What happens during a session?
First, we’ll take a general health history. You’ll share what your overall concerns are, where you’re hurting right now and what parts of your body frequently give you problems. We’ll discuss any old injuries, surgeries, or chronic illnesses you may have, and what kinds of treatments you’ve undergone.
Then we’ll do a visual assessment of your alignment. It’s helpful if you undress to a level where the contours of your body are visible. We’ll determine a treatment plan based on both your input and our observations.
Then we’ll decide how you’ll be situated (face up, face down or side-lying) and the therapist will leave the room while you get on the table. You will undress to your comfort level; you will be covered with a sheet and blanket at all times. (For structural myofascial sessions, underwear remains on). The therapist will uncover only the part of your body being worked on.
We use massage oil and creams with organic essential oils. Please let us know in advance if you have any allergies.
What can massage therapy help me with?
You’d be surprised at the range of concerns that can be addressed by massage therapy. Many of our clients come to us to recover from injuries, sudden acute back pain, joint troubles, and plantar fasciitis. Others have chronic conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, spondylitis, and Lyme’s disease. Not only is bodywork excellent at addressing chronic and acute pain in the musculoskeletal system, it stimulates the immune system, calms the nervous system, and can assist in balancing the digestive and endocrine systems. It is truly a whole-body tune-up.
What kind of massage do you do?
Stephanie has developed The Integrity Method through many years of experience and training. The therapist’s hands have their own wisdom which finds the places you need work, whether you tell us about them or not. We usually refuse to perform a ‘by the book’ session of any single modality, because this will not give you the full benefit of our expertise.
Will it hurt?
Massage therapy should not make you scream, tense up, or leave bruises afterward. We let your body tell us how deeply to work; as soon as there is resistance, we back off. You should be feeling a ‘good pain’ that means your body is getting what it needs, not a ‘bad pain’ that means you’re on the threshold of injury.
Some people have particularly sensitive nervous systems, with very low pain thresholds. If you are one of these people, or just don’t like something we’re doing, please say so. We will adjust our work to your needs.
How do I afford this?
It’s often more cost-effective to get regular bodywork than it is to address the injuries and illnesses that result from failing to take care of yourself. We offer several ways for you to get the work you need at a price you can afford.
Often a series of sessions can be much more effective than a single session; we offer packages for short and long-term issues, at a significant discount per session.
If someone who loves you wants to give you an awesome gift, we also offer gift certificates, both for single sessions and packages. We are happy to tailor a special gift package for you.