GLOSSARY OF TERMS

DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE

There are hundreds of muscles in your body.  Deep Tissue massage techniques are my favorite tools for draining the toxins that cause chronic tension, stress, pain and fatigue right out of them!

The most important rule of Deep Tissue massage is, "the deeper you go, the SLOWER you have to go."  Because the work is so deep, it can have a great physical AND spiritual impact on the client.  Don't be afraid, though: Deep Tissue is NOT painful, provided you do it right.  If you do it right, it's slow and deep and GOOD.  And me?  You can count on me to do it right.

 

MYOFASCIAL MASSAGE

So, how you feeling?  What's that?  Tense, you say?  Not really in pain, but you just feel like...you can't move easily?  You feel stiff?

May I suggest myofascial release?

Fascia is the strong, sticky connective tissue that coats every surface inside your body: every nerve, every organ, every bone, every blood vessel, every muscle, every EVERYTHING has an enveloping layer of fascia.  We call the fascial sheaths that surround muscles "myofascia."  That's what the prefix "myo-" means.

Like a gauze bandage, however, fascia frequently gets stuck to itself, resulting in tension and diminished range of motion.  Myofascial release increases range of motion, diminishes tension and rebalances the entire body by facilitating physical reactions that momentarily liquefy myofascia, allowing it to disengage from itself. 

When I started massage school, I didn't even know what fascia WAS.  By graduation, I was releasing it like a pro.  Fifteen grand well-spent, if you ask me.

 

PREGNANCY MASSAGE

Pregnancy is supposed to be a celebratory time for a woman; I honor her joyful anticipation of becoming a mother.  But I know perfectly well that it's also a time of aches, pains, fatigue, stress, anxiety and emotional turmoil.  Some mothers-to-be--even some who usually LOVE massage--avoid it during this time in their lives because they worry that it would be harmful to their babies.  I am here to promise you that this is NOT the case.

Specialized Pregnancy Massage helps pregnant women dissipate the pain and discomfort associated with pregnancy, heighten emotional well-being and support, relieve joint pain due to extra weight and postural imbalance, and--c'mon, mom, say it with me, you've earned the right to say it--RELAX.

With various techniques developed with the expecting mother in mind, as well as a few specialized precautions, I offer pregnant women a luxurious opportunity to retreat into bliss and forget, for a time, about the trials of pregnancy.  Just let it all melt away for a while...you're in good hands.

 

SWEDISH MASSAGE

Swedish Massage is what most people think of when they think about massage, and the kind they would get every day if they were billionaires.  It's a series of kneading, gliding, rolling, pressing and percussive strokes that aid circulation, relieve aches and pains, diminish stress, enhance mental clarity, improve flexibility and just feel GREAT. 

Especially when *I* do them.

 

TRIGGER/TENDER POINT THERAPY

Trigger/Tender Point Therapy focuses on stimulating and releasing tender spots in your muscles.  We call these spots either "tender points" or "trigger points", depending on whether pressure upon them causes "direct" discomfort in the area receiving that pressure (tender points) or "referred" sensation in some other part of the body, usually near the area receiving pressure (trigger points).

Tender and trigger points develop cumulatively throughout a person's life due to physical, mental and/or emotional stress. During a session, I'll release these trigger points with focused pressure.

It's only fair that you go in understanding: Trigger/Tender Point Therapy isn't the sort of dreamy, blissful escape from reality that usually comes to mind when you think about massage.  It involves finding tender spots in the body's muscles and putting deep pressure on them until they dissolve, and it can hurt.  But in some situations, those tender and trigger points are the reason for the pain you came to see us about, and it's the best way to help your body heal.  Otherwise, we Massage Therapists wouldn't use it.  I promise to make it as easy on you as possible, and also to send you off in better shape than you were in when I found you.