WHAT I OFFER

Giving a massage is such a dynamic experience—each time I work with someone, the session may look and feel completely different from ones that particular client has experienced before. Everyone’s physical and emotional state is in flux, and it’s my job to adjust their treatment in accordance to where any client is in the day, and even in the moment. It is my practice to try and meet even long time clients where they are at during any particular day, even if we are still focused on the same long-term goal.

Sometimes I find it more useful to express what kind of work I do not do in order to define what a new client should expect when coming to see me. In nearly 18 years of practice, I have winnowed down my bodywork approach to those modalities that feel like they truly make a difference to the bodies that I work with. One of the most frequent conversations I have with new clients is about the amount of pressure I use, and why I no longer use a lot of pressure to get my results.

You might ask: “What about ‘no pain, no gain’?” Massage research has come a long way since bodywork has become more widespread, and there is just a lot of evidence that gentle, intentional, educated touch is extremely effective and easier for nervous systems to accept and “hold” change. I have experienced this first hand as both a client and a practitioner of bodywork. Put simply, I get better results when I use a more gentle approach than a forceful one.