I appreciate your being here and am honored to have you on my table. I am grateful for you taking the time to give me so much information about your body and what you need today. I love getting feedback during the massage and am glad to make adjustments for your comfort. Now, you can quit helping me.

When I move to adjust the bolster beneath your legs and you lift your legs for me, I know you haven’t begun to relax yet.

When you raise your head as I am working on your neck, I think there must be something uncomfortable or you don’t trust me enough yet.

When I lift your arm to adjust it and you try to help and extend your arm into the air and hold it there, I know you are a helpful person and usually have the ability to realize when people need help and pitch in. I don’t need your arm up there in the air and I fault myself for not communicating clearly.

When I am working on your foot and you lift it up for me, I know you are appreciating the work however; once again I question myself and then you. “Did that tickle?” “Was it uncomfortable?” “Did you want a different pressure there?”

Laying on a massage table and allowing a Massage Therapist to work with you has got to be one of the most challenging things in this world. It requires trust, willingness and letting go. I honor that and you for being here.

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person;  having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.” ~ Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

I will move your body sometimes, lifting an arm, leg or head. I promise I won’t drop it. I know you have to get used to that though. I know you may have had a lot of massages where people treated you like a paper doll and massaged the front and the back, without moving anything but the drape about.

I will use different pressures in different areas for different reasons. While I hear you want deep work I am not going to barrel through the muscle causing you pain or a tear. Sometimes less is more. When you ask for medium and/or light work and you feel me sink in a little deeper it is because your body and made that so, called my hands in, relaxed underneath my fingers like a sinkhole to bring me into the tissues. I still tread gently and you can always say something to let me know if it is uncomfortable.

When I was a little girl my Dad once said to me “If you keep being so helpful I am going to have to ask you to leave”.

I won’t ask you to leave. I too, know how hard it is to relax. I won’t tell you to relax because that usually causes people more tension and stress as they TRY to relax.

Does anyone else feel a little guilty having a little success or joy in the middle of all this crazy, awful stuff that is going on?

We are having a kinda good autumn here but, I am feeling a little guilty for having so much to be grateful for. Of couse the house isn’t as clean as it should be, there are always things to be fixed and things be cannot afford to do but, look what we got to do!

Chris and I had a great time in Pasadena, CA at the AMTA Massage Convention, I got to volunteer and help at the Society for Oncology Massage Booth, I got to be in a local magazine (http://www.chestercounty-life.com/issue-sept-oct-17/index.html?page=50), we got to volunteer at the Green Earth Festival at the Phoenixville Farmers Market, we got to see Dar Williams in concert and get her book autographed!

We got to do massage for over a hundred riders and survivors during a three day, 200 mile bike ride raising money for breast cancer Tour de Pink, Chris and I got to help out at a firebird fundraiser at a local brewery, Halloween was awesome we gave out 14 bags of candy, and that was just September and October.

Thanks to Unite for Her, I got to speak at two hospitals this month, Paoli and Phoenixville, we both got to speak at the regional S4OM gathering, I got to go to an art show and see some incredible art and three new people decided I get to be their massage therapist!

Chris and I got to work inside the polls for the first time. That is a labor of love and it is a challenge. We are in the largest county that still does handwritten ballots and yes we do have to hand count.

This is a great time for birthdays. Three dear couples brought three beautiful children into this world in three different states! Chris had a pretty decent birthday, he wanted to go the National Dog Show and we got to take our niece with us this time. We have been to the Phoenixville Farmers Market several times, Steel City and Artisans Coffee Shops, Francos, The Eco Store and of course Diving Cat! We had another date night tonight, which may sound strange to some but, for me it is a big deal to go to Lowe’s, the grocery store, have dinner at Zoup’s and hit the bookstore. My husband won my heart in the first place by buying me a book instead of a drink.

It is not that I made it a month or even a week without someone saying something to me or me to them that was misunderstood, awkward, snarky or mean. We gotta know we are not perfect and we are always trying to be better.

We do miss those that are just not with us anymore or cannot be with us. We may even experience some sadness and grief while make pies or checking on the bird. We can still gather and enjoy time with, and appreciate the all of us that are present. I am really thankful for all the people that have crossed my path, those that I have known for years and some I have just met. How can I not be thankful when you can say you have been visiting, got hugs, petted many dogs, explored and learned new things with beautiful people?

I know the world seems really horrid right now for many but, I am thankful and looking forward to work tomorrow at the hospital, doing to cleaning, cooking, baking, reading, writing and having another wonderful gathering with family. So go ahead and share a joy or beauty or cool thing ya got to do. Let’s have some thankfulness and appreciation for ourselves, our families, our friends, our communites and our lives without feeling guilty.

So if you are willing and can donate a few bucks, consider helping with beautiful organizations that allow me and Chris to volunteer with them. Giving Tuesday is coming up soon!

The Society for Oncology Massage www.S4om.org

Unite for Her www.UniteforHer.org

Young Survivors Coalition https://www.ysctourdepink.org/

The Phoenixville Firebird Festival https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/2017-phoenixville-firebird-festival-music-arts#/

And Paoli Cancer Center https://www.mainlinehealth.org/ways-to-give/paoli-hospital-foundation

“Those who are not grateful soon begin to complain of everything.”
― Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

Happy Thanksgiving!

Xerlan & Christopher Deery

I have friends who love PSL. I don’t care for them and being able to work with Oncology Patients I know sometimes that fragrance is too strong for some in the infusion room. That being said the PSL is a good reminder of how we work with people who have cancer and survivors.

With a licensed and properly trained massage therapist there is no specific time one should not get massage. It is not the timing or the treatment but, the effects and experiences of the client that requires us to modify a session for safety and effectiveness. Rarely, I have needed to refuse or reschedule a session for another day. Indeed, it seems challenging to think about getting a massage during chemotherapy, before or after radiation treatment, pre- and post-op but, it happens every day around the world. And while every person is different and every session is different we always make adjustments to create the safest and most effective session for you.

Properly trained Massage Therapists will know how to make the following adjustments and why. So don’t be surprised to have some discussion time about Oncology Massage Adjustments or PSLs.

• Pressure Moderation
  • During cancer treatment and even when you are a survivor getting a deep tissue massage may be too much.
• Position Adjustments
  • You need to be comfortable getting the massage. Sometimes that means we use more pillows and bolsters. Sometimes we use different positions for your comfort.
• Site Restrictions
  • Several times there may be areas or sites we will need to avoid completely or make significant adjustments to work in the area.
• Session Length
  • With everything else going on and fatigue being an issue for many people those 90 minute sessions can be more draining than therapeutic.
• Lymphedema Risks
  • If you’ve had surgery that will affect lymph nodes and/or radiation therapy, you’re considered to be at some risk for lymphedema.

There are many Licensed Massage Therapists in the area that are trained to work safely and effectively with people who have cancer and survivors. I know Christopher and I have limited schedules sometimes but, we will endeavor to get you booked as soon as possible. Feel free to call, text or email us;

Christopher Deery, LMT, BCTMB – 484-447-8689    Chris@Phoenixville-Massage.com

Xerlan Deery, LMT, BCTMB – 610-906-2322   Xerlan@Phoenixville-Massage.com

Also please take a look at this resource on the Society for Oncology Massage website if you are looking for a Massage Therapist trained to work safely and effectively with oncology clients and survivors.

http://www.s4om.org/family-and-friends/is-your-therapist-trained

There’s nothing like an old-fashioned Christmas—goodies on the groaning board,
halls decked with holly berry, gaily wrapped presents piling up on the window sills,
loved ones chiming carols. It can put you flat on your back for a month.

~Jean Kerr

And it isn’t just Christmas or even always religious. It isn’t just cooking, baking and decorating, cleaning, rearranging and lifting, planning, budgeting and shopping, wrapping, hiding, delivering and mailing, it is the traveling to and fro and stopping all along the way. It is the preparing a place for the family and friends to gather for an afternoon, an evening or a week or more. It is the beautiful and graceful effort one puts in a plate of cookies as a gift to a friend or donating money or time or things in the middle of the holidays that is unnecessary, a complete surprise, a wild, random act of ridiculous thoughtful generosity, which feeds our souls, gives us a sense of accomplishment, validates that we can make a difference and may also fatigue us.

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.

~Hamilton Wright Mabie

Add in the extra guests, you gladly make room for, things your ran out of, misplaced or forgot and had to get at the last minute, changed plans and people arriving or leaving earlier or later than you thought and the weather. We didn’t have a white Christmas; it was warm, then wet, then cooler. So forgive yourself and any of your family and/or friends that now has a cold, needs to sleep it off, recharge, and had a flare of arthritis, fibromyalgia or any kind of pain or fatigue symptom.

Understand most people have to get back to work immediately or barely had any time off because they are nurses, doctors, firemen, policemen, chefs and retail workers. There are others that will have a bit longer break and still others that just lost their holiday job and will be looking for work. We still have to clean up, do all the dishes, use up all the leftovers, “undecorate”, which may not be a real word but, it is a real thing, and put everything back up or down or stored somewhere for another 10 or 11 months.

When I am looking at a well-decorated Christmas Tree, no amount of adverse experience can convince me that people are anything but good. If people were bad, they wouldn’t go to all that trouble to display that much affection for one another and the world they live in.

~Andy Rooney

So the holiday stress may last longer than we thought. The New Year isn’t here yet but, it is coming. Why wait to make a change or start a resolution or just be good to yourself?
We need it now. Get a Massage, take a walk, read the book you got, try that turmeric milk recipe, and spend time with people who will make you want to do it all over again, next year, smarter and better.

We will be glad to help, between now and Jan. 4th, while we are on break from teaching, we expanded our schedule and would love to finish this year doing something to show our appreciation for the community that we love being part of. So, every session scheduled from December 28th, 2015 thru January 4th, 2016 will be an End of the year Retro Price Session: $75 per hour and a half, $50 per hour or $25 per half hour. Oh Wait! Except this one special day. This day, Wednesday, December 30th will be a donation only day. You may donate what you wish for any 1/2 hour or hour session. You may schedule online here or give us a call at 484-447-8689 (Chris) or 610-906-2322 (Xerlan) to schedule your appointment.

Happy Holidays from Christopher and Xerlan Deery!

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.

~Washington Irving

Back in the early ’90s, I thought I was so smart advertising that Massage Therapy Gift Certificates were Tidings of Comfort and Joy. I even followed that up with; You don’t have to worry about sizes and colors when you buy Massage Therapy Gift Certificates. I am sorry. It has gotten crazy and I am sure it isn’t just me that sees this. Please note this is the case for many other businesses that sell gift certificates too.

A little truth….

One of the main reasons Massage Therapists track gift certificates is so we can check them off when they come in and we don’t have people showing up saying they lost it and we have no way to tell if it has been used already.

Yes, there are people out there that have tried that but, it is rare and that isn’t the most concerning thing. The most concerning thing to me is that Massage Therapists do not always follow up on the gift certificates they sell. Every year thousands of Massage Therapy Gift Certificates get shoved in drawers, forgotten in the bottom of purses and tossed out with the wrappings. The money for them stays in the Therapists pockets but, rarely do people let us know they lost one. More often there is an amount of money that is received for Gift Certificates that aren’t always earned.

While some people think that is completely awesome it makes us more than uncomfortable. So, we not only track them we will follow up. If you purchase a gift certificate and it isn’t used in a couple of months we will let you know so you can remind the person you gave it to. We will do that more than once if necessary. It is tough when you mean well and you get someone something you think they would appreciate or benefit from and they don’t even try to use it. So here are some tips before you buy that last minute massage gift certificate for someone.

• If they already see a Massage Therapist and are happy with them please do not buy them a gift certificate to see “your” massage therapist. We are flattered but, it isn’t a great idea.

• Please purchase a gift certificate from the therapist they have told you they already see and appreciate or one that they say they would love to try.

• If they already see a Massage Therapist and are not happy with them then maybe a half-hour session would be an appropriate purchase. That way they can have a short session, see the office, meet the therapist but, not be committed to a whole hour or hour and a half.

• If they have ever said anything like I just don’t get why you get massages or I would never do that please do not surprise them with a massage gift certificate. We do get it that if they would just get on the table about 85% of those people might change their minds but, a gift certificate might not be the thing that gets them on the table.

• If they have a medical condition please, be very cautious purchasing Massage Therapy Gift Certificates. While all Massage Therapists do massage, many do not have advanced training to work with some medical conditions safely and effectively. There are also some medical conditions that massage would be contraindicated for. So ask before you buy the gift certificate. You can ask the person you are purchasing the gift certificate for and ask the therapists you are purchasing the gift certificate from.

• Don’t believe that if you are buying a gift certificate at a spa or place that specializes in relaxation or is a franchise that has many Massage Therapists working for them that the medical issues don’t matter. It is still massage therapy, it matters a lot.

• And if you ever hear the words “that Gift Certificate expired” you might want to inform them of this lovely piece of knowledge. According to the US Credit CARD Act of 2009, “A gift certificate… may contain an expiration date if the expiration date is not earlier than 5 years after the date on which the gift certificate was issued… and the terms of expiration are clearly and conspicuously stated”. ( http://www.chambersburg.org/blog/2015/09/03/when-do-gift-cards-in-pennsylvania-expire ).

So, of course, Massage Therapy Gift Certificates can be Tidings of Comfort and joy but, there needs to be a little more thought sometimes. Yes, we have them and will be glad to make arrangements for pick up or drop off if you will please just give us a call or text us at 610-906-2322 or email us at Chris@phoenixville-Massage.com.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through my body,
My joints didn’t feel nice, my muscles were knotty;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
That was the easiest job of the season right there;

Between hanging lights and decorating trees;
Shopping, wrapping, and baking is not a breeze;
The kids were even tired, all crashed in their beds;
While visions of Xbox games danced in their heads;

So just for a moment, I sat down to pause,
And consider this lovely generous spirit of Claus,
That pushes us so beyond exhaustion and reason,
When we want to relax and enjoy this season,

When what to my wandering eye did appear;
But an envelope, tucked in the tree, towards the rear,
As I drew closer to see it in the twinkling lights,
I realized this was one of my very best nights.

I saw my name on the front and the logo PMB,
And knew that this was a Massage just for Me!
Santa did exist, he had read my letter!
My muscles and joints will soon feel much better!

Merry Christmas and Blessed Yule to Everyone!
Phoenixville Massage & Bodywork
Christopher and Xerlan Deery

I want to be a good role model. I really do, I am Massage Therapist. I know that I have to have peace myself before I can bring peace to others. I am actually really good at stress management. I am also honest so I do know it is easy to say but, not easy to handle this holiday stress thing. I tried to simplify but, I am really good at the holiday thing and I love it. I want the halls decked, the kitchen smelling like cinnamon, something baking in the oven and me wearing an apron with flour on my nose, cute socks on my toes and a cup of coffee with a little bit of Baileys in it by noon on Saturday or I might just lose it.

Here in Phoenixville our holiday season is a little different. We somehow manage to fit The Firebird Festival in the middle of Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/Kwannza. Indeed, me and my husband’s Firebird wish came true when we got to move here from Oklahoma in 2012. The Firebird Festival really adds more joy, fun, music, art and warmth to our community than it does stress.

So here I am post Firebird/pre Christmas with a few tips that I hope will help or at least make someone smile.

• You do not need to post all the holiday pics and stuff on facebook.
• Your beautiful holiday doesn’t need to be verified by at least 9 people you have never actually met hitting the like button.
• Pinterest will still be there next year or when we retire.
• You are not the only person that has 42 pins of recipes you don’t have the time to make….again…this year.
• There is an epidemic of people having more crafts, sewing, knitting, quilting and whatever intentions sitting in Pinterest waiting or half-done in the back of the closet. We haven’t found a cure yet.
• Nothing has to be perfect.
• No one at the party will be able to tell if you shaved your legs or not, if you wear pants and cute boots to the party.
• Have some tea or coffee with Baileys or whatever liquid you choose, thirst is a dangerous thing.
• Do what you have time to do.
• Do what you can really afford to do.
• Spend time with people that you really care about and enjoy being with.
• Wage some Peace with you and yours this holiday season! 

Intake forms can be annoying, I appreciate it that you take the time to fill them out and understand I have to have them. This is where I look for contraindications. Here is where I begin to understand what you need and how I can create a session for you. Then we do the verbal part before your session. We do this together. I truly believe that doing a thorough intake at the beginning and not rushing people is a key to an effective session. I am surprised and flattered how many people that I have never met would just waltz in the door and take off their clothes and get on the table without a question. Sometimes it is even a little awkward stopping people mid stride and asking them to fill out the information form.

Something else got awkward. The form itself. I have revamped the intake form more times than I can count. Sometimes more than once a year. Seems I am never satisfied. I am so tired of the cookie cutter forms. They still will be a form and that may be my problem. I may not be able to make it groovy but, I will strive for more functional. Why do some of them have Birth Date and Age on them. Can people not do math or do we really need to?

Usually people don’t even notice any change or that we have a great intake form. The one change I thought people would notice they do not. We took the M/F off our intake form years ago. I wish you could have seen husband Christopher’s face when I said “Here is the deal….We either remove the Male Female check boxes completely or we have to add more.  We would need to add Trans M, Trans F, Genderqueer and a lot more.”

Please note that Genderqueer was one of 56 gender identity options added to Facebook in February 2014.

And how much does it matter?

We have friends and clients that are amazing humans and we want to always do our best to make it safe and comfortable for them. I will admit that I may not be able to tell if someone is Trans. I am personally uncomfortable with expecting people to tell me some things by filling out a form. It isn’t that I am uncomfortable with it or that I don’t care. It is that I want to focus on doing mind-blowing massage and bodywork sessions to humans. So thank you all for not noticing the absence of gender identification on our form.

Christopher and Xerlan Deery are not only award-winning and nationally recognized massage therapists, but we are Massage Therapy Instructors – at the Institute for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork in Chadds Ford, Pa; and also nationally, with Anatriptic Alchemy as Continuing Education providers.

Education is the heart of our practice – whether it is listening when we work with your body, attending conferences and continuing education ourselves, or bringing the best evidence-informed, knowledge-based content to our students.

The educational segment of Phoenixville Massage & Bodywork, Anatriptic Alchemy seeks to help massage therapists recognize the skills and talents they have, and helps all of us realize that the application of what we know is just as important as recognizing the challenges of what we can (and cannot) work with.

Massage is an art, and as such must be acquired by study and patient practice, under competent guidance. It cannot be picked up at a moment’s notice by any broken down nurse or disappointed cobbler. As certainly as a trained nurse is superior to an untrained, so certainly, ever more certainly a trained and well-instructed manipulator better than a self-taught “rubber”.

~Benjamin Lee, A.M., M.D., Ph.D. 1885

So if you find us a bit difficult to schedule with, please understand, we are probably teaching, learning, or supporting our students.

Please visit Anatriptic Alchemy by clicking the link here,

Recently I was wondering where we ever got the idea of an hour massage from. Seems to me the hour massage is the most common. I am a voracious reader and I don’t just collect old massage books, I read them, so I thought I would pull out a couple and share them with you.

