Over the years I’ve been influenced by Japanese, Thai, Chinese, and Swedish massage. I’m a life-long-learner when it comes to investigating what these traditions have to offer. Techniques and practices within these distinct traditions complement each other and lend themselves to various combinations.

I use massage to help people relax - massage is a soothing and restorative modality for the client. It is an opportunity to disconnect from the outside world as well as your stressors, and check in with your body, by settling into the natural rhythms of your breathing. Massage can help you enter a state of relaxation, where your muscles will be more receptive to receiving various levels of pressure. Pressure, sometimes combined with a good stretch, can work wonders for a variety of aches, pains, and discomfort in general.

I definitely think most people stand to benefit from integrating deep-tissue techniques into their massage session. Different people will naturally require different amounts of pressure to access the the body's deeper layers.

I've seen some of the "no pain no gain" crowd shift their perspective on just how much pressure is necessary for deep-tissue, where their body improves its ability to relax hypertonic and overused muscles, and they learn to invite the pressure, so that less can be more.

But less isn't always more.

You might start with just a few techniques to check how comfortable you are with increases and decreases in pressure, stretching, and release.

Personally, I have an old low-back injury, so I often air on the side of caution and request a lighter touch when I get a massage. If the massage therapist gains the trust of my muscles, I'll ask for more pressure.

On the other hand, many clients will jump into the deep-end so to speak, with the bulk of their session combining deep Swedish, deep-tissue pressure-points, and deep stretching.

It's my job to figure out where your muscles hold tension, and systematically work it out. Your job is to tell me your goal/s for your massage & bodywork appointment - are you just looking to relax? to deal with a chronic nagging injury? to work out that random knot in your neck that you woke up with? to stretch various joints? to stretch particular muscles?

Feel free to communicate as much or as little as you like, and remember that your comfort throughout the session is important - is the room too cold? music too quiet? face-cradle digging into your chin? are you not sure if you want a chair or a table massage?

Maybe you’re considering bringing athletic attire to maximize stretching techniques during your session, or maybe you’re wondering if it's OK to exercise after your session.

Just let me know, and leave the rest to me!

Massage is relaxing and you may even fall asleep. Alternatively, if you're just here for serious bodywork, be prepared for some soreness in the day or two after the session - softening your tight spots might take a lot of work, and I encourage clients to extend the benefits of coming to see me by developing a self-care routine for their muscles. Think foam rolling, walking, stretching, heat or cold therapies (or both), calisthenics, and of course, good nutrition and rest.