Ellington

As I descended into the lower level of Fondren Corner last week, I could hear massage therapist/trainer Eclecius Franklin shout out to his wife: "Time, baby!"

"Five minutes!" she replied from the treadmill, seemingly exhausted.

Franklin has been a massage therapist for nearly 10 years. Although the 38-year-old Natchez native hasn't always been in the business of stress relief and fitness, he says he has always enjoyed lending a "helping hand."

Franklin graduated from Mississippi State University in 1994 with a degree in technology and engineering. He was also on the first MSU "Mad Dog" team, an elite group of athletes who did not undergo the recruiting process, instead trying out for their respective teams as walk-ons.

From 1995 to 1997, Franklin lived in Atlanta where he worked for Sumitomo Plastic. He returned to Mississippi in 1997 to work as an engineer for the Craft Company in Morton. While working there, Franklin says he realized his talent.

Tormented by bad neck pains, a co-worker approached Franklin, who offered his help. "I gave (her) a neck massage, and the next day she came back to work telling everyone how wonderful a job I did. And that's when I knew I had a gift."

Franklin began taking massage therapy night classes at the Mississippi School of Therapeutic Massage later that year. As he continued to work for the Craft Company, Franklin opened his first massage therapy office part-time in Morton in 1997 with only one chair. Soon afterward, he began making house calls.

"I was doing chair massages from Vicksburg to Madison, and there were situations where people needed me in different places at the same time," Franklin says.

In May 2004, he opened Gifted Hands in Fondren Corner. Since 1997, he has served more than 8,300 clients and trained more than 600.

Franklin is the father of five and also enjoys skiing, scuba diving, skydiving and just traveling the country. And then there's his affinity for collecting piggy banks.

He says it was his grandfather who inspired this peculiar hobby. "As a kid I remember him collecting change in these old pickle jars, so when I got older I started collecting change in piggy banks. Next thing I knew I was collecting piggy banks."

Franklin also lends his "gifted hands" to the community, participating in health fairs and giving away free massages. "I try to explain to people and help them by making them more health conscious because I think people should be aware of what goes into their bodies," he says.