A Practical Treatise of Massage by Douglas Graham, M.D. 1885

Page 37

A good manipulator will accomplish more in 15 minutes than a poor one will in an hour,

Okay, so this guy isn’t attached to the hour at all right?

Page 121

In 1870, a vigorous man in the incipient stages of locomotor ataxia was sent to me for massage. He was given daily massage for three-quarters of an hour, and at the end of a week, he visited his physician, who, without waiting to question him, at once pronounced his walking better. “Yes,” said the patient, “I have had three times as many massages as you told me to have!” Not long after this, this same physician was prescribing massage by the hour, and soon many other physicians were following his example.

We can only hope more physicians will keep following this example!

Then I pulled out this iconic tome.

Massage and Therapeutic Exercise by Mary McMillan 1921

Chapter IV Outline for General Massage;

Page 21

This treatment should be given with effleurage and passive movement to each joint, and should not cover more than 20 minutes.

Afterward, a general massage within a fifty-minute limit may be attempted.

Is it possible that the 50-minute hour massage might have come from this text in 1921?

If so, they may not have read thoroughly because the 50-minute general massage follows the 20 minutes on all the joints. Does anyone want to switch to 70-minute massage sessions now?

Page 22

There is no hard and fast rule, but the following table, stating the approximate length of time for the limbs and trunk, is given as an aid to beginners:

Upper Limbs 10 minutes

Lower Limbs 15 minutes

Back 10 minutes

Chest 5 minutes

Abdomen 5 minutes

Wow! What a recipe. I am sincerely hoping no beginners take this seriously.

We are not beginners so feel free to make up your own recipe when you schedule an appointment with Christopher or me. Just remind us to do the 70-minute hour session. Please give us a call at 610-906-2322.

I got to hear that today. I get to hear it almost every day. I can’t let it go to my head though because I know that every day many thousands of other Massage Therapists hear the same thing. We can’t all be the best Massage Therapist. Different strokes for different folks and all, it is subjective. It is good to know we are all out there doing our best work, every day, with every person.

Quite often I think that was the best massage because I enjoyed doing the work.

I used to say that the best massage is the one you are receiving now.

of my friends used to say the best massage was the last one you received.

Today I am going to say the best massage is going to be my next massage.

I am very proud of myself for getting four, (count em’!) 4 massages this month.

I hereby proclaim that you are in charge of yourself and you must set a goal to take care of yourself and get your best massage very soon!

Give us a call at 610-906-2322 if you would like to book an appointment for your next massage.

I would love to have a Wellness Center, indeed I greatly enjoyed having a multidisciplinary practice in Tulsa, Oklahoma for many years with a number of Massage Therapists, Acupuncturists, Yoga Instructors and Estheticians. At this point it isn’t feasible for us. My concern is that all over the country I am seeing some unfortunate trends that are not in the best interest of the Massage consumers

Opening a wellness center or multidisciplinary practice is being done by some business people that not only are not practicing any of the modalities or services but, they are preying on those that do and the clients. One of their arguments is that they can run a business however, they may not know squat about any of the businesses or practices they are trying to run and they seem to just be opportunistic.

So forgive us and other Massage Therapists, Chiropractors, Personal Trainers, Yoga Instructors, Acupuncturists and Estheticians when we don’t jump into the amazing opportunity you offer or see in town that you think we should go join. We are open minded. We don’t have too big of egos and think we are too good to work with others. We want to play nice in the sandbox.

Our first concern is the clients/patients. We need/want to work and provide services to you in a way that serves you best and sometimes these places do not allow for that. There are several things we all look at when we consider these other opportunities.

It isn’t just the money. The money is important and usually these places will only pay 20% – 50% of what we normally charge. It isn’t that we are greedy. We do have to wonder if you realize this and if you think it is really worth it. For instance, do you really want me to drive to another location so you can have your session with me and pay more for it and I get 60% less? Is it that important that you get your massage at the same place you do something else? Maybe, maybe not.

There are legal issues as well.  Most of these places are not hiring us as employees. They are creating independent contractor agreements that are usually quite illegal, or at least dubious. They want it all their way and are usually completely unaware of employee vs. contract issues. Unfortunately some of them are aware and don’t seem to care. They don’t think they will get caught and just want to make money.

They have a different idea of referrals. Many times a practitioner who already receives referrals from another health provider extends themselves to practice at another location part time and the owner of the other place thinks they now have rights to that referral source. That creates an uncomfortable competition between people that are supposed to work together with the best intentions for your wellbeing. The other thing that happens very often is that the owner of the “new” place attempts to separate the referral source from the practitioner to enforce their ownership of this source. Imagine the surprise of a Chiropractor who referred a client to a Massage Therapist only to find out their patient didn’t get to see the Massage Therapist they referred them to because the business owner inserted themselves and took control of that scheduling. This is not good business and the ethics are questionable.

Time is an issue. Sometimes these places have a different sense of how much time we need to work with people. Sometimes they want to rush or shorten your session, so they can make more money. They don’t get it that one reason we are independent is that we can control our schedules and take the time we need for assessments, checking in, not rushing and making certain we are doing the best job we can for you. The other time issue is that if we are there, we are not here. So it would impact our flexibility and limit our ability to schedule clients where we already practice.

Hard selling is quite prevalent at most of these type places. It isn’t good enough that you are there for one thing. They want you to come now for a number of other things. They may have health products, jewelry and even lotion or candles someone made in their kitchen, that they want you to buy. I am not against business; I just want the people doing business to do it in a safe, legal and conscious manner. I always wonder how someone without a health or medical education can sell me the right supplements.  

There may be a question about quality assurance and safety. I have toured places with very uneven floors, incredibly cheap tables, limited heat and air, and only one bathroom (and that was the only water supply for four massage rooms another homeopathic or acupuncturist, and a complete yoga studio). That is ridiculous; I have no clue how they passed their building code inspection.

So please forgive us for not rushing over to the newest, shiniest opportunity and watch out for these things when you wander there yourself. These business people usually have deeper pockets than your health practitioner, or the ability and willingness to take out a large loan for their opportunity. They are sometimes well connected and good networkers. People respond to them because they believe them. They think they are doing the best thing for the practitioners and the clients.

Watch out for these red flags;  I am sure there are several more but, as a consumer please look out for these red flags.

• Their website sucks.
• They don’t answer their phone.
• The place is new and beautiful but, no one is there.
• The owner or manager is there but, the practitioners are not because they call them in as needed.
• They don’t have a list, cards, pictures or bios of their (supposed) staff available.
• They are unwilling to tell you who you will be taking the class from or seeing for your appointment.
• They have classes and schedules on their website or window but, they never seem to actually be available.
• Floors are uneven, have bubbles or don’t seem to meet the wall correctly.
• It seems too hot or too cold, drafty or stifling.
• Dirty linens are out in the open.
• There are very limited water sources or restrooms.
• The massage tables seem tiny, skinny or flimsy.
• Someone other than your practitioner tells you that your practitioner is now working for them or with them.

So be careful out there and if you have any questions please give me a call at 610-906-2322.

Yes, there was a long period of time when Christopher and I were in Oklahoma that we saw quite a bit of post-op massage referrals. I haven’t seen too many here yet so I wanted to tell you a bit about it. Most of the time people would make an appointment or let us know when they were scheduled to be discharged so we could be prepared to accommodate them. Sometimes we were requested by the Surgeon to drop by the hospital and see the patient. Sometimes the patient requested it and got permission from their Surgeon to have us come into the hospital and see them before they were discharged.

What kills me is people calling just any massage person and asking them to come to the hospital to work with them as if they were ordering a pizza. This is serious business and you have to realize that there are requirements and rules that hospitals have about people coming in and working with their patients. More importantly there are very, very few Massage Therapists that have this level of experience and advanced training to work with post-op patients.

Massage Therapy and Bodywork post-surgery and during rehabilitation is becoming more acceptable as more people experience the benefits. We make adjustments for people who need to be seated, reclining, side lying or otherwise for their comfort. Their comfort is always first.

The American Medical Association’s Archives of Surgery that found that massage, in conjunction with regular pain medication, significantly improved patient pain and anxiety after major surgery. This was published in December 2007 in Time Magazine. A more recent study by Mayo Clinic also showed that patients receiving post-operative massage had a significant reduction in pain, anxiety and tension.

Aside from pain, Lymphatic and Myofascial techniques are also quite effective for post-operative swelling and scar tissue management which will help people heal faster and more functionally overall.

Having our home office location so close to Phoenixville Hospital is a plus however, it doesn’t matter what hospital you have the surgery you can always call 610-906-2322 and make an appointment after surgery.

Here is something for you to consider and share with your Physician.

Position Statement         Massage Therapy Can Aid in Postoperative Pain Relief

Approved September 2008

It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that massage has been shown to aid in postoperative pain relief.

Background Information

Postoperative pain can complicate and delay a patient’s recovery, lengthen hospital stays and costs, and interfere with a patient’s return to activities of daily living.  In many people, pain medications can have unpleasant side effects.  Research indicates that massage can decrease postoperative pain, decrease postoperative pain intensity, decrease postoperative pain unpleasantness/distress, decrease sympathetic responses to postoperative pain, accelerate the rate of decline in the intensity of postoperative pain, accelerate the rate of decline of the unpleasantness of postoperative pain, decrease doses of analgesics and increase levels of calmness/feelings of well-being.

References

    ^{Janie Franz, The Gale Group Inc. Gale, Detroit, Gale Encyclopedia of Surgery, 2004.}

    ^{Barnes P, Powell-Griner E, McFann K, Nahin R. CDC Advance Data Report #343. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults: United States, 2002. May 27, 2004.}

    ^{Mitchinson AR, Kim HM, Rosenberg JM, Geisser M, Kirsh M, Cikrit D, Hinshaw DB. Acute postoperative pain management using massage as an adjuvant therapy: a randomized trial. Arch Surg. 2007 Dec;142(12):1158-67; discussion 1167.}

    ^{Mehling WE, Jacobs B, Acree M, Wilson L, Bostrom A, West J, Acquah J, Burns B, Chapman J, Hecht FM. Symptom management with massage and acupuncture in postoperative cancer patients: a randomized controlled trial. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2007 Mar; 33(3):258-66.}

    ^{Kshettry VR, Carole LF, Henly SJ, Sendelbach S, Kummer B. Complementary alternative medical therapies for heart surgery patients: feasibility, safety, and impact. Ann Thorac Surg. 2006 Jan; 81(1):201.}

    ^{Chen HM, Chang FY, Hsu CT. Effect of acupressure on nausea, vomiting, anxiety and pain among post-cesarean section women in Taiwan. Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2005 Aug; 21(8):341-50.}

    ^{Wang HL, Keck JF. Foot and hand massage as an intervention for postoperative pain. Pain Manag Nurs. 2004 Jun; 5(2):59-65.}

    ^{Piotrowski MM, Paterson C, Mitchinson A, Kim HM, Kirsh M, Hinshaw DB. Massage as adjuvant therapy in the management of acute postoperative pain: a preliminary study in men. J Am Coll Surg. 2003 Dec; 197(6):1037-46.}

    ^{Taylor AG, Galper DI, Taylor P, Rice LW, Andersen W, Irvin W, Wang XQ, Harrell FE Jr. Effects of adjunctive Swedish massage and vibration therapy on short-term postoperative outcomes: a randomized, controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2003 Feb; 9(1):77-89.}

    ^{Le Blanc-Louvry I, Costaglioli B, Boulon C, Leroi AM, Ducrotte P. Does mechanical massage of the abdominal wall after colectomy reduce postoperative pain and shorten the duration of ileus? Results of a randomized study. J Gastrointest Surg. 2002 Jan-Feb; 6(1):43-9.}

    ^{Hattan J, King L, Griffiths P. The impact of foot massage and guided relaxation following cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled trial. J Adv Nurs. 2002 Jan; 37(2):199-207.}

    ^{Hulme J, Waterman H, Hillier VF. The effect of foot massage on patients’ perception of care following laparoscopic sterilization as day case patients. J Adv Nurs. 1999 Aug; 30(2):460-8.}

    ^{Nixon M, Teschendorff J, Finney J, Karnilowicz W. Expanding the nursing repertoire: the effect of massage on post-operative pain. Aust J Adv Nurs. 1997 Mar-May; 14(3):21-6.}

    ^{2005 National Hospital Discharge Survey, Tables 1, 4, 8.}

    ^{Avalere Health analysis of American Hospital Association Annual Survey data, 2005, for community hospitals.  Chart 3.14.}

Disclaimer: Position statements of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) are approved by the AMTA House of Delegates and reflect the views and opinions of the association, based on current research. These statements are not expressions of legal opinion relative to the scope of practice, medical diagnosis or medical advice, nor do they represent an endorsement of any product, company or specific massage therapy technique, modality or approach.

I believe every Massage Therapist has been lectured or is aware that they should take better care of themselves and their hands. Many of us still struggle with this. So this post is for all people that need to take care of their hands. Massage Therapists, Musicians and yes, Breast Cancer patients/survivors.

I wish every Breast Cancer patient/survivor could say the same. I know that the timing always sucks. It seems like there is never a good time to tell you everything and expect you to remember it. After all Cancer can be a revolving door of drama, seems like you are constantly scheduling and going to appointments, being diagnosed, prepped for surgery, recovering, in treatment and have so many other things to worry about. So this will not be the long list. This will be the list that is specifically about gardening.

With the Spring and Summer we all want to put our hands in the dirt. We want our yards or even a few pots of green and color about. We need to be more careful to prevent injuries though. For people that work with their hands it could limit their work or cause them to have to bandage and just not feel like they are working their best.

For Breast Cancer patients/survivors it is even more serious. Yes, we are talking about Lymphadema that can be triggered by the silliest little things in a flash of a second. Anyone who has had a simple mastectomy, lumpectomy or modified radical mastectomy combination with axillary node dissection and, often, radiation therapy is at risk. Lymphedema can occur immediately postoperatively, within a few months, a couple of years, or 20 years or more after cancer therapy. With proper education and care, lymphedema can be avoided or, if it develops, kept well under control. You are supposed to avoid any type of trauma (bruising, cuts, sunburn or other burns, sports injuries, insect bites, cat scratches). This covers a lot of ground so, here is the list;

1. Take Care…..often we just get an idea and grab the spade or dive into weeding when the moment hits us.

2. Plan….make a plan, get your supplies and things ready first.

3. Ya Gotta Have Gloves…..they may not be pretty, they need to be sturdy and protect your hands from sticky, picky, needles that spring from plants to impale you. You are not allowed to have injections, IVs or a blood drawing in the affected arm(s) so yes, a thorn could have the same effect.

4. How about a hat? I know I hate to wear one too. Shade though and protection from the sun and unlike the gloves it can be pretty!

5. Loosen up…give your hands and arms a shake now and then and please don’t wear gloves or clothing that is too tight.

6.  Sunburns are bad for everyone. They can trigger lymphadema or just add to skin cancer risks so, please use sunscreen.

7. Insect bites are also considered a risk so get the insect repellant on too.

8. If you still get bitten by a noseeum or mosquito the scratching can be as dangerouse as the bite. Washing with an antiseptic will often relieve initial pain from an insect bite. Afterwards look for an ointment containing a combination of an antihistamine, analgesic and corticosteroid, as this can relieve both pain and itching.

9. Give yourself breaks….vigorous, repetitive movements against resistance with the affected arm (raking, trimming, pulling weeds) will fatigue you.

10. If you are supposed to be wearing a compression sleeve because you have lymphedema please, just do it. I know the day is nice and you want to feel the air on your skin. You can take the sleeve off and enjoy the the air a moment before you go inside and take your shower.

11. Stay hydrated…..that is another thing those breaks are for. Water, just water is great!

12. Don’t try to do everything…..Leave something for the bees and butterflies to enjoy. They really like weeds and it is a great rationalization.

Enjoy your time in the garden. We did today and are looking forward to volunteering with Unite for Her at Phoenixville Hospital tomorrow. Hope we see some of you there!

And if you overdo it…give us a call at610-906-2322 to schedule an appointment with Christopher or I. being gardeners ourselves we know how amazing Massage Therapy is for recovering from yard work.

“After the Oklahoma City bombing, volunteer therapists gave massages to exhausted rescue workers, numbed survivors and overworked pathologists. The state medical examiner observed that the massage therapists were “accomplishing more in 15 minutes than psychologists could in an hour or two” (Life, Aug. 8, 1997). 

The Oklahoma City Bombing was a tremendous tragedy. It was not the first time, nor the last time that Massage Therapists responded to an emergency. The Massage Emergency Response Team (MERT) was still in its infancy. We were all doing our best at the moment and it was working. We had a huge (remember this was 1995) cell phone and a huge fax machine set up, so we could communicate with people. These were donated and just showed up, and hooked up for us. The AMTA was of course at the forefront, they had already had the experience of the San Francisco Earthquake in 1989 and they had created the MERT teams during and after that. All the massage organizations helped out getting volunteers. No one was allowed to volunteer in the Massage area at the Myriad building that didn’t have education and malpractice insurance verified.

The fact that the Oklahoma Restaurant Association was having its annual event at the Myriad Center was an amazing and fortuitous coincidence. They turned their huge event into a bigger deal by redoing the whole convention center floor and using it to serve food to all the volunteers. We are forever grateful for their generosity.

I have a huge amount of gratitude and appreciation for the graduates of Massage Therapy Institute of Oklahoma that showed up to help immediately. We had one class within weeks of graduation that voted to cease classes until this was over. They would wait and volunteer if possible. None of them needed to or counted any of their volunteer time as clinical hours. They were constantly supervised by myself or another instructor while they were present.

Many Massage Therapists came together and worked together. In spite of differences, and in face of challenges, from April 21st through May 6th, 1995, over 100 Massage Therapists from 9 states worked together to keep a Massage Therapy area open inside the Myriad Center; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide massage therapy to other volunteers. The AMTA Oklahoma Chapter members, in spite of their own grief, volunteered. These people were and still are incredible! All of them knew someone – a family member, client or friend that had been injured or worse in the bombing. They showed up and went the extra mile. They took chair massage to the Medical Examiners, the families at the church, and worked some shifts in the Myriad with the rest of us.

At first, they showed us to a 16 x 16 booth space in the middle of the food and everything. While we loaded all our supplies in, I informed the Red Cross and FEMA we could use more space. They moved us immediately to a much larger space and a much more secure location. We had a large relaxation/reception area, as well as plenty of room for 24 massage tables. We had an area for Shiatsu, chair massage, another area set up for the rescue dogs. They allowed us to use a large green room with a bathroom and shower that was used for celebrities (when they had concerts there) to get away, hygeinate and sleep. There was even enough space for the huge hot tub that arrived and was set up within hours of the request from the Florida Rescue Team.

The first 36 hours were a whirlwind. I had just participated and supported my instructor Barry Green in his World Record for Massage at The High Touch Tour, so this was not a mistake. During this time we had all but emptied my school, Massage Therapy Institute of Oklahoma, for supplies and yet we were beginning to run short on things. The first few days around 4 am we created our own recon team went through the Myriad Center to locate and request or purchase more hand sanitizer, paper towels, etc.

