New Client Info/FAQ

NEW CLIENTS SHOULD ARRIVE 10-15 MINUTES EARLY FOR YOUR FIRST APPOINTMENT.

I operate on a Sliding Scale price model. This means you choose what to pay from a predetermined price range for each session. You're able to pay what best suits your budget on any given day.

DO NOT BOOK AN APPOINTMENT FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

Appointments must be made by the individual receiving the massage. Contact information listed during the booking process must match the individual receiving the massage.

FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE SLIDING SCALE PRICING STRUCTURE.

I operate on a sliding scale structure in an effort to make my services more accessible. This means you choose the price based on a range for each session.

45-Minute Session: $50-$90

60-Minute Session: $70-$120

75-Minute Session: $115-$150

90-Minute Session: $150-$180

I employ basic Swedish and Deep Tissue/MyoFascial techniques to engage the soft tissues and help facilitate ease of motion. While massage can be employed to bring temporary relief from physical pain or stress, my real passion is discovering the often-subtle habits we have that contribute to our discomfort. Using massage to get reacquainted with our physical selves can also support our overall well-being by finding time to not only allow our body's natural recovery processes, but by giving our entire being a chance to slow down and be in the moment.

FAQ

First off, how does it work? There are two main effects that massage therapy engages: reflexive and mechanical.

Massage stimulates a chain of events which tells the body to relax. For example, nerves in the skin and muscles send impulses to the brain, and the brain in turn tells the muscles to release. These reflexive effects are known as the relaxation response, or “rest and digest”: the heart and breath rate slows, stress hormone production slows, blood pressure goes down. It allows your body necessary time for recuperation that a busy life often does not afford.

Massage strokes also move blood and lymph, as well as mechanically lengthening, stretching, spreading, separating, and releasing muscle and connective tissues. These mechanical effects help general circulation as well as helping improve range of motion and joint health. Many restrictions we feel come from moving in a limited range of motion over time; moving the body through wider ranges of motion during massage can help remind the tissues of their true range.

What Will My First Session Be Like?

For your first appointment, you will fill out a health history and consent form, so be sure to ARRIVE 10-15 MINUTES EARLY FOR YOUR FIRST APPOINTMENT. We will discuss your goals for each session and develop a plan to meet your needs. Sessions (time spent on the table) last for 45-90 minutes. I highly encourage clients to voice their needs as they arise in the massage setting, whether that is for deeper or lighter pressure, different draping, a change in temperature, a blanket, or to stop the session entirely.

When Should I Get A Massage?

The shortest and most honest answer is whenever you want one. When your body needs nurturing touch, you will feel it. You may be tired, anxious, sore, depressed, tense, stressed, in pain. The longer you deny your body the work it is calling for, the harder it will be to undo. Depending on what your goals are, frequency may vary:

Pain management - Every 1-2 weeks or more often, increasing the interval as the source of the pain is addressed. When you’re in pain, your muscles tend to tense up even more, which prolongs the pain you are feeling. Then you develop patterns of movement to mitigate pain which may instead cause pain in another area. Massage helps to break this cycle.

Relaxation/Stress Reduction - Every 2-4 weeks or more often, depending on stress level. The direct relaxation effects of massage last only a day or two at most. However, with the right session frequency, your body will be able to remember how it feels to be relaxed and stress-free for longer periods.

Improving posture - Once a week. Improving posture is as much about releasing chronic tension patterns as it is relearning how to stand and walk. You wouldn’t go to a dance class once a month and expect to retain much. The same is true here.

Reducing muscle soreness - As needed. Massage helps remove metabolic wastes from the muscle tissue, while lengthening and reconditioning it to be able to handle the excercises you are doing.

General health maintenance - Every 4-6 weeks. At this frequency, most people will still be able to notice the cumulative benefits of massage.

When Should I NOT Get A Massage?

If you have any of these conditions, you should not come in for a massage:

fever
uncontrolled high blood pressure
blood clots
infectious/contagious diseases
burns, sunburns, or open sores (area may be avoided)
vertigo
phlebitis or lymphangitis
uncontrolled diabetes
acute infection of joint or skin (area may be avoided)

Many other conditions require caution by your massage therapist. Please be thorough when filling out your health history!

Which Conditions Can Massage Help?

Just a few of the conditions I am accustomed to treating with massage:

anxiety
back pain
bloating
chronic tension
decreased joint mobility
depression
fatigue
gastro-intestinal problems
headaches
irritability

joint pain
low body awareness
menstrual cramps
muscular soreness and pain
neck pain
poor circulation
poor posture
sleep problems
stress
sub acute and chronic injuries