Shiatsu, Integrative, & deep tissue massage therapy | Boulder, CO

While I was putting myself through massage school I worked in retail.  One day a gentleman came in looking for a part for his car.  The store had a small automotive department, but it was more accessories than repair.  I told him this and confessed that I did not know what the part was.  He could not believe that.  I mentioned that I did not own a car, and he looked at me with a touch of disdain.  “When I was your age, I knew what (car part) was,” he told me.  Now I could have countered by asking him where brachioradialis inserts (the styloid process of the radius, by the by) since that is something that I knew by my age.  Instead I smiled and suggested another store where he might find what he was looking for.

I am made up, at least in part, by my experiences, and so was he.  I remember this exchange whenever I feel frustrated about missed connections with other people.  Thinking about this, and remembering to breathe, helps me stay centered and push past differences with others that could stand between us.  Most of all I remember that judging others on what they do not know or what they can not do helps no one.  Letting go of these expectations is a great first step coming together as fellow human beings…who happen to have a lot in common.

You know how stress feels. It’s different for everybody, but you have felt it and maybe you’ve noticed how your body reacts to it. But is it always the same?

The next time you feel stressed about something, try taking a moment to see where in your body it it most noticeable. Is it in your shoulders or neck? Your arms or lower back? Is it always in the same place? Is it different for different types or causes of stress? Does it lead to tension in the neck which leads to headaches? These are some important questions to start asking and can be the first step in helping to de-stress your life. Listening to your body and how it reacts is a valuable skill that anyone can develop with a little patience and practice.

When stress builds in the body there’s a tendency to hold onto it, especially if we are not listening to how the stress is affecting us. For example, when I get stressed my shoulders tighten and move in toward my center. This affects various muscles in my back, chest, and neck.

We can not always stop or avoid the causes of stress in our lives but there are things we can do to help neutralize any negative effects and bring the body back into balance. Naturally massage is a great way of helping, but there are a variety of other approaches that also work. Yoga, meditation, exercise, or any other activity that feels good on a physical and mental level will allow held stress to release.

And as always, remember to breathe.

A couple of weeks ago panelists on the ABC show “The View” discussed an incident of reported sexual harassment concerning a massage therapist and a political figure. They proceeded to descend into an outright attack on massage, laughing while they called up old and tired stereotypes. I would like to take a few moments to defend against their hurtful statements.

Co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck started the ball rolling stating that “Massage always has the potential to go wrong.” This statement comes from a mindset that has trouble separating therapeutic touch and sexuality. Massage therapy is not about sex.

A ‘news’ correspondent responded by saying that “Nothing good happens after the first hour of a massage.” Again there is the implied connection between massage and sex, along with the thought that the longer you have contact with someone the more sketchy and potentially dangerous that professional relationship is. I find this a sad thing to think. Hour long sessions are a often a norm among massage therapists because they fit neatly into many schedules. However 90 minute sessions or longer are also quite common, because every client has their own needs and there is only so much that can fit into an hour.

At this point another commentator tried to throw in his two cents, possibly calling the previous statements into question. But we may never know because Hasselbeck launched into a story of trying to treat a significant other to a massage. This is a wonderful gift to give, but she made the mistake of not doing any research and not considering her own feelings. She “ordered” a massage from an Athletic Massage company (as the recipient was an athlete) and then felt resentful when as she put it: “a hot chick” arrived to perform the massage. If you are looking to give the gift of massage, please take the time to find a therapist who you feel is right. In the case of a gift for a significant other, listen to your own feelings around someone else having contact with them. Is there fear or jealousy? Is there some nebulous worry that you can not put a finger on? If so you may wish to talk to a massage therapist about these feelings. Again, find the right therapist for you.

The segment concludes shortly after, but not before implying a connection between massage therapy and prostitution. Massage therapists have worked long and hard to extract their healing work from this old entanglement, and it helps no one to have harmful stereotypes reinforced by TV personalities. Possibly the saddest thing about this clip is that the hosts of a female centric show completely pass up the opportunity to defend against harassment. Sexual harassment is a very real danger for massage therapists, and only through education can we move away from the misconception of sexual massage.

Since this segment aired, several thousand massage therapists world wide and the American Massage Therapy Association have asked ABC and “The View” for an apology, but have yet to receive one.

There is a good chance you have seen chair massage, it’s practically everywhere. Massage chairs can be found set up at festivals and fundraisers, corporate offices of all sizes, wellness fairs, airports, malls, upscale grocery stores, and outdoor plazas. This unparalleled accessibility is one of the greatest features of chair massage.

Not only does chair massage fit almost anywhere, but it also fits into your busy schedule. A typical chair massage lasts from 5 to 30 minutes with 15 being the average time. In this short amount of time a therapist can reduce tension, ease muscular pain, increase circulation, and leave you relaxed yet alert and ready for the rest of your day. A chair session can easily be fit into a lunch break, time between jobs, or after work to leave the stress of the day behind. The time spent can easily be targeted to the areas that need the most attention. A common combination includes the neck, shoulders, arms, and hands: a desk jockey’s dream in 10 to 15 minutes.

And since most therapists charge $1 per minute of chair massage, it is very affordable. If you have never received massage, chair massage is a great, convenient, and cheap way to experience all the benefits massage can offer.

For those of you in Boulder, come say hi to me as I offer chair massage on the Pearl Street Mall this July. You can find me by the corner of 13^th and Pearl, in front of the Boulder Cafe, and take advantage of my 20 minutes for $15 special.

We’ve all experienced knots in our muscles from time to time. These can be painful, limit movement, and actually cause pain in other parts of the body.

These knots are called Trigger Points and they occur when individual muscle fibers become caught in contraction. All our muscles move by the contraction and relaxation of their cells, but they do sometimes get stuck and problems begin. With the muscle contracted the blood flow to that particular area is cut off. Normally the circulation of blood through muscles carries away all the metabolic waste that the cells produce, but with the loss of circulation the waste builds up. This build up causes pain, which causes the muscle to spasm, and that can lead to a greater reduction in circulation. As the cycle continues, pain can build and can be felt elsewhere in the body. The referred pain follows patterns through the nervous system and can actually mask the true source of the problem. A headache or pain in the jaw could be caused by trigger points in the neck or upper back and wrist pain could refer from the upper forearm or even from the shoulder.

The bad news: Trigger points do not discriminate, they occur in everyone to some degree though many can be latent and not cause pain. The good news: They are treatable by relatively easy methods. Deep Tissue Massage is a wonderful treatment method for trigger points because it breaks the pain-spasm cycle and allows blood flow to return to the affected area. The natural increase in circulation that massage produces works to carry away the built up waste. Self massage is also effective and there are a number of tools (looking like oddly curved things) available designed to help relieve trigger points. The treatment process, while intense, does not have to be horribly painful. There is a difference between therapeutic discomfort and full on pain, and if you are experiencing the latter then it is your right and duty to inform your therapist.

As a final note, be sure to drink plenty of water after any massage, but especially for trigger point therapy. All the waste that built up around the point is still in your body and it’s best to flush it out before it settles anywhere else.