MASSAGE THERAPY

AFFORDABLE & ENJOYABLE SELF CARE

  • MYOFASCIAL INTEGRATION, PRENATAL & THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE FROM A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL
  • 90 MINUTES OF BODYWORK FOR $100 WITH 15 MINS PRE & POST SESSION TIME
  • MAGNESIUM, CAPSAICIN & AROMATHERAPY INCLUDED
  • BASED IN WILLIAMSTOWN, NJ
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BENEFITS OF MASSAGE THERAPY

Thank you for seeking massage therapy, one of the safest and most enjoyable forms of self care. Touch is fundamental to our species, and asking why it is beneficial seems a little like asking why it is healthy to breathe air. Even the most casual touch stimulates the relaxation response (a series of physiological changes including reduced heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels, and increased immune response and vagus nerve tone). From social touch that reinforces signals of safety and connection to firm therapeutic touch from a trained professional, stimulation of the sense of touch, enabled by the largest organ in our body, is vital to a healthy life. Absence of regular touch, called touch deprivation or touch starvation, is associated with higher anxiety and depressive mood disorders, perceived loneliness and worse wellbeing in general.  Massage therapy provides:

  • pain reduction and management including arthritic pain, fibromyalgia, and headaches
  • mood management including reduced anxiety and depression
  • stress management including reduced cortisol levels and regulated hormone levels 
    • muscle tension relief including carpal tunnel and thoracic outlet syndrome, frozen shoulder, neck pain, and back pain
  • reduced sleep disturbance including cognitive and physical causes like muscle tension and RLS
  • reduced hypertension (high blood pressure), increased circulation and improved immune response
  • surgery recovery
  • management of auto-immune disorders
  • Further reading…

AN EXPERIENCE OF CONNECTION

I have been a practicing massage therapist for over 17 years, specializing in myofascial integration, deep tissue, therapeutic swedish, reflexology, pre and post-natal, and aromatherapy. I am continually recharged and inspired by the long-term therapeutic relationships with my clients, some of whom I’ve been seeing for over 16 years. I am a graduate of Lourdes Institute of Wholistic Studies and have an AS in Massage Therapy, as well as a BA in Philosophy and MA in Teaching. I am also a certified Kripalu Yoga Instructor, and am able to recommend various yoga practices such as physical poses (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama), and mindfulness/meditation (dhyana) to complement your wellness journey.

In the yogic tradition, each of us has several interpenetrating bodies or sheaths, from the physical to the mental to the energetic body. My intention for you during a session is to relax so completely that you can begin to perceive and spend time with all your levels. Based on my clients feedback and my own experience on the table, the state you often enter during a session is like Yoga Nidra, which translates to divine sleep. It is a state of liminal consciousness enabled by the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for the relaxation response. In this state, we are more able to successfully release and align your fascia, the most abundant type of tissue in the body. 

MYOFASCIAL INTEGRATION

Fascia is a thin layer of interconnected and interpenetrating tissue that encases and connects every muscle, organ, nerve, and bone of your body. While different from muscle tissue, it is contractile and responsive, and is responsible for a great deal of your posture and alignment. Therefore, it plays a huge part in how comfortable and at ease you feel in your body at rest and during movement. Myofascial integration is the primary bodywork modality I practice, aiming to free up chronic tension, bunching, skewing, or shortening of these large, interweaving structures. Fascia responds to quick, hard pressures by tensioning and stabilizing as it works to keep your form intact; conversely, it responds to slow, purposeful and “listening” pressure by softening, releasing and unwinding.

YOUR SESSION, A COMPREHENSIVE EXPERIENCE

A 90 minute full body session is my most popular, with 15 minutes before and after to talk about what needs attention, how you have been lately, and how you feel post-session. I consider myofascial integration (MI) a form of deep tissue (DT) massage in its scope and depth. The main difference between myofascial integration and deep tissue is one of intention; while MI focuses on aligning and integrating fascial lines, DT aims to release muscle tissue from various contractures like trigger points. Therapeutic Swedish massage combines kneading and smoothing strokes that aid in integration and improve circulation of both blood and lymph. Aromatherapy enlists the help of essential oils from plants, extracted via hydro or steam distillation, to relax and calm, or to energize and stimulate, your bodymind. Your session can be a full body massage with time for some focus on a problem area, or a focused session delving deep into the area where you are feeling it the most.

MAGNESIUM, CAPSAICIN & AROMATHERAPIES

Your skin, as well as encasing your myofascial structure, is also your largest organ of protection and elimination, and deserves only the best, all natural care. I use 100% pure Jojoba oil as a bodywork lubricant, which will nourish your skin and deliver moisturizing, anti-inflammatory benefits while leaving your skin soft and non-greasy post session. I make it a point to massage Jojoba into any dry, rough elbows, knees, or feet.  Muscle Butter magnesium therapy delivers Magnesium chloride topically to your myofascial tissues along with menthol to stimulate nerve tissue. Despite some claims to the contrary, topical magnesium cannot penetrate to the circulatory system, but it can be worked into your surface structures to aid in muscle release and improved fascia tone. I also make a cayenne-infused jojoba oil to deliver the analgesic (pain relief) and circulatory benefits of capsaicin. I use a selection of unadulterated essential oils (single note and blends) throughout the session. In the summertime, and as requested throughout the year, I use cryo-wands on the face to promote cellular rejuvenation, collagen production and lymphatic drainage, and to reduce puffiness and inflammation. In the colder months, your feet and lower legs are warmed with a special flat hot water bottle designed for bodywork sessions. Each session includes:

  • 90 minutes of bodywork on the table
  • 15 minutes before and after the session to brief and debrief
  • Magnesium application
  • Capsaicin application 
  • Aromatherapy (aerosol diffusion and topical application)
  • Facial cryo-wands and/or lower leg warming

WHAT TO EXPECT

Your session takes place in my lovely, clean and sanitized home massage studio, free of the distractions or upselling of a commercial massage facility. There’s no need to wash off after your session, as I use no silicones or synthetic additives or fragrances in my products; many clients prefer to bathe pre-session and leave the jojoba, magnesium, essential oils, etc. on for as long as possible. Arrive as you are, but know that make-up like foundation and mascara is hard to wash out of my linens. Please let me know if you have any allergies. You will be required to fill out an intake form asking about your medical history as it pertains to massage, and to agree to appropriate, professional behavior. If you have a favorite therapeutic cream such as CBD that you’d like me to use, bring it along and I’ll apply and work it in as directed. Pre-booking is recommended, as many of my clients have a standing appointment.

MY HOURS & PRICING

  • Thursday 10am-6pm (finishing at 8pm)
  • Friday 10am-2pm (finishing at 4pm)
  • Saturday 10am
  • 90 minute session $100
  • Cash (preferred), Paypal, Venmo & Square (CC)