Elvis Mairena runs Brunswick Sports Rehab & Massage. He helps his clients — athletes or not — perform at their full potential.
“I’m a sports guy,” says Elvis Mairena, “I know how you feel after a game.” Before coming to the United States, Mairena was a professional soccer player in his native Costa Rica. He now uses the power of sports massage to help clients reach their peak performance.
Through his business, Brunswick Sports Rehab & Massage, Mairena helps his customers recover from strenuous physical activity. Some have spent all day getting tackled on the field, and others have worked all day in an operating room. Athletes and non-athletes alike seek comfort through Mairena’s treatment.
His day job is with the Rutgers University Athletic Department, where he helps Scarlet Knights recover from injuries quickly so they can play at their full potential.
A few years ago, Mairena said, a Rutgers quarterback suffered an injury trainers thought would require surgery. The timing was bad — such a measure would have benched him from a bowl game. But once Mairena treated him, he felt good enough to play. Rutgers went on to win the game.
Many of the athletes Mairena serves like him so much that they keep him around after they graduate, sometimes after they go professional. Although athletes account for most of Mairena’s client base, he serves regular people, too.
Construction workers, for instance, often seek relief through his massages. So do surgeons who spend all day on their feet. He gets referrals, he says, from doctors in the area. They will sometimes tell a patient that although she may need surgery, she ought to try a sports massage, first, as it may obviate the need to go under the knife.
Having established himself as an expert masseuse in New Jersey, Mairena likes to give back to his native Costa Rica. Twice in the last few years, he has arranged for U.S. colleagues to accompany him to the Central American country to work in areas where medical resources are scarce.
Once, they visited Manos Abiertos, a refuge for children with disabilities. Mairena says a mother approached him with her 10-month-old, paralyzed son. After receiving an hour of therapy from Mairena, the child began to crawl.
Brunswick Sports Rehab & Massage can be reached at (732) 668-4111. For an hour-long massage, Mairena charges $50 to $75. For students, the price is $40.