By the fourth day, supplies were just showing up and being delivered to us. I do not know how many churches were involved but, there was an enormous effort that I want to acknowledge. All the Rescue Teams were housed just down the hall from us in rooms with cots. These cots had comfy padding, clean sheets, pillows, blankets, and hand made quilts every single day.

Every evening, huge amounts of clean sheets arrived for us. While we brought some sheets with us and had a nice starting amount of disposables, they gathered many more donated from the community. They washed them, carefully folded them and had them delivered back to us. Many of them would have little notes tucked in them – notes thanking us – notes appreciating and acknowledging the sacred work we were doing. These notes were all turned over to The Oklahoma Historical Society, so they would not be forgotten. One evening a local attorney delivered them saying, “Wow, if you say you are bringing something to the Massage Therapists, they just let you go anywhere in here!”

Emergency Response Massage has changed a lot over the years. It is more organized with much better resources. No one really seems to do anything more than short chair massage now though. It has been said this is much safer and easier, not just for the volunteers but, the participants. This is progress and it is okay. It is just quite interesting to note the changes. Please note we had no problems. No actual safety issues occurred during this time. No one was getting undressed completely. It was all good. It was beyond good. It was amazing.

Other things arrived too – no request was too small or too large. Please note; the hot tub held 12 adults, and we had a guy that came in twice a day to check the water and keep it all clean and sanitary. Large retailers heard about the hot tub and sent cases of swimsuits. Thank Goodness! Massage product companies sent generous amounts of supplies, and a  couple of massage tables and chairs arrived too. Several times we were surprised by fresh flowers, pizza, and chocolate sent by anonymous people.

I personally felt like I was surrounded by family. My sister Gayle was there (as much as she could be) and when she wasn’t she was helping hold down the office and school in Tulsa. My uncle worked at the Murrah Federal Building. He had left his office to take a bagel and coffee to his daughter, my cousin who worked at Southwestern  Bell. My uncle was unharmed, but my cousin was treated and released for some minor injuries. His office was completely gone so we know how close it came. I have cousins who were RNs that were working overtime at the hospital. They worked overtime, Not sure when they made it home. My cousins in the National Guard were busy, and more cousins were volunteering at the church and in the Myriad cooking and serving food. Having Massage Therapists I knew and have never met before shows up from other states was more than icing on the cake.

We were busy around the clock. The rescue teams were working 12-hour shifts. It should be no surprise that I was quite relieved when the AMTA National Leadership showed up to help. Virginia Anthony was the National AMTA President at the time, and she had previously served as the Oklahoma Chapter President so this was close to her heart. Dan Barrow accompanied her, and they handled the press, brought MERT information, supplies and even pitched in and pulled some chair massage shifts with the Oklahoma Chapter, and did massages just like everyone else.

There are more stories than we could ever print. Rescue Teams, FEMA Workers, National Guard, Chaplains, and even rescue dogs enjoyed visiting the massage area. A few Physical Therapists and Chiropractors joined in, working in harmony as never had been seen before in Oklahoma.

There were also a number of Massage Therapists that had an area somewhere else working with a local Oklahoma City massage school. It was no surprise that without any social media, very little email, (most of us only had dial-up access!), that it was challenging, and some therapists ended up at a different place than they thought they were going or didn’t get connected at all.

Massage Therapy has been present at so many disasters since the San Francisco Earthquake,  9-11, Katrina, Forest Fires, The Joplin Tornadoes, Hurricane Sandy and even Mudslides. This last year, 2014, the American Massage Therapy Association announced a national partnership with the American Red Cross to collaborate on massage therapy services for Red Cross Volunteers. The agreement outlines ways for AMTA state chapter community service teams to connect and collaborate with the Red Cross locally in both emergency and non-emergency community events.

“We are delighted to formalize a relationship with the American Red Cross that will allow massage therapy community service teams organized by our chapters to efficiently provide massage therapy to their volunteers,” says AMTA President Nancy Porambo. Through the agreement, AMTA chapters and Red Cross offices will have standardized information to activate and deploy massage therapists as situations dictate it.

Christopher Deery and I could not volunteer in Missouri for the Joplin Tornadoes (we were not licensed in a regulated state, which was a legal requirement for Missouri). We still volunteered though. We appreciate the generosity of the Connecticut Chapter of the AMTA for donating their CSMT Community Service Massage Team Manual and supporting the Missouri Chapter of the AMTA. With their support, my experience at the Oklahoma City Bombing, MERT training that Christopher and I had attended, as well as Emergency Response Massage International training, we volunteered to help train the first group of volunteer therapists in the aftermath of the Joplin Tornadoes.

One of the most important things that we can take away from our experiences is that we can all get along when it matters. We are, after all, a family of hands. I am proud to say I still know and am friends with a number of those therapists. I am ashamed to say that I may not remember some others or have not been able to stay in touch with them. It is sad that some of these amazing Massage Therapists have already passed from this earth – we remember them today as well. To all of you that were there – I am thinking of you today. We are remembered not for awards or accolades, but by our hands and hearts because we will always remember what we accomplished together.

These are the Massage Therapists that volunteered their time at the Myriad Center 20 years ago.

Kim Allen

Steven Abernathy

Virginia Anthony

Laura Bagby

Brian Baresch

Dan Barrow

Milton Bates

Stuart Bazeley

Kate Belis

Kerry Billington

Minona Bolin

Sheree Holman-Boman

Randy Boman

Bob Bottorff

Nancy Broers

Kathy Brehm

Renee Brown

Sua Ann Bryan

Nancy Buff

Suzanne Chapek

Gianna Chapman

Gail Conklin

Ladonna Cox

John Dempsey

Donna Dieck

D.M.Dutt

Ann Marie Eriksen

Rizaldo Evangelista

Suzan Ewton

Paula Fienstein

Shirley Fisher

Sharon Ford

Mary Foster

Phyllis Foster

Ken French

Gabriel Fuentes

Meloa K. Gallup

Kelly Gatewood

Xerlan Geiser

LaJune Goss

Pat Guillet

Karen Graham

Audrey Hamilton

Harold Hamilton

Owen Hendrix

Linda Howard

Mo Hull

Gayle Hutchinson

Eileen Husserl

Jeana Isbell

Debbie (Jean) Fite

John Johnston

Jeff Kates

Beth Kellog

Lynne Kincaid

Tanya Koshker

G.W.Long

Jan Lovell

Rita Lynn

Linda McCarr

Marahlyn McCormick

Linda McCune

Nancy Moody

Bill Moore

Nancy Moran

Bruce Moran

Leslie Mullin

Virginia Mynar

Zella Newberry

Linda Nickels

Donna Otey

Gebhart Parzer

Pam Phenicie

Bernice Pipher

Valarie Pratt

Hollis Price

Andreina Rains

Doug Rasmussen

Cindy Ray

Jeffery Reynolds

Marcy Roberts

Sarah Rucker

Mary Anne Secrist

Charles Sisk

Trudie Davis (Sisk)

Bill Skelton

Kathy Slowik

Joe Stewart

Stephanie Stiles

Mary Taylor

Jill Tepker

Nathan Tibbs

Penny Tibbs

Karen Thompson

Loanne Tremaine

Kim Van der Wal

Jerry Verner

Joan Welch

Kevin Wilson

Paul Wilson

Lisa Youngworth

I have really been enjoying being in the 31in31 Blogging Challenge. This year I may fail though. I am owning the fact that I may consciously choose failure. I detest losing. I don’t like to fail. This is a hard decision. I may change my mind and pull two more out but, I doubt it. Let me tell you about this month.

I have accomplished giving 86 hours of massage therapy and bodywork.

I have attended and completed an Oncology Massage course of 24 CEUs.

I completed an online 4 hour Ethics course.

I had the honor of attending a two day Leadership Retreat in Harrisburg, PA with the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association.

Counting this one, I will have posted 29 blogs, 2 short for the challenge.

In order to win you must be prepared to lose sometime.

And leave one or two cards showing.

Van Morrison

Actually, I am kinda proud of my failure. I Hope I fail as miserably next month.  

Sometimes I think we have to know when to quit. It is okay to fail. It is okay to change our minds. It is okay to take a break. It is okay to take care of ourselves. Besides if I don’t do two more blogs I might have time to get one more massage in. You know what I would choose? I always choose massage for the win!

I don’t believe in having regrets.

Slash

Give us a call at 610-906-2322 to schedule an appointment with Christopher or I when you are ready to start taking care of yourself.

I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that!

Tom Lehrer

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how positive you try to be and how wonderful your life is. Sometimes things happen and you get blindsided with negativity or sink down into a pit of pitifulness and depression.

People are negative no matter what you do.

Cher

Depression can be an expensive and devastating condition. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Depression can adversely affect the course and outcome of common chronic conditions, such as arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Depression also can result in increased work absenteeism, short-term disability, and decreased productivity.”

The CDC also recommends “collaborative care, an approach that involves the collaboration of primary care providers, mental health specialists and other providers to improve disease management for adults with major depression on the basis of strong evidence of effectiveness in improving short-term depression outcomes.”

The world is a heartbreaking place, without any question.

Annie Lennox

In October of 2011 The American Massage Therapy Association approved this Position Statement; Massage Can Reduce Symptoms of Depression.

You can’t have a light without a dark to stick it in.

Arlo Guthrie

Research indicates massage can:

– Improve mood

– Reduce depression:

    in those with chronic pain

    in those with chronic pain over time

    in hospice patients

    in children with cancer

    in children with HIV

    in pregnant women

    associated with lower back pain

    in those with tension-type headaches

    in children and adolescent psychiatric patient

    in women with breast cancer

    in people with chronic disease

    in adolescent mothers

    in those with chronic fatigue syndrome

    in those with high blood pressure

    in those with fibromyalgia

    in adults with multiple sclerosis

    in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder

    in women in labor

– Reduce trait anxiety and depression with a course of treatment providing benefits similar in magnitude to those of psychotherapy

So the silver lining is that someone has been doing a serious amount of research on this. Some research may seem silly because it just shows things we already know are true. That indeed is one point of research.

There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.

Leonard Cohen

On another note, the fact that the research was done with a wide variety of demographics strengthens it. It also helps educate us. It should be no surprise that people who already have a health or medical issue have a darn good reason to be depressed. Now you have a great reason to recommend that they get a massage or better yet, get them a gift certificate and it is backed by research!

I just need somewhere to dump all my negativity.

Van Morrison

So if you have any questions, would like us to send you a copy of the full Position Statement and research, purchase a gift certificate or schedule an appointment with Christopher or I please give us a call at 610-906-2322.

We are so thankful for having the private office with the private entrance and we are constantly planning to make improvements. I understand many people would rather visit a retail or commercial property. I just wanted to point out some of the things about our home office.

• Centrally located; on Gay Street between the High School and the Hospital where people need us most.
• We are zoned for business and have a Dentist and Audiologist right on the same street. We don’t have to do 25 appointments just to cover the rent and overhead at another office, we can focus on our clients.
• It is a private office, not our living room. There will not be any television, kids, cats or dogs about.
• If you need to make a same-day appointment one of us is almost always here.
• If there is bad weather we shovel the walks and driveway and are still open for business.
• You never have to pay more for prenatal or deep tissue or whatever. We only charge for our time.
• We charge a reasonable price. The industry average, not too high like some spas or wellness centers.
• We accept debit and credit cards but, do not expect or accept tips.

So if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment with Christopher or I please give us a call at 610-906-2322.

I truly believe rushing is the eighth deadly sin. It causes so many issues, not to mention.

accidents. Christopher and I have been Dr. Who fans for longer than we want to admit. That being said, we do joke about being Time Lords. Time Lords sound much better than “time managers” too.

 I don’t want to manage time, which sounds like a constant struggle. I want to lord over it

and bend it at my will. I want time not to be an issue for someone that needs a massage.

We always schedule 30 minutes in between every appointment. There are great reasons for this.

• Client number one doesn’t have to cross paths with client number two.
• We like having plenty of time to clean and air the room a bit. Sometimes aromatherapy or those sports products can be smelly.
• You will never be cut short because another client arrived.
• You will never be rushed off the table or out on the street so we can hurry to get ready for the next person.
• If the table is warm it is because of the table warmer or heating blanket, not the last customer.
• If you are a little late it isn’t a big deal and you will still get your full appointment time.
• If you are a little early it isn’t a big deal and we can start early.
• You will always get an unhurried, hydrated, refreshed Massage Therapist.
• We have time to pop in a load of laundry.
• We have time to get a drink of water too.
• We have time to get a snack and we love snacks.
• We can take the dog out for a break between appointments.
• We might return phone a phone call or an email.
• If we want to go over that 60 or 90 minutes we will, only if it is in the best interest of the client and they don’t have to be anywhere immediately.   

Become a Time Lord yourself and take some time to schedule an unhurried appointment with Christopher or I. Please give us a call at 610-906-2322.

It is okay if you are curious. I am a curious person too.

Talking and massage is a big issue. A lot of people really appreciate getting a massage without chat. I have heard a number of clients say that they left their last therapist because they wouldn’t shut up.

“A little less conversation, a little more action please.”  Elvis Presley

I do attempt to get all or as much of the verbal stuff done before you get on the table. I tend to do a very thorough intake and ask a lot of questions to make certain the session will be effective and meet the goals we set. I let you know at the very beginning that I appreciate feedback and will not suffer any damage to my ego if you tell me you need me to change pressure, are uncomfortable or even bored.

There are some valid reasons for talking in a massage session;

• Checking on depth and comfort; we do this because we may not know you well enough to know you would say something if it needed changing.
• We may be doing something that requires your participation; Such as, please push your knee into my hand as if you were going to put it back down on the table but, only use 10% of your strength, please.
• Something may have happened; There was a click, pop or a beautiful almost liquid muscular release and I need to know you are okay and if you felt that.
• I see something; You wince, grasp the side of the table tightly, your nostrils flare or point your toes. I know some people have very high pain tolerances and some never want to admit it the work becomes uncomfortable. This is just wrong. Your session will be better if I have that information.
• I am trying to find THE SPOT; That spot that hurts, that may be a tender point or trigger point. I do not want to be the last Massage Therapist that couldn’t hone in on it and treat it. I may need your confirmation I am there or need to move another direction.
• You just need to vent; That is fine. I am not a Psychologist. I can listen. I won’t give you advice, I may suggest resources if I am aware of any that may benefit you. I know sometimes people just need a safe place to verbally unwind too.
• You are curious; I am curious too so I get this. You may want more information before or during the massage. I do not mind. It is fair if you are curious that you can ask questions too.  I don’t mind answering them and letting you know more about me, my education, my family, my dog or whatever. I am aware of boundaries and may choose not to answer a question.  I understand that you may want to know more personal and professional information about me since you are trusting me with your body.

 It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand.

Native American Proverb

And here are some questions that others have asked;

• You can park in front of the house or in the driveway.
• You can call and schedule an appointment instead of using the computer.
• We can arrange appointment times outside of our regular hours sometimes.
• Of course, we take credit and debit cards.
• We do not expect or accept tips, we prefer referrals.
• The house has been in the family for four generations.
• The office with a separate entrance has been there since the house was built in 1928.
• We know there is a lot more yard work for us to get accomplished.
• We are huge music fans.
• We watch a very little TV. Mostly the history channel or series like Suits, Newsroom or Game of Thrones.
• Andrew Deery, Chef and Owner of Majolica is Christopher’s brother. http://www.majolicarestaurant.com/
• We adore board games and bon fires.
• Our dog is a rescue and only weighs about 30lbs. Her bark is much larger than she is. She is not allowed in the office and will be upstairs or outside during your session.
• We don’t play Candy Crush.

So if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment with Christopher or I please give us a call at 610-906-2322.

Even if you aren’t a runner or yogi or gym person you move. You move every day. Maybe you move too much, maybe you move too little. Those of you that exercise should pay attention to this and those of you don’t find it interesting too.

Position Statement         Massage Therapy for Those Who Exercise            Approved October 2011

It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that those who participate in exercise programs, as well as athletes in training, can benefit from massage therapy.

Background Information

Millions of people around the world play sports and exercise, from the elite professional athlete to the novice just starting a walking program for general health and wellness benefits.  Exercise is recommended for everyone. Although other government groups in the past have recommended exercise and fitness, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the first official U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines in October 2008, as the official guidelines of the U.S. government. The Guidelines indicate that some activity is better than none, and then go on to make several specific recommendations:

Moderate amounts of physical activity provide substantial health benefits for all adults. This dose is defined as 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity activity such as walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity/week such as jogging or vigorous sports.  Furthermore, this moderate dose can be obtained by mixing some days of moderate-intensity and some days of vigorous-intensity, with one minute of vigorous equaling two minutes of moderate-intensity. For this combination, 150 minutes is the goal.

Additional health benefits can be obtained by doing more than a moderate dose. This higher target is described as 300 minutes of moderate-intensity, 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity, or combining moderate and vigorous intensity.

All adults should participate in 30 minutes of strength building exercise on two days of the week. These exercises should engage all major muscle groups.

Children and adolescents should participate in 60 minutes of physical activity each day.  Most of this should be moderate to vigorous-intensity activity and should include vigorous activity at least three days/week. It also is recommended that children and adolescents participate in muscle-strengthening three days/week and bone-strengthening activities at least three days/week.1

Sports massage can be used to improve athletic performance, speed recovery, and can be utilized by all individuals who participate in any athletic and/or exercise program to help improve conditioning and maintain peak performance. Many professional and collegiate athletic programs employ or contract with massage therapists, and sports massage has been sought for many years by athletes of differing backgrounds for multiple reasons.2, 3, 4, 5  With the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines being very clear that activity is essential for people to be healthy, sports massage can be recommended to those individuals who participate in exercise programs as well as professional and collegiate athletes.

Research has shown that in relation to exercise and athletic participation massage can:*

•     Reduce muscle tension
•     Help athletes monitor muscle tone
•     Promote relaxation
•     Reduce muscle hypertonicity
•     Increase range of motion
•     Improve soft tissue function    
•     Support recovery from the transient immunosuppression state
•     Support the recovery of heart rate variability and diastolic blood pressure after high-intensity exercise
•     Decrease muscle stiffness and fatigue after exercise
•     Improve exercise performance
•     Decrease delayed onset muscle soreness
•     Be the most efficient intervention for maintaining maximal performance time in  subsequent exercise tests when combined with active recovery from maximal exercise
•     Reduce serum creatine kinase post-exercise
•     Reduce swelling
•     Reduce breathing pattern disorders
•     Enhance athletic performance
•     May help prevent injuries when massage is received regularly

Individuals who participate in exercise and athletic programs who seek enhanced performance, improved conditioning, faster recovery, injury prevention, and assistance in maintaining peek fitness can benefit from massage therapy given by professional massage therapists working within their scope of practice.

So if you are human being on planet earth, you move, you need a massage, please give me a call at 610-906-2322

I appreciate your being here and am honored to have you on my table. I am grateful for you taking the time to give me so much information about your body and what you need today. I love getting feedback during the massage and am glad to make adjustments for your comfort. Now, you can quit helping me.

