A ten minute massage for $10. That is the deal offered to students looking for a simple way to relieve stress and headaches often associated with college exams.Zhang’s Massage is located in Market Square above Bruegger’s. It is a small shop that specializes in therapeutic massages to relieve the aches and pains brought on by a long day of sitting in uncomfortable chairs and staring at computer screens, practices in which many Point Park students are accustomed.Lian Zhang, manager of the shop, earned a master’s degree in Chinese medicine from the Shenyang City Traditional Chinese Medical School, she says that the shop was opened in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh specifically to cater to those who work and go to school there.”We saw [that] Downtown people had a lot of stress, especially people working in an office all the time, using computers, so we thought it would be good if we opened here,” said Jenny Zhang, an employee at the shop, unrelated to Lian. “We have already gotten some customers from Point Park. Most of them have headache, [and] some of them even have a little bit of depression. They still only need a back massage because it can relieve this mood.”Zhang’s is one of many parlors in the Downtown area that specialize in massage therapy. What sets Zhang’s apart from the others is the main difference between a typical Western massage and a traditional Chinese massage.”Most of American massages are not very deep,” said Jenny. “People [have] stress points on their whole body, so we reform them… We also concentrate more on the muscles and tissue to find the stress points.””Everybody has 360 pressure points,” said Lian.Pressure points are locations on one’s body where significant pain may be felt when they are manipulated in certain ways. Chinese medicine focuses on the ability to manipulate these points in such a way that allows energy and life to flow more effectively through the body. The Chinese refer to this flow as “Qi [chi].””We start to apply pressure and you can feel the pressure going inside your muscles,” said Jenny.”American massages can take up to an hour. Ours are 10 or 15 minutes,” said Lian.Pressure points are formed when fascia, a tissue which encases muscles like plastic wrap, builds up in certain parts of the body and causes knotting.Dele Adisa is a student of chiropractics at National University. He says that the relaxation experienced during a massage is the balance of different hormones in our bodies.”Any time the body receives a physical touch, the brain perceives it as well. The brain produces dopamine which is essentially a feel-good transmitter. The body then perceives it in a sensual way and decreases the cortisol levels,” said Adisa.Cortisol is a hormone produced in the adrenal glands and released in response to physical or emotional stress. Its primary function is the regulation of one’s metabolism, blood pressure, and immune system. However, excessive secretion of the hormone has also been shown to cause increased blood pressure and decreased immunity, which is why massage therapy is so beneficial.”The cortisol levels decrease whenever the body is in a comfortable relaxed position,” said Adisa.Zhang’s offers a variety of massages at multiple prices, points and times. Their 10 minutes for $10 head and neck massage has already proven popular, and they also feature a free massage after the purchase of five.