Swedish massage is relaxing and therapeutic. It is also helpful in reducing pain, joint stiffness, and increasing circulation. It is the foundation of what all other forms have grown from.
One advanced style of Swedish Massage in known as Integrative Massage. This form takes the understanding that we are a whole, functioning person and steps away from the part-focused view of Swedish and incorporates much longer, flowing motions. An example might be the pattern of a two stokes- originating at the lower back, with one traveling to the tips of the fingers while the other travels to the tips of the toes- connecting the core to both the extremities.
Swedish Massage is about feeling great.I enjoy incorporating special oils and scents to accomplish your goals.In the cold months Hot Stones are normally ready, however, in the warm months, they require 3 hours notice to warm up.Ice and cold therapy are also available and very effective. Special foot, hand or facial treatments are also available.
Sports Massage
Sports massage is designed to enhance athletic performance and recovery.Focused on the muscles relevant to a particular activity, sports massage involves different approaches depending on the state of the athlete (in training, pre-race, or recovery).
Sports Massage is actually a broad description of various types of work. For example, a boxer, in preparation for a fight would need aggressive work, where as a golfer might be a little too charged with that work. If you have just finished a 10 day stage race, I would focus on helping you feel human and recovered again. Like all my massages, I tailor each one for your needs for that day.
Deep Tissue Massage
Deep tissue massage uses many techniques, sometimes including intense pressure.(Sometimes Deep Tissue is confused with aggressive massage, a style I am not particularly fond of.) The purpose is to work the tissues near the bone to relieve muscle tension.This type of massage requires advanced training and a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology.Deep tissue massage can help with chronic muscular pain and aid in injury rehabilitation. One aspect that makes me unique is that I try to soften the tissues first, such that “going to the bone” is much less aggressive.
One component of Deep Tissue Massage is Trigger Point Therapy.Trigger Point Therapy is based on the ground breaking work of Janet Travell, MD and focuses on small areas of the body that have referral pain patterns. Referral pain is pain in an area of the body other than the treatment area. (A famous, but extreme, example of this is that people who have heart attacks often have a pain radiating down the left arm.)This work can be amazing as a solution to remove pain that has escaped successful treatment with regular western medicine treatments.A well trained massage therapist looks for patterns to discover the source of the referral pain.While Trigger Point Therapy can be intense, the relief experienced can be immediate.
Other Bodywork
There are many other styles that I incorporate into my work. They include Shiatsu, a style based on treatment of the meridian (chi/qi channels of classic Asian medicine), basic Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy, and release/ reprocessing of emotions associated with various embodied feelings.For those that request it, trauma work can bring about amazing results.
