The Southern Methodist University student bounds down the stairs inside the Dedman Center For Lifetime Sports to the first floor.

To her left, lie many rows of treadmills, stairmasters and other workout equipment. To her right, she spots a colossal rock climbing wall. One thing the student did not notice was the message center across from the monstrous wall, tucked away underneath the dark stairs she just had just descended.

The hidden gem at the Dedman gym is not highly publicized, but it can provide stress relief for students who are hard at work studying for final exams. SMU Senior Lecturer and Director of Wellness Donna Gober recently spoke of the benefits of having a massage center on campus.

“It’s really nice to have it right there and have it be accessible and affordable for students to get some relief. You might not need, or have time for, a full hour. It’s good for a quick fix,” said Gober.

The massage center charges $1 a minute for a chair message, with a minimum of 10 minutes. The Message Therapists welcome walk-ins, but appointments can be made to secure a timeslot.

The center also provides full body table messages for $75, but customers must make an appointment.

The message center’s hours are 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The process for getting a message is simple; a customer should sign up for a message at the message center booth, pay for it at the Dedman Center front desk, then show the receipt to the message therapist.

Gober, a Yoga professor, said she usually recommends four or five students a semester to go to the message center after they come to her asking for help with lower back, upper back, neck or shoulder problems.

“They go and say, ‘Wow, I had some knots in my back and the masseuse worked through it and it really helped!’” Gober said.