Integrated Bodywork · 90 minutes
Hands-on work that follows your body
Massage, stretching, acupressure, and craniosacral techniques. In person in Millcreek.
Most people come in wanting less stress in their body, or a couple of hours where nobody needs anything from them. That’s a good reason to be here, and I’m glad to do that work.
What’s different is how I get there. This isn’t a routine I run from start to finish. I work with what I find — the tight places, the restricted ones, the areas that have been guarding something for a while — and I bring in whatever’s useful for that.
What this session is
Ninety minutes, on the table, hands on
All of my hands-on work is ninety minutes. There isn’t a shorter version — an hour isn’t enough time to work properly and still let your nervous system settle into it, so I don’t offer one.
What happens inside those ninety minutes varies. Some sessions mirror a hands-on massage. Often, though, feelings or emotions come up in the body as I work, and they need room to move through. That’s where the session shifts from protocol to intuition.
How a session goes
From arrival to settling
We start with what brought you in
I’ll ask what you’re here for — sometimes that’s specific, like a shoulder that won’t settle or a low back that’s been complaining for months, and sometimes it’s “I’m overwhelmed and I just need to relax.” Both are good answers. I’ll go through your intake form with you and ask about injuries and surgeries, and anything painful I should know about before my hands are on you.
You will be modestly draped for the entire session
Most people undress to their undergarments once I step out of the room, then lie on the table between the sheets. If your session is focused on craniosacral work, comfortably fitted clothing is also an option. What matters most is that you feel as comfortable as possible. If you do undress, only the area I’m working on is uncovered.
We’ll start face down or face up, depending on where the pain is, where your range of motion is limited, and what’s bothering you most.
Throughout the session
you can ask questions, tell me an area you’d rather I stay away from, ask me to change what I’m doing or how much pressure I’m using, or ask me to stop. You don’t need a reason for any of it.
I’ll tell you how I work before we begin
I use manual massage, stretching, acupressure, and craniosacral techniques. When I bring in the acupressure or craniosacral work, people often notice something release — sensations of hot or cold, emotion surfacing, a light buzzing, a very deep relaxation. Falling asleep is common. None of it is required and none of it is a goal. It’s just worth knowing it happens, so it doesn’t surprise you if it does.
I also work intuitively
Sometimes thoughts and ideas come through while I’m working, and I’ll ask whether you’d like me to share those as they come up. If you’d rather I didn’t, that’s completely fine and the bodywork stands on its own without it.
From there it’s about seventy-five to eighty minutes of work
I follow what I find in the tissue — restriction, tightness, trigger points, the places that aren’t moving the way the areas around them are.
Most of that time is quiet. But I’m not only paying attention to your tissue — I’m paying attention to where you are. I can sense when someone’s attention has gone up into their mind or their thoughts, and when that happens I’ll gently guide them back into their body through their breath.
That’s most of what I’ll say to you during the session. It isn’t conversation. It’s just bringing you back.
Before you leave, we’ll talk about what came up and land on one or two things for you to work with on your own.
Intuition
The part I don’t have perfect words for
Some of what guides me is straightforward. I can feel restriction in tissue, and that’s concrete — any experienced therapist can tell you the same.
The rest is harder to explain. I get a sense of whether something is blocked or whether it’s moving, and I follow that sense, and I’ve never fully been able to articulate what it is or how it works. I’m not going to pretend otherwise here.
Clients have their own words for it. Several have used the word intuitive without me offering it first. That’s about as far as I can honestly take it.
If that’s not your thing, the bodywork stands on its own without it — and you’re welcome to tell me you’d rather I keep it to myself.
Who books this
If this sounds like you
You want to de-stress and take ninety minutes to let go of what you’ve been carrying
You’re coming in with a specific intention or desire for the session
You want to connect inward and notice what your body has been holding
You want to understand your body better and learn to listen to it
Many sessions bring in some of the inner attention from Somatic Awareness, alongside the hands-on work.
90 minutes · $150
On the table, hands on. You will be modestly draped for the entire session. In person in Millcreek only — this one can’t be done online.
Packages: 6 sessions at 10% off, 12 at 15% off. A recommendation, not a requirement.
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Wednesday, 9 am to noon. Saturdays by request.
Cancellation: no-shows are charged in full; cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice are charged 50%.
I’m a Licensed Massage Therapist. This work isn’t a substitute for medical care, and I don’t diagnose or treat medical conditions. If something you’re dealing with would be better served by a physician or another provider, I’ll say so.