What is a massage with me like? 

First, we have a detailed conversation about your experience with massage therapy, what you think massage therapy can do for you, and your goals and results expected from massage therapy.

Then, I will talk to you about what can be accomplished with massage therapy, and we figure out a treatment plan for the session: what areas you want to be worked on, what areas I may have to work on to get you relief, and how much time to spend where. 

This first part can be anywhere from five minutes to 20 minutes, and often times many questions are answered with the new client intake form. 

After the intake is done, I will walk you through how the massage will go, and ask if you have any questions along the way. During the massage, it is important for you to give me feedback on things like pressure, things that feel good or provide relief, and things you don't enjoy or like. This type of feedback really helps me fine-tune the massage to you. 

After the massage is complete, I ask you about anything you really liked or didn't like about the massage. I make notes about this so I can keep refining the massage to be perfect for your needs and desires. 

I, also, provide you with some stretches to help target problem areas and to help the benefits of the massage last longer. 

If the problem is not resolved in one session, which is often the case with long-term or chronic conditions, I will suggest when to return to keep working on getting relief. 

Why don't I charge for pressure?

Many massage therapists charge based on pressure or technique and you will pay one price for Swedish or Relaxation massage and another price for Deep Tissue or Therapeutic massage. 

All massage is therapeutic, what matters is the goal or the result you have for the massage. If you are so stressed you can't sleep or focus on work or other things, a relaxation massage may be just what you need. However, you may also like very firm pressure. If you were to book a massage for relaxation at a place where prices are based on pressure, you would not get what you want, since a relaxation massage is cheaper because the massage therapist uses less pressure. 

I charge based on time. You get all of the tools and techniques I have to offer to meet your goals and provide you with relief. If you love deep pressure, that's great, if you've been sick and need a more restorative massage, that's perfect. 

I meet your needs wherever you are at the moment and we work together to get you relief and to feel better.  

No pain, no gain is NOT my motto.

"It hurts so good is good, it hurts bad, is bad."

We all know the difference between these two and if you enjoy the feel of your muscles being worked during a massage this is what I tell people,  so you know when to speak up about too much pressure. This prevents me from making a problem worse or causing damage to the tissues. 

My philosophy behind healing

I believe in working with the body to support the body's natural ability to heal.

I do not force muscles to relax and loosen, I work with the body so it can relearn what relaxed and loose muscles feel like. Then when you notice yourself becoming tense, you can notice it and your muscles will be more easily and readily relaxed.