s will be a decade of "turning inward," and that his massage is only helping that trend along. "This is a start--learning what feels good under the skin," Baltz says.

Baltz, 59, began his path to the streets 14 years ago when he started taking TaiChi to relieve his arthritis pains. He began usingsome of the things he learned in class to give hisco-workers massages.

He discovered he liked making people feelbetter, and dabbled in massage for two yearsbefore he quit work and got licensed inGainesville, Fla. He has since traveled across thecountry offering his services.

His massage, he insists, is no textbookvariety. He borrows elements not only from TaiChi, but from modern dance and acupuncture, aswell. His massage frequently looks like a dance ashe stands, sits, elbows and knees his clientele.

"I learned through dancing and innovating, notthrough school," he says.

Whatever its source, people like the results.One woman approaches him and said she remembers amassage he gave her two years ago.

"It was fantastic," she says. "I could useanother."

Frank, the man Baltz is currently kneading,wants only to relieve his tension. People passingby him on the street frequently solicittestimonials, and Frank says he feels good.

"I think people in our society are afraid totouch," Frank says. "There's something so freeabout seeing a man giving massages on the street."

"Modern man came into the 20th century sittingon his hands, and he has them there still," Baltzsays by way of agreement.

Baltz is currently working on a book aboutchildren of divorce, and says he is trying to finda way to make divorce "non-toxic" for children.

He is basing the work on the experience of hisex-wife and himself, who, once divorced, bought ahouse and gave it to their children. The twoparents visit the children there.

In the distant future, Baltz says, he hopes tostart a massage healing TV show with his ex-wife