Each massage can be customized around your individual needs and preferences. We can devote the entire session to your primary complaint, divide time between several areas, or simply do a whole body tune-up!
I am formally trained in the following massage techniques:
- Swedish Relaxation
This is the most common type of massage found in the United States. Using oil or lotion, the therapist applies light to medium pressure in long, fluid strokes to warm and separate muscle tissue, then uses a kneading or rolling technique to break up knots and stimulate nerve endings. This type of massage focuses more on superficial tissue and is used to increase blood circulation, stretch out muscles, and promote cell repair. It is important to understand that, just as with exercising, the muscles need to be loosened and warmed up properly before beginning any deeper, more structural work.
- Deep Tissue
Though the name can be misleading, deep tissue is not intended to be painful. However, it can be intense, and often takes place right at the edge of your comfort level. It is designed to reach the core of your structural problems, addressing issues like old injuries, the buildup of scar tissue, and skeletal misalignment (Though it should be noted that bone manipulation is outside the scope of practice for a massage therapist. If you are interested in getting your back popped, I can recommend a fabulous Seattle chiropractor). This type of treatment involves slow, deep pressure to break up adhesions (knots) and soften hyper tense muscles. Studies have shown that blood pressure falls after 45-60 minutes of deep tissue treatment and it also reduces stress hormone levels and heart rate, while increasing serotonin and oxytocin output.
- Myo-fascial Release
Fascia is a thin, tough, elastic type of connective tissue that wraps around most of the structures within the human body, including muscle. It supports and protects them like a sheath around a sword. The soft tissue can become restricted due to a number of reasons, including dehydration, disease, improper overuse, trauma, infectious agents, or inactivity, which can often result in pain, muscle restriction, and diminished blood flow leading to numbness. Myofascial release uses the application of slow, focused, direct pressure to stretch out the fascia and allow it to release naturally.
- Reflexology
Much like acupuncture, Reflexology is an Eastern alternative approach to healing, involving the pointed application of pressure to the feet and hands with specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques, without the use of oil or lotion. Dating back to ancient Egypt and China, the idea is that the body can be divided into zones, running vertically down the body, ending in the feet. By applying pressure to the end of a specific zone, a reaction takes place in the entire zone, allowing a release in both the nerves and energy flow. It is often used to treat imbalances in the organs.
- Silicone Cupping
The ancient art of Cupping can, like Reflexology, be traced back to early Egyptian and Chinese eras, and is used by many cultures across the world. There are a handful (pun intended!) of materials used to create the cups and several ways to create suction. Some healers in Asia use glass Coca Cola bottles while certain African tribes utilize goat horns. Fire cupping, which uses a flame under glass cups to create suction, is fairly common within the States. I prefer silicone as it can glide across skin and over bone. The cups create localized suction to target knots, increase blood flow, and bring stagnant blood full of toxins towards the surface where the lymphatic system can then flush the toxins out of the body.
- Prenatal Massage
Massage can be an incredible source of relief for soon-to-be mommas! To avoid straining the low back and keep the sacrum from pressing down on the vena cava, which may lower your blood pressure and negatively affect the fetus, once you’ve reached 13 weeks, we’ll use body pillows to position you on your side for the massage. There are some precautions as far as depth of pressure and which areas to work on, which we will cover prior to your session, but aside from that, you can continue to receive massage up until you deliver! Some women even have massage during labor!
- Hot Stone Massage
In my opinion, this is the yummiest kind of massage you can receive, and my personal favorite! The locally collected stones are brought to that perfect temperature just a few degrees below “too hot” (don’t worry, I test each one on my own arm before I administer them on you!) in the trusty old crock pot before I glide them across your tension spots. Once they’ve cooled down enough, I place them along your spine and on top of especially tight knots! The heat is sure to melt your worries away like butter! (Currently only available in the studio!)