When I move to adjust the bolster beneath your legs and you lift your legs for me, I know you haven’t begun to relax yet.

When you raise your head as I am working on your neck, I think there must be something uncomfortable or you don’t trust me enough yet.

When I lift your arm to adjust it and you try to help and extend your arm into the air and hold it there, I know you are a helpful person and usually have the ability to realize when people need help and pitch in. I don’t need your arm up there in the air and I fault myself for not communicating clearly.

When I am working on your foot and you lift it up for me, I know you are appreciating the work, however; once again I question myself and then you. “Did that tickle?” “Was it uncomfortable?” “Did you want a different pressure there?”

Laying on a massage table and allowing a Massage Therapist to work with you has got to be one of the most challenging things in this world. It requires trust, willingness and letting go. I honor that and you for being here.

           “Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; 

           having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,

          but to pour them all out, chaff and grain together,

          knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them,

          keep what is worth keeping,

          and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”

                ~ Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

 I will move your body sometimes, lifting an arm, leg or head. I promise I won’t drop it. I know you have to get used to that though. I know you may have had a lot of massages where people treated you like a paper doll and massaged the front and the back, without moving anything but the drape about.

I will use different pressures in different areas for different reasons. While I hear you want deep work I am not going to barrel through the muscle causing you pain or a tear. Sometimes less is more. When you ask for medium and/or light work and you feel me sink in a little deeper it is because your body and made that so, called my hands in, relaxed underneath my fingers like a sinkhole to bring me into the tissues. I still tread gently and you can always say something to let me know if it is uncomfortable.

When I was a little girl my Dad once said to me “If you keep being so helpful I am going to have to ask you to leave”. 

I won’t ask you to leave. I too, know how hard it is to relax. I won’t tell you to relax because that usually causes people more tension and stress as they TRY to relax.

We are all less forgiving of ourselves than others. We spend way too much time beating ourselves us and this keeps us from moving forward. So skip the beating yourself up phase. Embracing this concept alone will change your life. It will reduce stress and help you make progress.

Say it out loud and move forward.

I forgive myself for not calling Mom this week. I will have time and call her tomorrow.

I forgive myself for not cleaning the bathroom today. Life will go on with or without a clean bathroom.

I forgive myself for not blogging yesterday. I will manage and catch up eventually.

I forgive myself for not getting that garden weeded yet. I will make time to do this weekend.

I forgive myself for not making the time and commitment to take care of myself. I will schedule a massage soon.

Here is some interesting research on Massage and Stress. You may think this is a DUH! thing but, it is nice to have the Position Statement and Research to validate what we already know.

Massage Therapy Can Relieve Stress  Position Statement

Approved October 2006

It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that massage therapy can be effective for stress relief.

Background Information

Stress is a prevalent component in today’s fast-paced world which can negatively impact an individual’s health and well-being. Massage therapy has been shown to be a means by which stress can be reduced significantly on physical and psychological levels. While massage therapists know from experience that massage reduces stress, there is considerable research that validates our experience. In a study on the effect of trigger point therapy1, there was a significant decrease in heart rate, systolic blood pressure8, and diastolic blood pressure8. Measures of oxygen consumption, blood pressure, and salivary cortisol levels were all lower after a 10 to 15-minute chair massage in controlled studies2, 3, 4. Changes in psychological states have been measured by physiological responses1, 3, the Perceived Stress Scale5, the POMS Depression Scale4,6, and the Anxiety State Scale4. In the attached studies, all subjects in the massage group showed significant changes in emotional states and stress levels.

References

    Delaney, J.P., Leong, K.S., Watkins, A., & Brodie, D. (2002). The short-term effects of myofascial trigger point massage therapy on cardiac autonomic tone in healthy subjects. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 37, 364-71.

    Boone, T., Tanner, M., & Radosevich, A. (2001). Effects of a 10-minute back rub on cardiovascular responses in healthy subjects. American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 29, 47-52.

    Cady, S. H., & Jones, G. E. (1997). Massage therapy as a workplace intervention for the reduction of stress. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 84, 157-158.

    Field, T., Ironson, G., Scafidi, F., Nawrocki, T., Goncalves, A., Burman, I., Pickens, J., Fox, N., Schanberg, S., & Kuhn, C. (1996). Massage therapy reduces anxiety and enhances EEG pattern of alertness and math computations.

    International Journal of Neuroscience, 86, 197-205.

    Brennan, M.K. & DeBate, R. (2004).The effect of chair massage on stress perception of hospital bedside nurses. Massage Therapy Journal 43, (1), 76-86.

    Field, T., Quintino, O., Henteleff, T., Wells-Keife, L., & Delvecchio-Feinberg, G. (1997). Job stress reduction therapies. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 3, (4), 54-56.

    MacDonald, G. (1998). Massage offers respite for primary caregivers. The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, Jan/Feb, 43-47.

    Cady, S. H. & Jones, G. E. (1997). Massage therapy as a workplace intervention for the reduction of stress. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 84(1), 157-158.

Disclaimer: Position statements of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) are approved by the AMTA House of Delegates and reflect the views and opinions of the association, based on current research. These statements are not expressions of legal opinion relative to the scope of practice, medical diagnosis or medical advice, nor do they represent an endorsement of any product, company or specific massage therapy technique, modality or approach.

So if you are ready to relax and realize massage is not just a luxury please give me a call at 610-906-2322

You see some of her work was not appreciated, harshly criticized and even ignored.

Arguably it was feedback. Some hardcore folks will hold steadfastly that it was art.

So understand I am serious when I ask you to give me feedback. I know the sound of feedback may not be considered art or pretty by many people but, I adore it and rarely get any feedback in spite of my constant requests to clients.

Lighter and deeper are important and I love to think I can feel my way into the perfect depth for each person by assessing the tissues but, it isn’t always true. Lighter and deeper are just the beginning of feedback though. I really need to know a few more things. I don’t want to keep you talking but, feedback is important.

I need to know if I am going over a spot that you want me to focus on. I cannot feel everything like you do. Believe me the most frustrating thing during a massage is when you feel the therapist go all around that knot or spot you need them to focus on. You may be surprised I can feel so much or seem to be able to go to the right spot. I cannot guarantee I always can though. So please give me a clue if this is happening.

I want to know if I am boring you. You won’t relax if you are lying there thinking;

“Doesn’t she know any more techniques?”

“How many times is she going to do that stroke?”

“How much longer she is going to work on that shoulder?”

 That isn’t relaxing.

I need to know if there is anything uncomfortable. I am serious. If you are too hot, too cold, if the drape needs to be moved, if you need a drink or need to move around to get more comfortable. If you are uncomfortable nothing I can do will make this a better massage session.

I don’t mind if you ask me a question. I don’t mind explaining what I am doing. I do enjoy it, I just don’t want to muddy the massage session with all my talking. So go ahead and ask away if you want to know.

My feelings will not get hurt. I will not get upset or tell you that I know best and expect you to lay there and take it. I cannot tell you how many people say they didn’t want to hurt their last massage therapist’s feelings by telling them any of these things. Trust me, you needed to say something.  They needed to know. They probably really wanted to know.

Your feedback helps me and any other Massage Therapist give you a better massage session.

Interestingly enough The Plastic Ono Band’s 1973 album was called “Feeling the Space”.

So if you are ready to relax and give me a little feedback please give me a call at 610-906-2322

I see you getting your morning paper. You can’t just bend over and get it. You have to bend your knees and squat a bit while you hold your low back with the other hand. I wish you would let me help. I can help you gain flexibility and manage low back pain.

I see you running down the street in the early morning. I wonder how often you get a massage and how much better you would feel if you did.

I see you working in the yard and think a massage would be a great treat after finishing all that yard work.

I see you walking downtown or at the mall carry packages with a look on your face that says you are quite satisfied by your retail therapy. Then I look at your posture and how you are walking and wonder how heavy could those shopping bags be? How much more satisfied would you be if you also went and had a massage after all that shopping.

I see you in the car next to me. You are on your way home from work. Your shoulders are not even and both of them are elevated too high. They are closer to your ears than they should be. I know I could help this change if you only gave me the chance.

I see you walking your dog after work. I know you work on your feet all day and think about what an amazing dog owner you are that you are doing this. I wish I could work on your feet that you stand on all day and then walk on when you get home because it is the right thing to do.

I see you carrying in your groceries from the car. I can tell you are making a lot of trips because you are being careful. I wonder why you are being so careful and what pain, where are you protecting. I wish I could get you on my table so I could help you gain strength and manage the pain.

If you can see yourself on my table please give me a call at 610-906-2322 to schedule your appointment.

15/31 in the 31 in 31 Blogging Challenge.

How many of you need to catch up?

Seems we are all so busy that we are constantly trying to catch up on something.

Laundry, work, the yard, cleaning, email, blogs, phone calls, sleep….

I am not sure I will ever really catch up. Sleep seems to interfere in my life.

I feel bad about all those times I pitched a hissy fit when I was little and didn’t want a nap.

There are times I wish I had one of those naps back.

I am not a good napper. So I have found a few things that help me as much, if not more than a nap.

Water or Carrot Juice, beats coffee, tea, and sodas, I can drink it later in the evening and it doesn’t keep me up. In fact, just forget sodas exist. You will sleep better without those in your system.

Sleep late when you can. Really, don’t feel guilty about this just do it once in a while.

Go to bed earlier. Turn in. Turn off the TV. Grab a book or your nook and read a bit. Pop in some music and just relax, in your bed. Going to bed earlier and getting in that habit makes a huge difference.

Stop trying to get everything done. Some things will wait. Sure we all want to be amazing and be able to cut our candles in half and burn all four ends and get every done but, it doesn’t work that way. You won’t get done or you won’t be proud of how well it is done and you will still be tired.

Take a bath, a nice long soak. Get some nice bubbles, oils or something to put in the bath and reclaim bathing as your artistic endeavor of the day or evening. I adore www.LUSH.com and they always have plenty of things that not only smell amazing but, are super fresh, most of them are Vegan and all of them are cruelty-free, so nothing is tested on animals. Take the time to treat yourself because you do deserve it.

You knew it was coming…Get a Massage. Really it can help so much with fatigue. If you sleep well at night I suggest you get a massage earlier in the day. If you don’t sleep well and/or wake up in the middle of the night then try getting a massage later in the evening to see if that helps.

There is even research and a position statement to back this up.

Massage Therapy Can Help Improve Sleep           Position Statement        

Approved October 2012

It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that massage therapy can help improve sleep.

Background Information

Quality sleep is vital to health and wellness.  According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

“Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions—such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression—which threaten our nation’s health. Notably, insufficient sleep is associated with the onset of these diseases and also poses important implications for their management and outcome. Moreover, insufficient sleep is responsible for motor vehicle and machinery-related crashes, causing substantial injury and disability each year. In short, drowsy driving can be as dangerous—and preventable—as driving while intoxicated.”1

It is estimated that 50 to 70 million Americans experience sleep issues that affect their health.2

Research is indicating that massage can improve sleep in:

    children and adolescents

    those with psychiatric disorders

    those who are hospitalized or institutionalized

    those with lower back pain

    adults

    those with cerebral palsy

    those with fibromyalgia

    those with insomnia

    those in pain

    those with hand pain

    those with cancer

    infants

    infants with dyssomnia

    those who have had heart surgery

    those with breast disease

    those with migraines

    caretakers of hospitalized individuals

    the elderly

Give me a call at 610-906-2322 if you would like to take the time to catch up and schedule a massage. If you would like a copy of the full Position Statement on Sleep to feel free to ask for that too. I will be glad to send it to you. It is just too long with all the research to put on this blog.

14/31 in the 31 in 31 Blogging Challenge. This is a short one but, it is so true!

Everyone has a full plate. Everyone’s plate is so full. I am so amazed at all the things you people have time to do. Between working, running the kids about, all the housework, yard work, your volunteer activities, your hobbies, social lives, working out, running, biking, going to yoga, taking classes and watching TV I am truly impressed you have time to get a massage. I am honored you found time in your schedule for you.

If you haven’t yet, it is time. You will feel better for it so give me a call at 610-906-2322 to a massage on your plate!

13/31 in the Blogging Challenge. Thank you for hanging out with me.

My very first Massage teacher, Dr. Barry Green told me a little Zen story and it has become one of my favorites. I want to share it with you here today. Please forgive me if I do not get every word exactly correct. This is from an oral tradition memory and not copied from a book. I did look up Nan-in and the Meiji era though.

A Cup of Tea

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a very learned professor who came to inquire about Zen.

This professor told the master about all of his studies and accomplishments. He told him how he came to become committed to learning more about Zen and traveled very far to learn from Nan-in.

The master, Nan-in said, “Please, let me make you a cup of tea.”

Nan-in began to make the tea. He got the water for the teapot. He started the fire to heat the water in the teapot. He chose the tea leaves, crushed them and measured them into the teacups he had gotten out of the cabinet. Nan-in was being very respectful and diligent. He desired to make a nice cup of tea for his visitor.

All this while, the visitor continued to talk about himself. He went into great detail and lists of all the things he had already learned about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are too full. How can I teach you anything unless you first empty your cup?”

How often does this apply to us in our lives? We go to a class but, we think we know everything. We want to be a good listener and end up doing all the talking. We want to find time to do good things but, keep filling our lives up with other stuff. We want to take better care of ourselves but, we work too much and can’t find the time to even get a massage.

Have a cup of tea. Do not overfill it. Breathe. Enjoy it. Let us all empty our cups in order to fill them again.

Give me a call at 610-906-2322 if you would like to take the time to schedule a massage.

12/31 in the 31 in 31 Blogging Challenge

Thank you all for hanging out with me here.

I know it is a huge thing to ask a massage client to trust us. And we keep doing it every day.

We do our best to listen to what you, the client wants, needs and expects from a massage session. Sometimes we have to ask more questions. We appreciate your patience and candid information. We know it is challenging. We just met.

The body knows if the hands know the passwords.

Xerlan Deery

When it comes to depth, please understand that is subjective. It is a little bit like a pain tolerance. Some people have a higher pain tolerance than others. Some people have a different depth perception than others. I can put the exact same amount of pressure on a number of different people and get different responses, all across the board. One may feel like I am working very deep, another may feel like I am working very light.

 There are a number of variables that may apply here;

The density of your tissues; There may be a different perception of depth and pressure due to lean muscle mass or even muscular tension.

The sensitivity of your nerves; You have within your body, part of your nervous system are specific receptors for different things such as heat and cold but, more importantly pressure.  How functional or responsive your mechanoreceptors are may create different perceptions of depth and pressure.

The condition(s) within your being; If you have a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain, Cancer, Arthritis or any number of other pathologies, not only may that affect your perception of depth but, it also has to be taken under serious consideration by us in creating a session for you.

There are most likely a lot more and even some research on this but, I didn’t want to make this too long or too scientific today.

We appreciate your understanding when we inform you that we will not do a deep tissue massage with you today. We have lots of training and experience with specific pathologies. We will take the time to do a thorough intake so we can create the most effective massage and/or bodywork session just for you. We get it that you do not want to be treated too carefully, like frail, fine china.

We love it when you are so surprised how amazing you feel when we work together to find the perfect depth for you today. We are happy when you get it and understand that sometimes less if more. We know it can change every day.

We would love to be your magic Massage Therapists that can always go to and find that perfect depth immediately, every time. We are still amazed by it too. We feel the tissues, the resistance they offer, the density they have, their consistency. It may look like a human body but, sometimes it feels like the dashboard of a car. Sorry, just truth and we can work with that without a problem. We don’t need to be a jackhammer though. We need your help and feedback. It isn’t ever a matter of how much pressure you can take or how hard we can push on you. It is always a matter of comfort. We gave up pushing bodies around tables a very long time ago when we were in massage school. We refuse to push or force through tissue because even if you say it doesn’t hurt it may be damaging the tissue.

Make a habit of two things: to help, or at least to do no harm.

Hippocrates

We want to find that edge. Follow that line of your comfort. Discover that perfect therapeutic level within your body. We will. It won’t take long at all. You just have to agree to be honest, participate and give up on getting a massage that will hurt or always be super deep. You will be surprised how deep we can get using less pressure.

Come to the edge.

We can’t. We’re afraid.

Come to the edge.

We can’t. We will fall!

Come to the edge.

And they came. And he pushed them. And they flew.

 ― Guillaume Apollinaire

when you are ready to come to the edge, please give us a call at 610-906-2322 and we will be honored to work with you.

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all,

 Emily Dickinson

I truly believe every single Massage Therapist became a Massage Therapist because of Hope. They hope to help people every day. They hope to be the best Massage Therapist that they can. They hope they can be part of a community of Massage Therapists that can create progress and a better future for our whole industry.

Part of this is continuing education. I am constantly surprised when Massage Therapists get upset and do not want to be required to participate in continuing their education. Here are a few things I have heard; They don’t feel they need it. They don’t want it. They don’t want any association or regulatory board to tell them they have to have it. They don’t want any association or regulatory board to tell them how much they have to have.

And yet these same Massage Therapists will say they want people to recognize us as a healthcare profession. So we have to look at all other healthcare professions and see what they are doing and they are indeed requiring continuing education for their professions.

On the other hand, I also heard Massage Therapists explain; They learn more from reading or independent study. They learn more face to face, individually from other Massage Therapists. They have been to continuing education classes that they were not impressed with. They have attended classes and felt they could do a better job than the instructor. They didn’t learn anything new at a class so they don’t want to waste their money on another one. My opinion is that these people may have been to some disappointing classes in the past or they may be completely missing the point of continuing education.

Have some class people. I just attended a three-day course. I didn’t have to. I already have plenty of continuing education hours. I have already taken a number of classes on this topic. Not taking this class would not hinder my practice or keep me from doing what I already do well. Arguably, I already knew almost every bit of this information by heart and have been working with this client demographic for over 20 years. Here are some of the things I got from participating in this class;

• I got validation for what I already knew.
• I was assured that I was up on the newest knowledge and developments in this area.
•  I was reminded of things I already knew but, hadn’t thought about in a while.
•  I had the opportunity to hear a different take on things, new analogies, yet another voice on the topic.
•  I got to remember where and when I learned this.
•   I had the opportunity to be reminded of why these things I knew were so important.
• I did learn some new things. Even if it had been just one thing it was worth it.
•  I got to be in the place that passion is ignited and people are excited to not only learn but, commit themselves to that passion and become part of a community of practitioners.
•  I had the opportunity to experience being in a class with my peers, meeting new colleagues and forging new friendships.
• I got to be a student.
• It was worth much more than the cost of admission!

I doesn’t really matter what the class was because all of us could have some of the same experience in any class. If we participate and are present in the moment and don’t dive into a black hole of judgment, we have a completely different experience. We are not there to judge. The minute you start to judge, you cease participating in the learning process, you create your own downward spiral, make certain you validate all your personal opinions and ensure you are going to leave another class with a bad attitude and lack of respect for continuing education. This doesn’t mean there are not less than awesome instructors and people out there. We do have to careful in our choices and how we spend our money for continuing education. It does mean you have the power to make the best of any situation and harvest the value of any educational experience.

