Rockowitz, 32, used to earn a six-figure salary as a corporate radio salesman, where he enjoyed all-access concert passes but felt stressed and unfulfilled. So Rockowitz left the rat race. He quit his job to become a massage therapist, where he earns less money and works harder but is much happier.

"I heard a quote that the richest people in the world are not the ones with the most, but who need the least," Rockowitz said. "I see that as my mantra. All I need are friends and family and the simple things. ... I get so much out of helping people. Whether it be a 15-minute chair massage at a business or working with a client who has a frozen shoulder -- it's powerful."

Rockowitz runs Ahhh Massage in Oakland, a professional on-site massage firm. The company, founded in December 2001, has grown to 12 independent contractors on its roster with 30 corporate clients, including the Oakland Zoo, front offices of the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco Giants, and local offices of CB Richard Ellis, Costco, IKEA and Southwest Airlines.

Southwest's local marketing department found out about Rockowitz's business after receiving gift massages from the Warriors. Since then, Southwest has used Ahhh Massage's services for different employee groups, including massages for customers and employees at Oakland International Airport.

"I think it's a great concept," said Mona Hernandez, district marketing manager for Southwest Airlines. "What's really nice in dealing with Ed is he is a great massage technician -- and so is his staff."

Ahhh Massage specializes in coming to workplaces to give employees therapeutic chair massages. The massages help employees relax, boost morale, increase productivity and provide a dose of preventative maintenance, Rockowitz said. He noted that employers are concerned about rising workers' compensation costs, with the average carpal tunnel syndrome claim alone costing $14,039, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

"I see corporate massage as the future. More and more people are seeing it as a necessary," Rockowitz said. "We deal with so many people who have shoulder problems, neck problems, wrist problems. It's so common now."

Rockowitz grew up in a supportive environment. He was born in Oakland and raised in San Leandro in a safe and stable lower-middle class home with his older sister and parents.

"There wasn't a lot of drama," said Rockowitz, whose father is an X-ray technician.

Rockowitz earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from California State University, Hayward, and then backpacked through Europe for three months.

"It opened my eyes," he said. "It's such a big world out there."

Rockowitz's return to the Bay Area was also an eye-opener. A music fan, he called up radio stations, hoping to become a disc jockey. But the only jobs available were in sales. He landed a job at KOME-FM 98.5 in San Jose. He called record stores and tattoo parlors, selling ads for $50 per minute. He didn't take no for an answer, built up to bigger accounts from car dealers to dot-coms and sold ads on the Howard Stern Radio Show.

As part of a radio merger, Rockowitz moved in 1998 to sell ads for LIVE 105 (KITS-FM). He made a six-figure salary, continued to sell ads for the Howard Stern show and worked for a station he listened to in his childhood.

It was fun but a pressure cooker.

"No matter what you do one month, it never ends," Rockowitz said. "It's, 'What have you done for me lately?'"

On vacation in Cancun, Mexico, Rockowitz decided he needed a career switch.

"I wasn't motivated for the money," he said. "I realized there was more to life than making other people rich."

Rockowitz enrolled in massage therapy classes, developed a passion for it and became a certified massage therapist. He quit his radio sales job, bought a condo in Oakland and went in early September 2001 to Hawaii to clear his head. The subsequent Sept. 11 terrorist attacks reinforced his feeling he made the right decision.

"I needed to take a little refuge and breathe some fresh air," he said.

In Hawaii, Rockowitz read, snorkeled, spent time with friends and received additional massage therapy training. Within a few months, he was ready to return to the mainland. He opened Ahhh Massage in Oakland. Coming from a stressful job, Rockowitz saw the need for relieving stress at the workplace. He found a niche with on-site massages and has been able to grow the business.

"I always trusted myself," said Rockowitz, who has been trained in several massage techniques, including acupressure, deep tissue, Lomi Lomi, Shiatsu and Swedish. "I knew it was the right thing to do. Everyone else said, 'Are you crazy?'"

For workplace massages, Rockowitz charges $60 per hour per therapist. Companies such as Southwest pick up the tab while some such as the Oakland Zoo have employees pay and others split the cost between employers and employees.

Employees remain clothed during the 10-to-30 minute chair massages, which cover the head, neck, shoulders, back, arms and hands and include discussions about wellness issues from diet to exercise. Ahhh Massage also offers ergonomic evaluations, chair and table massages for wedding parties, and table massages for private clients. In addition, Rockowitz gives massages once a week at Club One in Oakland.

Rockowitz hopes to expand Ahhh Massage into Southern California, Oregon and Washington. When he is not giving massages, he works the phones and Internet to build business. He still wakes up at 7 a.m. -- and listens to the Howard Stern show in the morning. He has less time to travel now, but he makes time to go to Hawaii twice a year to decompress and get more training.

"I can't just go off to Vegas on a whim," Rockowitz said. "I have to budget myself a lot more, but I'm a lot happier."

Alec Rosenberg can be reached at (510) 208-6445 or arosenberg@angnewspapers.com .