Lauren Cates is an amazing instructor. She is a highly effective communicator. She is an incredible Massage Therapist. She is also a highly intelligent, passionate, joyful, humble, loving, authentic, funny and compassionate person. She puts her heart and soul into everything and it is a rare thing to witness and be part of.

Lauren credits all those that have gone before her. She recognizes and imparts wisdom from Gayle MacDonald and Tracy Walton with their permission. She brings another flavor and vibrancy to Oncology Massage Education.

Lauren doesn’t know how inspiring she is. Being in her class is a great reminder that the world is changing and we are all on the transition team.  

If you would like more information about Oncology Massage, or Oncology Massage Education please give me a call at 610-906-2322

10/31 in the 31in31 Blogging Challenge – Day Two Oncology Massage Class

It isn’t always easy going with the flow. Being in class, learning, remembering and having fun is easy compared to real life. Paying attention to the synchronicity of a myriad of things on email, phone calls and just life can be easily ignored. Taking the time to stop, watch, witness and be part of it can be a challenge but, one that is completely worth it. 

Sometimes we have to…

Admit we do not know.

Hold space. 

Keep pace.

Remember our place.

Be present and listen.

Be real.

Even keel.

Be willing to feel.

So today I went with the flow. I went from the flow of the class to the flow of the home to the flow of watching a movie that really set the tone. The movie 50/50 came on just as I was sitting down to write a blog. Not this blog which is late but, another one that doesn’t seem to matter now. I was just going to watch a few minutes but, it got me. There were no Massage Therapists in the movie but, I kept thinking about how the story could have changed if there had been.

Christopher and I are so grateful for all of our training and those times that we went against the seeming flow to tell someone that they should see a physician. It is a difficult thing for a Massage Therapist to recognize and admit sometimes. No one wants their client to have cancer. No one really wants to think they suck because their client isn’t getting better. It is a big risk to suggest that something may be amiss and that someone should see their physician. What if you are wrong?

“There is only one thing in this world shittier than biting it from cancer when you’re sixteen, and that’s having a kid who bites it from cancer.”

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

 The risk is worth it. Trust me when I say I would rather be wrong and that it completely sucks when you are right. It is one of those times you would rather not be right. Oh, the clients love you and respect you and are so impressed and grateful when this happens but, it really sucks because when you live in that moment, you realize you would always rather be wrong.

I kept thinking what if the guy in the movie got massages from a Massage Therapist that had gone through the training I am going through. Surely they would have noticed sooner. How much better would it have been if the guy had a Massage Therapist that sent them to the physician earlier?

Cancer is something that touches everyone’s lives.        ~Ellen Pompeo

 We all have a heavy commitment to our clients. We must keep them safe, educate them, to do the right thing and make that call, in the flow, against the flow, for the benefit of the client.

Massage Therapists that want to work with Oncology Patients should, of course, take additional training. Please check out www.S4OM.org and start with a Foundational Course. You will not regret it.

And I will go a step further and say that even if you never want to work with Oncology Patients you should still consider taking a Foundational Course. You probably already have cancer survivors on your appointment book, you need to learn to work safely with them. Even if you do this just so you can become educated enough to keep your clients safe and know when to make that call and refer a client to their physician, it will be more than worth it.

So please, if you are a Massage Therapist on the planet Earth and have massage clients that are human beings please check out www.S4OM.org and watch the movie 50/50 and let me know if you think you might have made the call sooner if you had been the guy’s Massage Therapist.

9/31 in the 31 in 31 blogging challenge. Sure hope you are all enjoying this.

So today I went to class. I did actually recognize a couple of therapists that I had met before. So I did know someone there, sort of. It was still quite different than being at a class at an AMTA class where I usually know several people pretty well.

While I didn’t feel like I learned a lot, I still learned a lot. So much was validating what I have already researched, learned in other classes and have been doing for years. It was more interesting for me to pay attention to the group and learn some things from them.

1. It was all women. Where are the men that are passionate about Oncology Massage?

Is there a lack of diversity in massage practices? Are there more men in the Orthopedic Massage classes? Are there more women teaching Oncology Massage? I dare you all to follow your hearts and not your gender and let your hands lead you to your dream practice.

2. There was a lovely diversity of time in practice. One amazing woman had been practicing for 32 years. Several had been practicing for 18+ years. Some as little as two years. It is an incredible thing that this training is available regardless of how much education or experience you have. So do not let years in practice limit you in pursuing any specialty massage training. You are never too old to learn and never too new to challenge yourself.
3. There was a huge diversity in practices present. We had therapists that had had significant training and experience in Oncology Massage and some that had been working in clinical/medical sectors. We also had some that had only worked in a spa and bless them for showing up and being willing and led to do this. If you think for one minute that spa clients do not have cancer or medical issues you are wrong. They do and they still want to go to their spa.
4. There were therapists present that had been working with cancer patients without any training.

They were already their clients before they had cancer. Perhaps we Massage Therapists are not great at referring clients to other Massage Therapists. Perhaps when clients get cancer the last thing they want to change is Massage Therapists. Some clients will argue that they want to stay with their Massage Therapist even if they do not have Oncology Massage training because they know their Massage Therapist already knows their body and has shown their ability to work with them and care about them.

5. Everyone there is committed to learning to work safely with cancer patients and survivors. Everyone there will tell you they would rather make a difference than make a buck. Everyone there is ready to serve, indeed they have already been in service to the heart for some time.

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.

Muhammad Ali

If you would like to visit with me about Oncology Massage and massage sessions customized for cancer patients and survivors please give me a call at 610-906-2322

This is the last of my “What If” series and the 8^th in the 31 in 31 blogging challenge.

Tomorrow I am going to class. I am going to class for the next three days. It will be the first time in a long time that I will be in a class and I will know no one else there. I haven’t even met the instructor before. I have a little anxiety but, mostly gratitude.

See, I am one of those people that went to massage school a long time ago. I got my first 500 hours and great training but, I became addicted to learning and questioning. 26 years ago some of the people I went to massage school with thought I was a bit crazy. They thought I didn’t get it and might not be a successful massage therapist. They didn’t understand why I kept asking where the proof was that we could spread cancer with a massage or how exactly we could hurt a cancer patient if we were doing careful, thoughtful, purposeful work. They were a little grossed out when I said I wanted to work with elderly people. They thought I was being a way to brave and endangering pregnant women when I agreed to work on them too.

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
Mahatma Gandhi

I didn’t go to a special class or get certified to do it either. Actually, 26 years ago there were not that many continuing education classes, and finding one to train you to work with Oncology Patients, Pregnant Women, or Geriatrics was rare if not completely unheard of. Massage Therapists were doing it though. Massage Therapists had been doing it for a long time before me. So, I took a lot of chances but, hedged my bets by creating a network I could learn from and gain experience with. No one ever suffered by my hands.

I learned and understood that those Massage Therapists that went before us and didn’t have those classes, sometimes worked a lot harder to get the information and develop the skill to work with some of these special demographics. And they did it against the grain when the myths were being strongly held as true. And they created those classes for all of us.

Not only did I get to work in a hospital women’s center and create a hospital-based program in 1990, but I also got to do it with a Geriatric Psychiatric Unit. I have had the opportunity to help lots of Massage Therapists start hospital-based programs. I even got to contract with hospitals starting massage programs, some in specialty oncology centers.

The goal is to live a full, productive life even with all that ambiguity. No matter what happens, whether the cancer never flares up again or whether you die, the important thing is that the days that you have had you will have lived.

Gilda Radner

I cannot tell you how many cookies I baked, free massages I gave to bribe Physicians, Nurses and other health care professionals to answer my questions and help me learn how to work with Oncology Patients. They allowed me into hospital in-services and let me shadow them on the Units. Patiently answered my questions, and eventually started referring clients to me – clients with cancer.

They hired graduates of my massage school and then contracted me to design their programs and train the Massage Therapists to work there. They helped me connect to non-profit organizations and appreciated my service to those organizations as a volunteer.

I was so thrilled when I finally got to take a class in Oncology Massage. I have taken quite a few now but, they were always short, 4 hours here, 8 hours there, 16 hours there. I am so grateful to Tracy Walton, Gayle MacDonald and Diana Thompson for understanding there was so much more we wanted to learn.

So, really I could submit my patchwork of education and years of experience, and ask to get accepted to The Society for Oncology Massage,  or as they call it, S4OM but, I did not want to do that way. I didn’t want to be “grandmothered” or “grandfathered”.  I should have joined years ago but, I put it off. I didn’t think I had the time. I had to make the time. I knew it was inevitable and that I was committed to this, I just didn’t know when. While I respect those that went before me and did it without taking special classes or fulfilling specific requirements, I personally didn’t want to do that. I want to be a peer. I want people to see that I am not afraid to step up and do what it takes. So there is this class that is longer, (3 days) and qualifies me to become a member of S4OM. I don’t think I know everything and I am addicted to learning so I am sure this is going to be an amazing class!

If you are or know someone that has cancer or is a survivor and would like more information about my skills and experience with Oncology Massage please give me a call at 610-906-2322

This is the 7th in the 31 in 31 business blogging challenge. I hope you are enjoying the ride!

DO you have time for a massage?

Sometimes I think we just try too hard. We try to do too much. It is challenging to be a human being when you are spending so much time being a human trying.

Sometimes I feel like I am failing because I am always supposed to have to have a plan with a purpose and a motive and a schedule. As much as I want to be successful and focused sometimes it just gets impossible.

So, I think Carpe Diem is overrated sometimes. Instead of seizing this day I let it seize me. I didn’t make any big decisions or try to accomplish anything beyond laundry, this blog and just saying yes and going with the flow as the day presented itself.

I said yes and had coffee and spent more time listening than talking with my husband this morning before he started working.

I said yes and had a lovely afternoon at a coffee shop with someone I just met who may end up becoming a good friend.

I said yes to a man in the coffee shop who asked if he could join us. He didn’t know us but, he didn’t know that he didn’t know us. He swears I have a doppelganger named Diane in town that he was friends with. He said she was a Massage Therapist. Yes, this is getting surreal.

So, I told him I was one as well and gave him a couple of my cards.

I said yes to trading out massages with another therapist I had never had the chance to trade out with and it was amazing. I am very impressed and honored to get to trade out with them.

I said yes when they pulled out a bottle of wine, some great cheese and pretzels they brought to share for after our massages.

I am incredibly grateful for this day that seized me. There were times it was a struggle and I had to remind myself to wait for it, go with the flow, say yes and move forward.

Every moment comes to you pregnant with divine purpose…

Once it leaves your hands and your power to do with it as you please,

It plunges into eternity, to remain forever what you made it.

~ Fulton J. Sheen

What can you say yes to? Can you go with the flow? Can you allow a day to seize you instead of trying to control every hour and activity?

Say yes and call 610-906-2322 to schedule your next massage, which is a great way to start the day and go with the flow.

Welcome to the continuing blogging challenge. Here is number 6!

Massage Therapists are using their forearms and elbows more and more these days. Maybe I am old school. Sometimes that isn’t a bad thing. I do try to be open-minded and keep learning. Sometimes I just get stubborn though. If it is working, I don’t want to try to fix it. Using my hands still works just fine for me.

When I talk to other Massage Therapists about how and why they use their forearms and elbows I am usually told it will save my hands and that it is a better way to get deeper without working as hard.  I am not so sure it is a good progressive element. It might be or, it might be that they are not taking the time and being properly instructed to use their hands and body mechanics correctly.

There is nothing more significant than the use of touch.             

~Hippocrates

 My personal thought is that forearms and elbows do not touch, they bump me, press against me in a crowd, are used to push me away.

My personal opinion is that I do not receive a massage with the forearm. I abhor the feel of a hairy arm against my skin and refuse to discriminate against a massage therapist because of the amount of hair they have on their bodies.

My personal experience has been that some clients do ask if I use my elbows. When I tell them no but, that I can usually get deep enough without that, they sigh with relief. Others, want the elbows and do not believe anyone can get deep enough without it. Most of the time, I prove them incorrect. The other few get referred to a therapist that is stronger than me but, still doesn’t use their elbows.

Truthfully I just love hands.

No single therapeutic agent can be compared in efficiency with this familiar, but perfect tool.…

the human hand.

It is preeminently the instrument of the artist in all departments.

The hand is an ever-present agent of skill…

It is capable of infinite adaptations…

If half as much research had been expended on the principles

of governing manual treatment as upon pharmacology,

the hand would be esteemed today

on a par with drugs in acceptability and power.

~J. Madison Taylor M.D. 1869

My hands have been amazing and busy since I was a little girl making mud pies and adding different weeds and rocks to them for different textures. I grew up on a farm and milked goats, shelled peas, groomed horses and all manner of farm activities with my hands. When I was 10 I started taking piano lessons. My dad said, “Milkers never make good musicians”.

He was correct. I have managed to play the piano but, not well or well enough to show off in public beyond my early recitals. When I was 15 I took typing in school and bought a typewriter. Dad watched me typing and said “You are going to wear out your hands. You’ll have arthritis and not be able to use them at all by the time you are 30”.

Thankfully he was wrong. I continue to use my hands and haven’t worn them out yet. I love being a Massage Therapist. I use every piece, angle, and plane of my hands and fingers doing massage. I know that I can feel so much with my hands, much less with my forearm and hardly anything with my elbow. That is because there are so many more nerve endings in the hand and fingers than the forearm and elbow. So I am most likely not going to be signing up for any of those forearm and elbow classes.

The history of massage is coeval with that of mankind and worthy of

being preserved; its mode of application can be cultivated as an art second

to none that the human hand can perform, having a harp of more than a

thousand strings on which to play; its range of usefulness is increasing all

the time, and has long since extended into every special and general branch

of medicine, so that he who would keep pace with its developments must be

well informed in all departments of the healing art. 

~Douglas Graham, MD 1902

And it isn’t really old school. As much as I adore reading old books about massage I do my best to stay current as well.

So let’s not use a stylus. We’re going to use the best pointing device in the world. We’re going to use a pointing device that we’re all born with – born with ten of them. We’re going to use our fingers. We’re going to touch this with our fingers. And we have invented a new technology called multi-touch, which is phenomenal. It works like magic.

~Steve Jobs

 So if you are ready for a multi-touch experience and a hands-on massage therapy session, please give me a call at 610-906-2322.

#5 of the 31 blogs in 31 days blogging challenge and another in the “What If” series. 

 What if I pop?

It happens sometimes during a massage, a popping occurs. In 26 years of practice thousands of pops have occurred on my table. It isn’t what my intent is, nor is it in my scope of practice. I am no threat to the Osteopathic Physicians or Chiropractors. I have never and will never use any type of force or HVLA to produce an adjustment. It doesn’t matter what amount of pressure I am applying or if I am just passively moving the body, it happens. Yes, even with the lightest pressure it can happen.

It doesn’t just happen during a massage. It can also happen during exercise or stretching or even just moving around and going about your day. It can surprise you.

Here is the line I learned long ago in massage school; Bones go where muscles put them and bones stay where muscles hold them.

So what is happening? The body is responding, relaxing and releasing. The body is self-adjusting. Most everyone feels a sense of relief when this happens.

The joints are complicated structures. Two or more bones meet, there are also a variety of tissues comprised in a joint; ligaments that attach to the bones, tendons connected to the muscles that move the bones, the cartilage that pads the joints, and there is the fluid for lubrication. 

The actual popping noise is usually not coming from bones.

The synovial fluid in your joints acts as a lubricant. This fluid also contains oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide, these are gases. So when a joint pops or cracks the joint capsule is stretched.  Stretching this capsule, you increase its volume. Remember in chemistry class, we learned with an increase in volume comes a decrease in pressure. So as the pressure of the synovial fluid drops, gases dissolved in the fluid become less soluble, forming bubbles through a process called cavitation. When the joint is stretched far enough, the pressure in the capsule drops so low that these bubbles burst, producing the pop that we hear.

Joints, tendons, ligaments, and fascia moves when joints move. You may hear a snapping sound if a tendon’s position changes or the ligaments tighten around a joint as movement occurs.

Rough surfaces can produce sounds in Arthritic or injured joints caused by the loss of smooth cartilage and the roughness of the joint surface.

Studies are mixed in that some say there is no harmful effects from popping joints and others that say repetitive popping can do some damage to the soft tissues of the joint.

If you feel pain when a joint pops, then you should schedule a visit with your health care professional.

If you feel stiffness and what your day to pop give me a call at 610-906-2322 and we can talk about what you expect and how massage could help you.

I hope you have been enjoying the blogging challenge so far. This is the fourth of 31 blogs in 31 days and a continuation of the “What If” series.

What if massage clients who requested Deep Tissue really wanted something else and didn’t know how to ask?

Good thing I have always done a thorough intake and taken the time to visit with clients. It is more important to me to find out what is going on with someone, if there is a pathology, contraindication or problem that needs to be addressed, then assess and plan with the client, which techniques would be most effective. 

I asked 10 new massage clients that asked for Deep Tissue, why they requested a Deep Tissue Massage and these were the results:

“Well, I thought it needed to be deep to be good.”

“Oh I can take the pressure, you have to make it hurt so the muscle can release right?”

“You know, I just want firm pressure; I can’t stand to be just glossed over.”

“Every time I haven’t asked for Deep Tissue people start doing Reiki to me.”

“I just want to be clear. I want a real massage I can feel not some kind of spiritual healing thing.”

“I guess I don’t really know what my choices are?”

“I can’t stand to be tickled.”

“Very light massages bore me.”

“Deep tissue is the best massage right?”

“If you could be like my Tempurpedic mattress and fit the pressure to my body perfectly that would be great but, it never happens.”

Interestingly enough there are some beliefs about Deep Tissue that may not be true.

Interestingly enough these 10 massage clients were:

• 2 Breast Cancer Survivors
• 1 with Multiple Sclerosis
• 1 with Rheumatoid Arthritis
• 1 with Lupus
• 2 with Chronic Pain and 1 of them also had Crohn’s Disease
• 1 Diabetic
• 1 7 months pregnant
• 1 with Emphysema

Typically Deep Tissue would be contraindicated or at the very least not the first choice for any of these clients.

What I was also hearing was their plea to not be babied or treated differently because of what was going on with their bodies. They still wanted a massage. They wanted to be touched, pressed, moved, kneaded and firmly addressed in a therapeutic manner. They all wanted to get relief from pain, relax and unwind. Some wished for more flexibility, strength, and energy. They all desired to experience their bodies in a way they remembered before their present situation.

My hands are their safe refuge.

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person;

having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,

but to pour them all out, chaff and grain together,

knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them,

keep what is worth keeping,

and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”

~Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

Give me a call at 610-906-2322 and we can talk about what you expect and need in your massage session.

This is the third of the 31 in 31 Annual August Blogging Challenge and the second in my “What If” series.

What if we could begin to understand that depth is subjective?

Massage should not hurt. Deep tissue work need not be painful. Manual therapies performed correctly will not leave bruises. Can we all agree to this? 

Personally I am really tired of people creating a construct of competitiveness in receiving a massage. I do not want to be dared to hurt you. I do not understand any therapeutic benefit to see how much pressure you can take. Barreling through tissue with reckless abandon has no place in my practice of Massage Therapy.  

I was one of the lucky ones that learned a long time ago in massage school to listen, feel, sink and follow the tissues.  Depth is subjective. What is deep to one person may be merely medium and found wanting in another.  So, my goal is to find your depth. So when I ask you to let me know if you would like more or less pressure, I mean it. I will not get my feelings hurt. I promise I will not ignore you. I will respond and we can work together to create your best massage today.

“I need not say that some tact is needed in slowly increasing the force of the friction and depth of pressure.”  Douglas Graham, MD 1902

This isn’t new information.  Why do I and many other Massage Therapists continue to hear tales of woe from clients about their last massage that hurt so bad and left bruises?

“The idea that “massage must be painful” is old and false. The grasp of the hand must be gentle and sympathetic, yet of sufficient firmness. Only by repeated practice can one judge the right amount of pressure.”  Max Bohm, MD Berlin, Germany 1920

On the other hand, why do clients sometimes feel like they cannot give feedback or that we know better so they should just lay there and take it and decide if it worked later? 

We do know better. We should be feeling these tissues, meeting the edge and not forcing it but, encouraging it to melt in front of our hands. We can be finding the best therapeutic pressure for each person and even each area of the body because it can change.  We could allow the space for the person on the table and their body to respond. Embrace the concept of working with someone and not on someone.

“However, before we advanced enough to lay hands on the human beings who were looking for relief from pain, and once we had learned the many different movements that scientific massage consists of, we trained on one another. During the learning process, we both gave and received blue marks all over our bodies. As they diminished in size and color, we reached the stage where we were allowed to work on the patients who were seeking help for their ailments.”    Signe Turner Moren 1931

Depth is not just pressure. You have to take into consideration what part of the hand you are using. The larger the area in applying pressure to the body, the more diffuse the pressure feels to the receiver. So the same amount of pressure applied with a thumb and a full palm will feel different because of this.

The perspective of depth changes depending on the speed. The deeper you go, the slower you go.

Angles leverage and trajectories are important. Sometimes that spot that hurts has to be approached from a different angle. I don’t just rub, I am aiming and assessing the whole time as well.

There is little less frustrating than to be getting a massage and feel the therapist brush past that spot, or go all the way around it. So speak up please and let us know if that happens.

My target is your comfort, relief, safety and satisfaction. If you do not call 610-906-2322 to make an appointment with me, please have a conversation with your massage therapist about depth and what you expect in your next session.

This is the first in a series of blogs I am calling What If. These are things I think about and clients ask about frequently. So this will hopefully clarify a few things or at least let you know this Massage Therapist’s opinion.

Someone asked me once if I did reflexology. I said no but; I can do a kickass foot massage. This client loved reflexology however, they agreed to see me and let me massage their feet. They loved it.  

You see I have taken a class in reflexology. They do have their specific movements and techniques. I have more. I massage the feet, I can do trigger point, myofascial and lymphatic techniques to the feet as well. I can do a half-hour or even an hour just on the feet. At one time I had six different foot spa sessions available in my business in Oklahoma. So I really do love to work with feet. I just do not do reflexology.

I have read quite a bit about it over the years. At one time I was collecting reflexology charts and comparing them. They are not all the same. It is not a science. There is no conclusive research. It just does not make any sense to me.

I have met and listened to many reflexologists about their art and practice. I know they are passionate about.

I have had several reflexology sessions because I am curious and open-minded. I was not impressed. I will however never turn down my husband if he offers to rub my feet and will expect any Massage Therapist to massage my feet during a full-body session. I do love to have my feet worked on.

I just can’t get past these things;

1. There is a chart that as a reflexologist that I should be using or memorize and tell people that I am working on their liver or gall bladder or whatever. This seems too close to diagnosing me. I am personally not comfortable with that in my scope of practice.
2. There are too many different charts. Too many different ways to become a reflexologist, from 4 hours to 500 hours. So there are just too many inconsistencies for me.
3. I have had the pleasure of participating in several anatomy classes, including a full gross anatomy class. The nerves to the organs come from the spine to the organs. I have never found any nerves from the feet to the organs.
4. I know there are reliefs on the walls of a Sixth Dynasty Egyptian tomb (c. 2450 B.C.) that depicts two seated men receiving massage on their hands and feet. I cannot believe that it means they were doing reflexology. It is more believable that they were getting a foot massage.

So what if I just caved and said I was doing reflexology? That won’t happen.

I do not mean to be mean or stubborn. I am passionate about ethics and evidence-based practices. When reflexology becomes evidence-based I may reconsider and have to eat my words. Even then I most likely won’t change how I work or what I do to the feet.

What if there was no such thing as reflexology?

I think I would still be doing a lot of kickass foot massages.

So give me a ring at 610-906-2322 if you would like to experience a session just on the feet or a great massage including the feet.

Last August I participated in the First 31 in 31 Blogging Challenge. I really enjoyed it. I know many of you did as well. I met some amazing Bad Ass Blogging Massage Therapists and had a great time. Along the way I wrote a lot. I hopefully began to improve my writing and got some much appreciated feedback.

So settle in for the month and enjoy.

If I am writing 31 blogs in 31 days I am spending more time on the computer, more time typing and definitely dissecting my brain coming up with ideas to blog about. Now many of you do this type of thing every day, and I feel for you. I could not do this without my weekly 90 minute Massage. I do not know how anyone lives without Massage because I have lived with it for 26 years.

So I have a proposal for you to consider. What if you really decided to take care of

yourself and get a massage to counteract all that work and computer time?

If you received 1 minute of Massage Therapy for every hour you worked or were on the computer what would your Massage Therapy schedule be?

A half hour a week?

An hour a week?

An hour and a half every other week?

Those games on the computer and facebook where you move jelly and grow stuff count too, so do the math again.

Okay, so you come up with a number that doesn’t fit in the half-hour blocks. That is okay.

Round the number up or down and give us a call at 610-906-2322 to schedule your next appointment.

The most important thing here is that you have the next appointment to look forward to.

I sit here sipping my fair trade coffee wishing I could say I was wearing organic hemp clothing but, that isn’t true. As much as I hope more of us (not just Massage Therapists) would like to be kinder to the Earth, that we want to create a sustainable, organic lifestyle, it is a challenge.

Too often when Massage Therapists think of “greening their practice” it creates a list of too many things to buy and not enough things to actually do. This itself is a fiscal issue, however, it is more than that. You really cannot just buy your way to what you believe to be green. So, today in honor of Earth Day, I am going to share with you my perspective on how we can all be a bit greener.

Christopher and I are not just Massage Therapists. Christopher was an Oklahoma Master Gardener and I was an Oklahoma  Master Naturalist. We completed our training through the Oklahoma State University Extension Service. I grew up on a farm in Oklahoma. We always wish we had more time to garden and grow things, more animals and more land. We strive to utilize principles of understanding responsible environmental stewardship not just in our garden, but in our practice and our life. One of my favorite movies is “Being There” with Peter Sellers, which creates profound analogies of gardening and life.

I often wonder why, when people want to become more organic or greener they don’t think to start at the beginning? The beginning is the seed. The seed of desire planted in your heart to do or become or achieve something. That seed itself must be unadulterated. That seed then germinates in the soil of your brain. Which also should be clean, free of distractions and focused on the future you imagine. This is where you research and plan to facilitate your dream becoming reality. And finally, through your hands, as you perform the actions, each time, with each person, your dream and desire are sprouting into reality and thriving.

So here are a few of our own tips for a kinder, greener lifestyle.

• Brutally honest self-evaluation is almost always valid. If you find yourself making plans or changes that do not benefit the environment, your community, or the people you serve but, are for the purpose of making more money or achieving more power, think again. You may succeed but, you may have lost some of your greenery to the greed.

• Meet each person where they are. Joyfully listen and discover who they are and what is going on with them. Do not judge. Do not assume people are all stereotypes. You may miss out on the vibrancy of someone or more importantly not be able to fully engage and serve them, which is your purpose.

• Start small. You do not have to have a full closet of all-natural products today. Nor to do you need a full spa menu of organic, green sessions with essential oils and products. Evaluate what products you have and research other products you may want to use in the future.

• Read the labels, google the ingredients, find out how they are made and how they may impact the environment. Do you know what they are?  How many are there? Can you pronounce them? I am not creating a list of links for you. Utilizing your knowledge and investing your time on this is part of the organic process. 

• Be authentic. You do not have to be seventh level vegan that eats nothing with a shadow or a have a dedicated daily yoga practice to feel you have accomplished something organic. Stretch, take a walk or bike ride, have a nice long bath, try some vegetarian or healthier foods. Have a cup of tea and time for yourself. Please just do something active and/or nurturing each day for yourself. Every little thing you do matters and is progress.

• Be present. Please do not just go through the motions. Focus on the person you should be honored to be working with. Understand what you are doing and why you are doing this. Every time a client lays on your table it is a different person and you are a different person. Even if you are following a specific spa menu item or prescribed medical treatment it shouldn’t be mechanical.

• Do not litter your session with distractions of thinking of your grocery list or telling the client about your life’s challenges. In those moments, no matter how long the session, the session time is the client’s time they paid for. Let it be just about them. 

• Communicate integrity. If your sessions are 50 minutes please, do not call it an hour. Listen to the client. Create a functional therapeutic relationship, even if it is one short session. Work with people not on them. Do not rush them – that isn’t relaxing or respectful.

• Do not believe that you have to have your own completely organic practice. Many Massage Therapists work with others and for other larger companies. Becoming part of your community and being a conscious member of that community is what is more important. Many larger companies are becoming greener. Sometimes, that is because someone that works for them made a suggestion, or offered a solution.

• Keep learning. Do not be afraid to be wrong. Be daring enough to change, try something new, take the time to consider every opportunity. You never know when one is going to hit you hard, right in your heart and manifest a whole way of practicing, a new dream, or change your life.

• Create balance. We have to bring peace to ourselves before we can bring peace to others. You may be surprised that focusing on creating balance in your own life will manifest during massage sessions and make you not only a better practitioner but, truly give those you serve more value.

• Give back. While it is nice to be able to click a link and donate to cause it is also nice to volunteer. Look at what you can do to benefit your community and our world. Ask the questions, follow the money, find out what your donation or participation is investing in.

Enjoy Earth Day Every Day. May we all spend more time in verdant abundance and gratitude.

Thank You!

Xerlan Deery, LMT

Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.   ~Shirley Anita Chisholm  

We are more than willing to work with the haves and have knots!

We are often surprised that someone has put off getting a massage for a long time. We are amazed at the number of people that choose to keep walking about and working in pain.

When people come and say things like… “isn’t that the biggest knot you have ever felt?” or “I bet I am the tightest person you have seen this week.”                       We can’t help but wonder if there is a contest going on that we are not aware of.

So the real question is…Why Knot?

Why not get a massage?

Relief is available. You don’t have to keep being one of them that have knots.

Give us a call at 610-906-2322 or 610-933-3666 or go to the website www.phoenixville-massage.com and click that schedule now button to get rid of your knots!

We are so glad to be back in Phoenixville. We love traveling and teaching and meeting other Massage Therapists but, not as much as we like working here with you.

There are days I almost feel guilty. I almost feel it creeping up on me. Then I banish it because it is okay to feel good, know who I am and what I do. It feels great to know that I adore what I do and I do it well. This is not egotistical. It is just fine to make a positive statement that is strong and has meaning.

It is more than okay to wake up without pain or discomfort 99.9% of the time and be able to move and think about going hiking, doing some sewing or gardening or riding the bike soon.  I am rarely tired. I do not need or ever want to even taste an energy drink. I will admit that I can get downright bitchy if I do not have a sweet tea at least once a week. That may be one of the few things that still shows I am not from here. I am from somewhere else where sweet tea is more common.

It is so comforting to have the clarity and understanding of who my perfect clients are and that they appreciate me because they see themselves so far from perfect, which is perfect for me because I do not like to be bored or without challenges. Sometimes I feel like the statue of liberty in a way, brings me your fatigue, your fibromyalgia, lymphedema, migraines, pain, swelling, scars and severely reduced the range of motion. Your body is my business.

I know everyone wants the quick fix, the magic feather, the relief and renewal they feel after a session of Massage and Bodywork. I know that because I get it. I get a massage at least once a week. I am not lucky, I just know what I need and prioritize it. Christopher worked very hard yesterday, did a couple of massage & bodywork sessions and cleaned out several of the flower beds in the garden. I gave him a massage. So this morning when we got up and saw snow on the ground we didn’t get upset. In fact, he feels fine. He would have been sore if I hadn’t given him a massage. When people share with me amazing results and abilities they experience from receiving Massage and Bodywork sessions I am thrilled. I am happy even if they do not feel the need to rebook. At that moment they are happy.

People often experience change and can identify real results and positive outcomes in just one session. Sometimes a few sessions seem to have addressed most symptoms to such a level that people feel finished. They can do things again, they have more energy, get better sleep, don’t experience pain or much less of it, swelling reduces and they begin to feel more normal, functional and yes, even happier.

It would be great if everyone just needed one session. Almost always, that is not the case. Most problems do require more than one session.  It is just that some people are so impressed with the progress made in one session they may find it difficult to believe more progress could be made. Truthfully everyone would benefit from more. Most people don’t understand that until they actually do it. Then after 6 or 8 weeks they miss a week and think they have become addicted. No, it isn’t an addiction and if it was it would be the healthiest addiction in the world. It is that feeling of wellness, feeling good and staying vibrant. What is wrong with that?

I have the best job and the best clients in the world. Of course, I want to share that. Of course, I want to teach more Massage Therapists to do what I do, know what I know and help all those imperfect clients out there to begin experiencing life more vibrantly with movement that is smooth, feelings that are not always a pain signal and even just not feeling tired all the time. How much is that worth? More than I can say, from both sides of the table.

Christopher and I were meant to be Massage Therapists. He may have grown up in Phoenixville, PA and I in Tulsa, OK. He grew up in the Borough and me on a farm but, we had some incredibly similar experiences that led us to Massage Therapy and Bodywork.

We both had the experience of hands-on care by the way of Osteopathic Manipulation at a young age. Christopher was fortunate to have Osteopathic Physicians as family members. I was fortunate to have Osteopathic Physicians that became close family friends.

It may seem surreal looking back on it however, it makes perfect sense now that I had an Osteopathic Physician teaching me to massage my Mom’s neck and back at by age 7 because of a very bad auto accident she had, and explaining physiology to my by age 11.

I remember telling the Physician once that I tried to fall off the horse right but, my bones didn’t move fast enough to miss that barrel. I was kinda banged up, to say the least and only 11 years old. He took the time to explain this to me. He said Bones move where muscle and tissue move them, bones stay were muscle and tissue hold them. Then he had me breathe and he did that incomprehensible, subtle thing that let everything in my body slide back to normal. I do know there is a lot more to this now but, for me to remember this reminds me how an amazing caring Physician can impact one’s life. Maybe this one of the reasons I became a Massage Therapist and not an Osteopathic Physician or Chiropractor?

When I was in high school I recall saying to the Physician “This is better than shots, why don’t you do this all the time?”

He said he would if he could but, it wasn’t always appropriate. He went on to explain that practicing Osteopathic Medicine meant that he needed to do anything and everything in his training to appropriately help people. I think this was my first inkling of passion, commitment, and scope of practice.

I remember one of the Physicians moved to a big new fancy office and started taking only insurance in the ’60s. Back then healthcare insurance was an amazing new thing better than sliced bread! The other Physician stayed in his home office only taking cash. They both thought it was the best for them and their patients. One said insurance was the future and the only way anyone would be able to professionally practice medicine. The other said if depended on the insurance that he would have to work harder, for less money and not be able to spend as much time helping not as many people. Food for thought during these times of change and the coming affordable healthcare act.

When I graduated Massage School in California 1989 and returned to Oklahoma I had the privilege and honor to do massage for these wonderful two Physicians that took care of me and my family for so many years. I also had the benefit of working with a number of other Physicians; as clients, as a student in their hands-on classes and right beside them in the athletic training room at a D1 University.

Chris and I both had excellent training in Massage Therapy & Bodywork. We are absolutely addicted to continuing education and keep going to classes and learning more all the time. Sometimes we just have to stop and recognize where our paths began and how wonderful this shared journey is.

Please remember, we are prepared and committed to fighting your pain with our bare hands, rooted in experience and winged by hope.

Give us a call at 610-906-2322 or book an appointment online at http://www.phoenixville-massage.com/

I originally wrote this as a facebook note almost a year ago. We didn’t have an office yet or a website or a blog. So today I just reworked it a bit to celebrate us arriving here, to our forever home a year ago.  Enjoy!

Just over a year ago Christopher and I were packing up our things at Re Massage & Bodywork, in Tulsa, Oklahoma to move to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. After I thought we had everything packed up I did one last walk through the building. I usually forget something every time I leave the house or office. This time I wouldn’t be back the next day to retrieve it.

As I walked I would notice something, be very glad I saw it and pick it up to tuck in my purse. When I got home later I was sorting through my purse and we were packing the car for the trip the next morning. I pulled out the last five things that I had tucked in my purse and then I cried. These five things could sum up my 24 years of practice, what was most meaningful to me and what I hoped to be able to create again in Pennsylvania.

Let me explain. Starting from the back, the largest teddy bear is an AMTA Teddy Bear I actually won two years ago at The Chapter Volunteer Orientation Program, which is an annual AMTA event.  I won this by doing a video about how much I appreciate and love the American Massage Therapy Association  In that video one of the things I mentioned was people, being able to meet other therapists and having a network across the country. I had no clue when I did that video that I would be moving to another state.  I didn’t know at the time how much I would look forward to meeting other therapists and becoming part of another community.

I am proud to be an active AMTA member. We have volunteered with the Oklahoma Chapter and attended AMTA National Conventions and Four State Conferences. We have enjoyed meeting therapists from Oklahoma and all over the US. We love the AMTA! I was so glad I had my AMTA bear in the car with me on our trip to remind me that we would be in a new chapter, make new friends, meet other AMTA therapists and maybe even get a chance to volunteer with the AMTA Pennsylvania Chapter.

The next teddy bear is a Breast Cancer Bear.  A client gave it to me. She said she was tired of pink stuff and was moving on to more colors. She said I had helped her not just physically but, emotionally so that she could move on with her life. This is exactly what I want to happen again, and again, and again. Not that I want clients to give me presents but, I want to be able to help them. The acknowledgment of that is just extra icing on the cake.  So much of my practice was with Cancer Patients, Breast Cancer Survivors and people with Lymphedema. I want to create that in my practice again.  I volunteered with Y-Me as a board member and with Camp Hope for over 15 years. I also volunteered with The Young Survivors Network. I don’t know what groups are here but, I bet I find them soon. This teddy bear and the pink ribbon is a symbol of hope for a breast cancer survivor.  It became my symbol of hope for our new practice.

The square orange card on a lanyard is actually a Coach’s Credential. It was one that Chris used at an event. Given to him by the Athletic Trainer.  A large part of our practice was sports. We had the contract with Oklahoma State University since 1995 and The University of Tulsa since 1997. We worked with a number of High Schools, professional and competitive athletes. We had amazing opportunities to work with Football, Basketball, Track & Field, Cross Country, Soccer, Baseball, Golf, Equestrian, Wrestling, Tennis and Crew teams. There never were any credentials printed up for Massage Therapists but, since we got to be on sidelines, in training rooms and championship games and conferences we needed something to get us in. The Athletic Trainers made sure we had credentials and got in. They were the ones that valued our work, enjoyed working with us and referred athletes to us or brought us into work with the teams. These Athletic Trainers became some of our best friends. This is another thing I would love to do again. Not just work with a team but, create relationships with Athletic Trainers in Pennsylvania.

The figurine is a Madonna from Lourdes. It also was a gift. Sprinkled throughout our office were many gifts representing a wide variety of faiths. We are not Catholic but, some of our clients were. Of course, we still enjoy a wide variety of clients from many faiths as well as Atheists. We loved working with all of them. Everyone is welcome on our table. Faith is never a question or issue in our practice. We are here to help people.

The Frank Zappa CD is one Christopher has had for a while. Both of us use a wide variety of music for our sessions. We love Pandora. We enjoy using music in sessions from artists we actually know, have seen or worked with. I began working with musicians when I was still in massage school at BodyMind College in San Diego. When I moved back to my hometown in 1989 I didn’t think I would ever get to do that again. In fact, it was only a few months before I got my first call to work with a musician that was playing in Tulsa. At first, I had a few clients that were local musicians. Then over the years, I would get a few calls a year for musicians or performance artists that were playing in Tulsa. When the BOK Center opened we were asked to be the “go-to” massage therapist for that venue. So, yeah we have gotten to work with a lot of famous people. No, we are not going to drop names or violate confidentiality. We are not expecting to get to work any musicians, artists or famous people and we are fine with that. Our biggest secret was that we treated everyone the same regardless.

We just love working in our office in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. We are happy to have been here a whole year now. We look forward to spending the rest of our lives here.

So, give us a call at 610-933-3666 if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment.  You can also click the Schedule Now button on our front page at http://www.phoenixville-massage.com/

Being a massage therapist, one of the most frequent questions we get is “What kind of massage do you do?” The answer that I usually give is “Yes.” This leads to a bigger discussion – understanding that many people are attached to styles and names more than the fact that a massage at Phoenixville Massage and Bodywork is not your typical massage session. We have a huge skill set – we have studied many different styles of massage, and tailor each session to the individual, and their issues at that time. There is enough misunderstanding about what some massage therapists say they do, and how they work with their clients. In one session last week, a client stated,” When are you going to do Myofascial work?”, to which I replied, “what we are doing right now is Myofascial work – it may not be like what you have experienced in the past, or like  <therapist’s name omitted> did, but it is congruent to my understanding of Myofascial work.  How do you feel this is different?” That led to the client expressing what they were expecting and allowed the massage to be more “their” massage. There are many different titles and adjectives people use to describe the type of massage or bodywork they do or receive. Communication is the key. We have years of experience and education that afford us the tools to provide you a great massage session.  The truth to the question, “What kind of massage do we do at Phoenixville Massage and Bodywork?“ Yours.

are thankful to be Massage Therapists. We are thankful to have had the opportunity to work with so many different clients over the years; Rock Stars, Pro Athletes, Expecting Moms, Geriatrics, Autistic children, Cancer Patients and Survivors and just about everything in between.

We are thankful that our true passion is helping people feel better. We are thankful that we do our best with challenges.

We welcome people who have been told they have to live with their pain or that their swelling isn’t bad enough to do anything about yet. We are thankful to have the advanced training and skills to be able to help.

We understand people who have had surgery and have nerve damage or swelling that everyone says, it will get better in time and they don’t have time. We are thankful that we do have the time and it really does not take very long for people to get relief.

We know people with Cancer or Chronic pain that do not have the energy to make dinner for their family and that is what they really want to do. We are thankful that we can listen to our clients and make their goals be the most important.

We get it when people say just want to see if they can regain some movement in their arm, hip, shoulder or whatever without having to sign up for 12 weeks of therapy, three times a week when they are supposed to be at work. We are thankful that we can be flexible with scheduling and fast with results.

We are not miracle workers but, we are thankful that we can help!

Please give us a call and let us help 610-906-2322

And feel free to post questions or comments!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I wish every month was every cancer and pathology awareness month. Face it Cancer Sucks!

I am glad my husband and I spent so much time and money getting trained in Lymphatic Drainage, Chronic Pain and Myofascial Release. We are honored to work with all Cancer Patients and Cancer Survivors. Here is a little list for you to see if Massage Therapy and/or Bodywork be appropriate for you. Of course, we always encourage people to ask their physician if there is any reason you shouldn’t get a massage.

1. If you have trouble sleeping or feeling fatigued. Massage Therapy Can Improve Sleep is one of the most recent Position Statements approved by The American Massage Therapy Association.

2. If you are feeling depressed you should know that research shows that Massage may help depression in Cancer Patients.

3. If you experience pain. One of the Position Statements of the American Massage Therapy Association is: Massage Therapy Can Aid in Post-Operative Pain. Clients who receive massage therapy report that they experience less cancer-related pain, treatment-related pain and pain due to muscular tension.

4. If you have Lymphedema come see us. We have a lot of experience working successfully with Lymphedema, in the arms of course but, also in the legs and other post-operative situations. Lymphatic Drainage is the premier treatment for Lymphedema. It is affordable and we do always provide education for our clients for self-care.

5. If you have a lack of range of motion, pain or discomfort due to post-surgical symptoms such as scarring.

Here are a few research links for you, please give us a call at 610-906-2322 if you would like to schedule an appointment or would like more information.

Outcomes for Therapeutic Massage for Hospitalized Cancer Patients

Use of Massage for Oncological Palliative Care Patients

Use of Massage Therapy for Post-Operative Pain Management

I love Halloween, love dressing up and being creative with costume ideas. My children were subjected to this for many years. When they got too old to allow me to help them dress up I actually took my costume box out on the front porch and re-costumed many trick or treaters over the years. Boy were they surprised! For years I would print out copies of my 30+ page Halloween costume document for clients to take home with them. A couple of years ago a somewhat famous blogger borrowed my list (with my permission of course). This year it is going to be a bit different. I have edited it but, it will still be a very long blog. Please feel free to repost this on facebook and share this blog with people. Together we can all help reduce some holiday stress. Everyone needs help with costumes! There are plenty of creative, inexpensive and very easy ideas for costumes. You might just find the perfect one for you. Or you might just relax a bit and smile while you read this. Beware there are some groaners!

Xerlan’s 2012 Costume Compendium

24 Karat Gold: Wear a gold-colored suit or dress and pin fake or real carrots all over yourself.

Action Figure Still in the Box: Get a large sheet of cardboard big enough to fold around your back and sides. For the front, use a clear shower curtain with holes or a slot cut into it so you can reach out. Then paint the box, attach accessories to the inside and elastic straps for yourself, and dress up as whatever action figure you want to be!

Alice in Chains: Dress like Alice from Alice in Wonderland, then wrap yourself in chains.

Alice in Wonderland: Wear a light-blue dress with puffy sleeves. Find a cardboard box big enough to fit over the middle of your body. Cut holes for head and arms and paint it to look like a house, with your head sticking out of the chimney and your arms sticking out of windows.

Alien Host: Attach an alien doll to your midsection. Cut a hole in the middle of your clothes so it looks like the alien is bursting through your stomach. Splatter fake blood around the hole.

All Dolled Up: Wear a white paper coverall and attach dolls all over yourself.

Ants In Your Pants: Wear an extra-large pair of jeans (over boxer shorts) and hold them up with suspenders. Buy a bag of plastic ants and hot glue them to your underwear and to the lower part of your shirt (so it looks like they are crawling out of your pants).

Attack Dog Trainer:  Take a stuffed dog and sew it to the arm of a long-sleeved shirt so it looks like it is biting you. Wear a name tag (“Bob’s Attack Dog School). Add blood and scratches all over your body.

“B” Keeper: Carry several bags filled with “B”s cut out of construction paper.

Baked Potato: Stuff a white or off white sweatsuit with pillows and wrap aluminum foil around yourself. Wear a yellow cap (butter, of course).

Bar Fly: Attach two strainers to a hat or mask to create “fly eyes.” Attach fly wings to a black shirt and wear black pants. Carry around a liquor bottle/shot glass/beer and pass out bad pick up lines, “Do you come here often?” “What’s your sign?” etc.

Undecided: Take a bunch of items from previous costumes (clown wig, mouse ears, witch hat, etc.) and wear them all.

Baseball Card: Find a poster of a baseball player (the face should be approximately the size of your face). Glue it to a large piece of cardboard and cut a hole for your face to stick through. Attach straps so it hangs over your shoulders. Add your name and a team name. If you want you can add another piece of cardboard to your back with statistics.

Basket Case: Uniform colored clothing (dark works best) with lots of baskets pinned all over. Top it off with a basket with a handle on your head.

Batman and Robin: Attach little fake bats and birds all over yourself.

Biggest Loser Contestant: Wear a pair of very, very large pants and hold them up with suspenders. Wear a regular-sized t-shirt labeled “Body for Life Contestant.”

Bird Watcher: Wear safari-type clothes, with a safari hat and binoculars around your neck. Make a mixture (white-out and latex works, or make up your own) and splatter it all over your hat and clothes (so it looks like a few too many birds flew over your head!).

Birthday Suit: Get a pre-packaged birthday kit (tablecloth, hats, plates). Cut a hole in the center of the tablecloth for your head. Staple plates, cups, napkins, etc., on the tablecloth. Put a birthday hat on your head. When someone asks what you are, tell them you are wearing your birthday suit!

Blind Date: Take a day of the week calendar and tape the days all over your body. Throw on a pair of sunglasses and get a cane and you’re all set to go.

Blind Leading the Blind: Both people carry canes and wear sunglasses.

Bobblehead: Dress up as your favorite sports player. Then, when someone asks what you are, start wobbling your head around.

Born to Be Wild: Dress like a baby (diaper, bonnet, bib, rattle), then add a leather jacket, bandana, and boots.

Brain Donor: Get a hospital gown, blacken both eyes and wrap your head in gauze with some fake blood spots. Get a clear jar, put a small amount of water in the jar with some cauliflower. On the front of the jar put a big label that says “Brain Donor.”

Brick and Bricklayer: Woman is a brick made from a box, with stockings underneath; man is a bricklayer (mason) with all the masonry accessories.

Bright Person: Wear clothes with bright colors, and bright make-up. Hang battery-powered clear Christmas lights around yourself. Add a graduation cap and carry several diplomas.

Burned Out: Carefully burn some holes in a white work shirt. Use make-up to put dark circles under your eyes. Wear frazzled, bed-head hair.

Caesar Salad: Wear a toga with a laurel wreath on your head, and attach lettuce leaves all over yourself.

Can-Can Dancer: Wear an old, long, frilly skirt. Attach empty cans underneath so that when you lift it up to dance everyone will see your can-cans!

Card Dealer:  Take a thick piece of cardboard and cut it so it fits around your waist. Use suspenders to hang it from your shoulders. Cover it with green felt, and attach playing cards, poker chips and fake money. Dress like a card dealer.

Cardiac Arrest: She dresses up as a big red heart (cut out of cardboard or cloth) and wears handcuffs. He dresses like a cop.

Carpal Tunnel: One person dresses all in black or grey. They can bend over and make a tunnel. The other person ties hot wheels or little cars on long strings and attaches them to their belt loops so they pull the cars.

Cat Burglar: Dress all in black, with a tool belt, bag, etc. Carry a bag with stuffed cats peeking out. Or, tape-record cats meowing and carry the tape recorder in the bag.

Catcher in the Rye: Find a set of (baseball) catcher’s gear and wear it. Then take a clear large bag as you get at the dry cleaners, and draw or glue labels on it to duplicate a bread bag from a loaf of rye bread. Cut holes for your legs, arms, and face, and put it on over the catching equipment. Twist tie the bag on top.

Cat Got Your Tongue: The woman wears a black cat costume and holds a rubber tongue. The man puts a little fake blood around his lips and doesn’t talk. Anytime someone tries to talk to him, the woman should wave the tongue around.

Cat with Litter Box: Dress like a cat (black clothes, cat ears, and tail). Carry a new cat litter box, filled with the following mixture: rolled oats and granola cereal mixed together, Tootsie Rolls (softened with water), and dabs of chocolate icing. Offer to your friends. Gross… but delicious!

Cat’s Pajamas: Wear an “instant” cat set (ears and a pin-on tail), with drawn-on nose and whiskers. Then add your favorite colorful pajamas!

Cereal Killer: Take a bunch of empty miniature cereal boxes, stick plastic knives in the sides, paint with red paint or nail polish to simulate blood. Pin the boxes all over yourself.

Cheery-O: Dress like a cheerleader, and attach the letter O all over yourself.

Cheerleader: Get a box of cheer detergent and tie a rope or leash around it to lead it around.

Chest of Drawers: Pin underwear to your shirt. Works well with a formal or business suit.

Chia Pet: Buy some bagged green moss and glue it to your clothes. Dye or spray your hair green. Write Chia on your arms or legs. (You can even paint your skin orange for the full effect.)

Chick Magnet: Attach Barbie dolls all over yourself.

Chick Magnet Variation: Dress all in black, and glue Easter peeps all over your body.

Chicken-Cord-on-Blue: Wear a chicken mask or hat. Wrap an extension cord around you (bright orange shows up best). Dress in all blue.

Chicken of the Sea: Wear a mermaid or fish costume and add a chicken mask or a chicken beak.

“Chip”-monk: Dress in a monk’s robe, rope belt, etc., then hot-glue (empty) potato chip and/or tortilla chip bags all over.

Cleaning Agent: Wear a trench coat, sunglasses, and earpiece. Use Velcro to attach cleaning supplies to the inside of the coat, and wear a holster/belt with bottles of 409 and Windex as your “guns.”

Clothesline Between Two Trees: Use brown cardboard material, draw on tree knots with a brown/black marker. Attach LOTS of leaves with hot-glue. Attach cardboard to baseball hats and glue on branches and leaves. paint faces brown and green. Wear brown sweatsuits. String a clothesline in between, and hang on some “delicates.”

Cloud: Get a piece of chicken wire and attach white butcher paper to it. Glue cotton balls all over it. Then, shape it into a cylinder and step into it. Attach some ribbon to the top of it for “straps” so it’ll stay up. Paint your face and hair silver or white.

Clue Characters (from the board game): Mrs. White wears a French maid outfit. Mrs. Peacock wears a long blue dress and blue feathered hat. Miss Scarlett wears a sexy little red number with a long cigarette holder. Prof. Plum wears a purple suit, top hat, glasses, and carries a cane. Mr. Green wears a green suit. Col. Mustard wears a yellow shirt, safari suit, monocle in his eye, and a safari hat. Everyone carries a different prop: rope, knife, candlestick, lead pipe, revolver, wrench.

Con Artist: White sweatsuit with black stripes (using black tape, streamers, etc.) to simulate a convict. Add an artist’s pallet (cut out of cardboard and colored with markers) and a beret.

Conspiracy Theorist: Wear a tinfoil hat, jeans, and a slightly grubby shirt. If male, don’t shave. Carry several pieces of paper clutched in your hand, with government websites, how JFK died, etc. Bring a few computer disks and a “debugging” device. Wear makeup to appear very tired, and constantly look over your shoulder.

Couch Potato: Dress like a potato (XXL brown sweatsuit stuffed to make a round shape. Carry a remote and a can of beer.

A Couple of Sandwiches Short of a Picnic: Take a stiff piece of cardboard and cut a circle out so it fits around your body. Drape it with a checkered cloth. Glue on four settings (with paper plates, plastic forks, etc.), but put sandwiches on only two.

Dark and Stormy Night: Wear black clothing and black make-up on your face. Then get a water gun and paint it black. Walk around squirting people in the face.

Darth Vader’s Wife “Ella Vader”: Wear a Darth Vader mask, black cape and add two big buttons with up and down arrows.

Deadbeat: Dress in black and wear fresh beets hanging all over you, with plastic knives impaled in each one.

Deer Caught in the Headlights: Wear antlers on your head, and all brown clothes on your body. Take a coat hanger and fit the long part into a circle around your head. Stretch out the hook part of the hanger until it’s straight and dangle a Matchbox car from it with fishing wire so it hangs in front of your face. Have a shocked, wide-eyed expression all night.

Devil’s Advocate: Wear buttons and carry signs that say “Devil is #1” and “Vote for Satan,” etc.

Done: Put a piece of Styrofoam beneath an old t-shirt. Jab a fork into the Styrofoam through the shirt. When people ask, tell them you are “done.”

Diaper Genie: Make a genie costume out of colorful clothes or fabric (a vest and sweat pants work well), with a turban, belt, slippers/sandals, and some jingle bells. Then safety pin a bunch of baby diapers all over your outfit or carry a box of diapers and offer them to people.

Ding Bat: Dress like a bat (all-black clothes, wings, and pointy ears). Carry a hotel bell.

Dinner is on Me: Attach fake or real food items to your clothing.

Dirty Laundry: Cut out the bottom of a plastic laundry basket, step into it, and use suspenders to hang it over your shoulders. Fill with dirty clothes. Add some underwear on your head for laughs.

Dominoes: Wear all black and pin circles of white paper to yourselves in a domino pattern. When you come to someone’s door, one person leans in, and you all fall over.

Drama Queen: Wear a drama mask (comedy and tragedy) along with a queen’s crown.

Drive Me Crazy: Wear a hospital gown with the name of a mental institution written on the front, and carry a steering wheel.

Dust Bunny: Wear a dirty old white bunny costume or sweatsuit and add bunny tail and ears, and carry a feather duster, or “dustbuster” vacuum.

Elmer’s Glue: Wear all white clothes, with an orange beanie. Attach a bunch of miscellaneous items all over your body.

E-mail: Dress like a man (this is better for women). Tape an “E” on the chest. “E”-male.

E-Male and Attachment: He dresses in normal clothes, with a large letter “E” on his chest. She wears paperclips all over her clothes.

Flip Flops: Buy two large, flat pieces of foam, cut into the shape of flip flop, with holes for your head and arms. Use a swimming pool noodle to create straps. Walk together.

English Soccer Fan: Cut a piece of chicken wire fence or chain link fence. Wear some fake bad teeth and hold the fence firmly against your face.

Fairy Goth Mother: Dress as a goth (white face, black clothing, black lipstick, studded collar, wrist band, and belt). Then add a wand, fairy wings, and blue or pink hair. For extra flair carry some glitter confetti to throw at people when granting their wishes–but only before midnight!

The Farmer in the Dell: Wear overalls, a plaid shirt, and a straw hat. Find an empty Dell computer box (or make your own by using paint), cut out the top and bottom, and hang from your shoulders using straps.

Venetian Blind: Make a name tag with your name (or a fake name) and “from Venice. “Then wear dark glasses and carry a white cane.

The Floor of a Movie Theater: Dress up in all black and tease your hair. Apply candy wrappers, chewed gum, lots of popcorn. If you can, attach real movie theater cups or popcorn boxes for a realistic touch.

Flower Power: Wear a flower costume, attach an electrical cord and let drag it behind you.

Foosball Player: Dress in a soccer uniform and insert a broomstick inside your shirt over your shoulders, coming out of your arms.

Frank Einstein: Get a Frankenstein mask and attach an Albert Einstein wig, spray the wig with green hair color, wear a lab coat with a pocket protector, pens, etc.

Frankie and Annette: Wear a Frankenstein mask and carry a net (aquarium, butterfly or whatever). Or even simpler wear a name tag that says “Frankie” and carries the net.

Freak of Nature: Put hair up and entangle leaves, vines, etc. Wear a green shirt with the words “Freak” on it, then glue more leaves and stuff all over yourself.

Gang Green: Everyone wears green and travels together. Alternate version: everyone dresses like gang members with green clothes and green bandanas.

Garden: Wear solid-brown clothes. Use hot-glue to attach fake plants in rows. Add a few fake insects too.

Garden Gnome: Wear a plaid shirt and corduroy or khaki pants with suspenders. Buy or make a pointy hat. Carry a garden hoe or pail with lots of various garden tools in it.

Gatorade Athlete: Dress in a work out outfit, or basketball, football jersey, etc. Carry a bottle of Gatorade. Whatever flavor/color of the drink you choose, buy face paint in that color and apply to your face and body, to simulate the “colored” sweat of Gatorade commercials.

Germ: Wear a green leotard and tights (or dye them green) and buy packets of ping-pong balls. Place ping pong balls under leotard and tights – paint face green and spray hair green as well.

Ghost Family: Dress like a ghost. Then take 3 or 4 helium balloons and use a white cloth to make them look like small ghosts. Walk holding onto the hands of your “children.”

Ghost of Christmas Presents: Dress like a ghost. Attach wrapped Christmas presents all over yourself.

Gold Digger: Wear a gold dress, put gold glitter in your hair, gold glitter make-up on your eyes, gold glitter in your lip gloss, paint your nails gold or put gold glitter in clear polish. Paint some rocks and a toy shovel with gold paint. Carry the rocks in a bag as you find and the shovel for digging.

Got Milk?: Wear a sign that says “Got Milk?”. Paint a milk mustache over your lip with make-up or white-out.

Grim Roper: Wear a western shirt, jeans, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat. Add a long black hooded robe and a sickle made from a stick, cardboard and aluminum foil Carry a rope lariat.

Gulliver and the Lilliputians: Wear brown Oxford shoes with gold cardboard buckles (rectangles with rectangular holes in them), white knee-high socks, tight brown knee-length shorts, frilly white shirt. Glue or tie lots of lego men or small figures to string, and glue or tie the string across your body a few times, so the little men hang off (as though they had been tying you down on the ground and you escaped).

Happy Camper: Make a round yellow smiley face mask out of cardboard, and wear shorts, hiking shoes, backpack, canteen, etc.

Hawaiian Punch: One person dresses like a boxer, and the other like a hula girl.

Hall and Oates: Wear ’80s type clothing. Get a burlap sack and fill it with crumpled-up newspaper. Using a stencil, paint the word “OATS” on the sack. Then lug it around over your shoulder. Tell the curious that you’re haulin’ oats.

Hell in a Hand Basket: Dress as a devil and sit in a large basket (or carry it around and when people ask, sit).

Hell on Wheels: Dress as a devil and wear rollerblades.

Highway to Hell: Wear all black, and stick yellow strips of tape up your legs, body, and arms. Wear a highway sign on your chest and devil horns on your head.

His and Her’s Hershey’s Bars: Use large garbage bags and white contact paper to reproduce Hershey’s bars. The woman is Hershey’s Bar Plain, and the man is Hershey’s with Almonds!

Hotmail: Wear white clothes. Put a stamp on your left shoulder. Use yellow, red and orange tissue to create “flames,” and attach them to your body (or draw flames on with markers).

Icon: Take an old basketball, cut it so it fits on your head and paint it to look like a giant eyeball. Then dress like a convict (striped clothes, ball, and chains).

Identity Crisis: Wear a sweatsuit or other uniformly-colored clothing, and put “Hello my name is…” tags with random names all over your body.

Internet Surfer: Wear a wetsuit and flippers. Make a cape out of the brightly colored fishing net, and attach signs like IBM, Macintosh, Apple, and so on. A snorkel and boogie board is optional.

Jellyfish: Take an umbrella (a clear or light-colored umbrella works best), and some ribbon of a different color. Cut the ribbon to sizes a little longer than your height. Tape the ribbon to the edge of the umbrella. When you knock at the door open the umbrella when you’re done just close it. It’s easy and the best part is, you don’t even have to dress up or put any makeup on.

Jeopardy Contestant: Take a large cardboard box, cut out the top and bottom, and use straps or suspenders to hang it from your shoulders (so it hangs around the middle of your body). Paint the box to look like a Jeopardy console, complete with your name, dollar amount, etc., and attach a “buzzer” on a cord. Wear a suit underneath, and walk around calling everyone ‘Alex’ and phrasing all responses in the form of a question.

Jigsaw Puzzle: Wear blacks sweats and glue puzzle pieces to it.

Johnny On The Spot: Wear a name tag that says “Johnny” (not necessary if your real name is Johnny).  Create a circle out of cardboard or plastic (even a trash bag works), big enough to stand on. When someone asks you what you are, throw the circle on the floor and stand on it.

Killer Bee: Spray paint black horizontal stripes across a yellow t-shirt. Add fake antennas (Styrofoam balls on wire secured to a plastic headband). Wear with camouflage pants, combat boots, ammo bandoliers, and a couple of fake pistols stuck in your belt.

Killing Time: Hold a clock and a fake bloody knife. Or, dress up as a giant clock with a fake bloody knife in it.

King Of Beers: Buy or make a king costume. Glue beer caps all over the crown and scepter.

Kodak Moment: Make a large frame out of cardboard and paint it brown for a wood effect. Strike memorable poses throughout the evening. Works well when others want to get into the picture during the party for other interesting photo opportunities.

Lady and the Tramp: She wears fancy clothes (ballgown or evening gown, long gloves, etc.). He dresses like a tramp (dirty, ragged clothes, etc.).

Lame Excuse: Wear signs on front and back reading something like “The check is in the mail” or ” I tried to call you.? Wrap your foot in bandages and use crutches.

Lawn: Wear green clothes. Make a vest out of synthetic grass (available from a home improvement store). Attach a Frisbee, tennis ball, dog bone, fake doggie-do, etc. Carry around a pink flamingo lawn ornament.

Lawsuit: Wear a business suit and tack on documents such as divorce papers, restraining orders, sexual harassment cases, lawsuits over spilled hot coffee, etc.

Leaf Blower: Wear a baseball cap with a leaf dangling down in front of your face. When someone asks what you are, blow on the leaf.

Lego: Get a box and 6 or 8 tuna cans. Cut the bottom of the box out as well as arm and head holes. Glue the Tuna cans to the box and spray paint it your favorite Lego color.

Levitating Genie: The idea here is to make yourself look like a genie levitating in a cross-legged position. To do this, cut a hole in a stiff piece of cardboard so it fits around your hips (use straps under your shirt to hang it from your shoulders). Drape it with black cloth so your legs are covered. Stuff a pair of tights, attach them to your hips and arrange them cross-legged. Add genie slippers. Dress your top half like a genie.

Leftover: Wrap yourself all over with foil. Stick a label on yourself that says “leftover dinner.” For added effect put a clear bag around yourself and label it “Ziploc.”

Little White Lie: Wear all white and pin little notes all over yourself that say things like “the check’s in the mail,” “your baby is so cute,” “you look great in that dress,” and “you don’t look fat.”

Lost Airline Luggage: Take a cheap vinyl garment bag and punch holes out for your arms and legs. Attach some stickers to the bag–preferably some real airline stickers with destinations, etc. Add a sticker that says “Unclaimed.”

Macaroni and Cheese: Use a saucer sled to create a bowl that fits around your waist. Cut pieces of pipe insulation to make macaroni noodles, and glue to the sled. Cover the noodles with thick yellow-orange paint. Attach straps to hold the sled over your shoulders.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon: Get an appropriate costume, such as Bullwinkle or Snoopy. Attach long strings all around and then attach tiny plastic clowns at the end of each string. Then walk in slow motion humped over with the clowns just dragging the floor.

Magnetic Poetry: Everyone wears all white. Each person has a sign on their chest with one word on it. Have people make sentences out of you by moving you all around.

Material Girl: Cut large labels (Gap, Old Navy, etc) off several old shirts and pin them to a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Wear a pair of white sneakers ( draw a Nike label all over them). Dress like Madonna.

Medicine Chest: Wear white clothing, and hot glue items you would find in your medicine cabinet (q-tips, band-aids, cotton balls, comb, medicine bottles, disposable razor, toothbrush, etc.).

Melted Snow Man: Drench yourself in water and carry around two sticks, a scarf, two pieces of coal and a carrot.

Men In Black: Wear a black suit, white shirt, black tie, black shoes and socks, and dark sunglasses. If you have a third person, have them dress like an alien!

Milk Gone Bad: Use a cardboard box to create a carton of milk that hangs over your body. Wear an earring, chains, and fake tattoos, and have a pack of cigarettes rolled under your shirt sleeve, etc.

Money Launderer: Wear a large laundry bag (mesh works best) by cutting holes for arms and legs. Stuff play money inside and attach it to your body using clothespins. Carry laundry detergent.

Mr. (or Ms.) Universe: Wear all black and tape pictures of the sun, moon, planets, etc., to yourself.

Mr. and/or Mrs. Potato Head: Use brown felt to make yourself into a potato, wear white leggings, turtleneck and gloves underneath, with red clown shoes. Make up some felt body parts (eyes, lips, etc., and attach Velcro everyone will be able to play with your parts!)

Mucho De Niro: Photocopy several pictures of Robert De Niro and attach all over your body.

Mystery Person: Wear all black clothes with black gloves. Paint or attach a big question mark on the front of the shirt. Cut eye holes in a paper bag and put it over your head. People will be guessing who you are all night!

Nightmare in the Closet: Cut the front of a large cardboard box so it opens like a door. Wear the box over your entire body (including your head) using straps to secure it over your shoulders. Underneath wear any kind of monster costume.

Not a Happy Camper: Wear a camp t-shirt and cargo shorts. Tear holes and burn the edges of the clothes, then attach leaves and sticks, burnt and melted marshmallows and fake bugs to the clothes. Tease your hair; add melted marshmallows and fake welts and insect bites to exposed skin. For more effect, attach a rubber snake to your ankle as if being bit!

Nudist Colony on Strike: Everyone dresses normally, and carries signs that say “Nudist on Strike.”

Nuts and Bolts: Nuts wears clothes with peanuts, walnuts, etc. attached. Bolts wear clothes with cutouts of lightning bolts attached.

Old Man and the C: Wear fishing clothes (jeans, flannel shirt, fishing hat, etc.). Carry a fishing pole and/or tackle box. Make a big letter “C” and wear it around your neck or over one shoulder.

Rock and Roll: Glue rocks on one person, and dinner rolls on the other.

One Night Stand: Large box with a cutout for your head. Cover with tablecloth and use a glue gun to attach items for a nightstand (plastic champagne glasses with nylons draped over them, ashtray, cigarettes, condoms, candles, breath mints, alarm clock, etc). Put a lampshade on your head with a small flashlight attached, shining down on the table.

Operation Game Man:  Wear pale pink or flesh-colored clothing, with a red clown nose and fake wig. Use felt to create game pieces (butterflies in the stomach, broken heart, wrenched ankle, etc.). Attach the pieces to the appropriate location on your body with Velcro. Optional: Carry a large pair of tweezers so people can try their luck at removing your parts, and carry a hidden hand buzzer.

Panty Raider: Wear an Oakland Raiders football jersey. Attach women’s undergarments with safety pins.

Paper Doll: Wear white knee-highs and a slip. Cut out and paint a piece of cardboard to look like a dress, including rectangular tabs on the sides, and wear it in front of you attached with ribbons.

Partly Cloudy With A Chance of Showers: Wear blue surgical scrubs, glue cotton in a patchy pattern all over the shirt and carry a squirt gun.

Party Animals: Everyone wears a different animal costume (flamingo, gorilla, cat, etc.). Add party hats and party blowers. Run around tossing confetti.

Peace and Quiet: One person dresses like a hippie (jeans, flowered shirt, peace signs, beads, headband, etc.). The other person dresses up like a mime (striped shirt, black pants, suspenders, white face makeup, etc.).

Peace, Love, and Happiness: For three people: one person dresses like a hippy with a giant peace sign on their chest; one person wears red and white, with a giant heart on their chest; and one person wears bright yellow, with a giant smiley face on their chest.

Pete Moss: Attach Spanish moss to yourself, and wear a name tag that says “Pete.”

Phantom of the Grand Ole Opry: Wear black clothes, a black cape, and a Phantom of the Opera mask. Then add a cowboy hat, boots, and a toy gun and holster.

Piece of Gum Under a Table: Dress in a pink jumpsuit. Prepare a small board with a checkered table cloth, and glue plastic dishes on top (plate, knife, fork, cup). Strap the board to your head.

Pimp and His Hose: Head to the thrift store and find an old leisure suit or something with wide lapels or whatever so you dress like a pimp, and carry around a garden hose and a garden hoe.

Plastic Surgeon: Wear surgical scrubs. Carry around a roll of plastic wrap to perform on the spot surgery.

Pot Head: Find a cooking pot from the kitchen that will fit nicely on your head.

Quarterback: Wear normal clothes, and tape a quarter to your back.

Quarter Pounder: Carry a quarter and a hammer. If someone asks what your costume is, put the quarter down and pound it with the hammer.

Rapunzel: Find a cardboard box (or use a round plastic clothes basket) that will sit upside down over your head to form a “castle tower.” Cut the front so two pieces swing out like windows (this is where your face will show through). Cover the basket with brown craft paper, and decorate it to look like a stone tower (you can add fake ivy, flowers, birds, etc.). Attach brown fabric along the bottom of the box, so it hangs down and covers your body. Wear a long braided wig that hangs down out the window. Attach a small action figure, so it looks like he is climbing up your hair.

Road: Wear all black and tape on yellow lines to make roads. Attach toy cars, miniature stop signs, etc.

Royal Pain: Wear a gown (purple graduation gown works best), and a crown or tiara. Then stick Band-Aids over the posterior of the gown.

Sandwich: Dress as a witch, black hat, black dress, etc. Pin Ziploc bags of sand to dress. Now you’re a “sand” witch.

School Mishap: Wear your school uniform and an eye patch. Cut a pencil in half and hot glue it in the middle of the eye patch. Pretend that you got a pencil stuck in your eye at school!

Self-Absorbed: Attach sponges all over your body.

Seven Seas: Have a group of seven? Everyone attaches C’s all over themselves.

Shooting Star: Fashion a large star out of cardboard and wear it over your body. Carry fake gun(s) or water pistol(s) and shoot at people.

Sick and Tired: Wear a bicycle tire around your neck and put a thermometer in your mouth.

Silent (B&W) Film Star: Paint yourself gray, wear your hair black. Use creative shading at pertinent spots (eyes, cheeks, lips). Wear old gray, white or black dress from the ’20s. Paint your legs gray, and draw a black line up the back.

Silly Walker: Wear a suit, and whenever you walk, walk really strange. If you are asked, talk in a funny English accent and explain to you are from the Ministry of Silly Walks (from Monty Python).

Sloppy Joe: Wear dirty, wrinkled, ripped clothes. Button the buttons on your shirt wrong. Mess up your hair, have an unshaven face, and use make-up to add smudges to your skin. Wear tennis shoes with the laces untied. Wear a name tag that says “Joe.”

Smart Ass and Dumb Ass: Each person wears a fake plastic butt. Attach Dum Dum lollipops to one, and Smarties candies to the other.

Someone You Can Count On: Wear all black clothes. Cut out big, bright numbers and attach them to your clothes.

Spaghetti Western: Dress up as a cowboy/girl, and put spaghetti all over yourself.

Spelling Bee: Wear a bumblebee costume, with felt letters attached all over.

Sock in the Eye: Attach a sock to a baseball cap so it hangs down over your eye.

Speed Bump: Spray the tires of your car with black paint, then run over a bright yellow sweatsuit a few times (take the sweatsuit off first LOL!). Paint your face yellow and smear with some black make-up.

Spice Girl: Wear solid color clothes and attach spice labels (or actual spice bottles if you can!).

Spin Doctor: Wear scrubs or a white doctor’s jacket. Attach political buttons and stickers all over yourself.

Starbucks: Make some yellow stars out of paper or cardboard and pin them all over your clothes. Then take several dollar bills and pin them on also. Optional: carry a coffee mug.

Static Cling: Wear any kind of mismatched clothes, pin one pant leg up, pin dryer sheets on you as well as socks, small towels, etc., and then use hair gel to make your hair look like it has static.

Stick in the Mud: Wear all brown and attach a stick to your chest.

Substitute Teacher: Dress conservatively like a teacher (hair up in a bun, skirt and sweater, glasses on a chain around your neck). Then, stick a paper airplane in the back of your hair, put a note that says “Kick Me” on your back, cover your hands and face with chalk, and put chalk eraser prints on your clothes. Attach staples and paperclips to your clothes, with broken pencils sticking out here and there.

Taco Belle: Wear a Southern Belle outfit complete with a hoop skirt. Top it off with a sombrero. Speak Spanish with a southern drawl!

Tea Bag: Use a sheer white cloth to form tea bags and stuff with dried leaves. Make up a large tea bag tag. Wear white clothing underneath (sweatsuit, leotard, and tights or long johns).

Thing One and Thing Two: Wear red sweatsuits. Use white felt to create circles and attach them to your chests. Use a black marker to write ‘Thing 1’ and ‘Thing 2’ on the circles. Use temporary hair dye to make your hair blue, and use gel to make it stick straight up.

Three Out of Four Dentists Who Chew Gum: Four people dressed as dentists, wear white lab coats, with three of them chewing gum.

Tickled Pink: Wear pink clothes and carry a feather.

Time Flies: Clock mask-like above, with wings on your back.

Toilet Stall: Dress up in gray sweats and use a permanent marker to write graffiti-like, “save the whales” or “don’t spit in the wind,” or draw little figures, or put peoples names on it.

Twister Game: Cut out colored felt circles and glue/pin them to a white T-shirt. Make a spinner from a white piece of poster board wear the spinner as a hat. (You could also take an old Twister game and cut it up and wear the pieces.)

Upper and Lower GIs: Get a set of army fatigues, and have one person wear the tops and the other wears the bottoms.

UPS Man and His Package: He dresses in a dark brown button-down short-sleeved shirt, and brown shorts, with a UPS logo on the pocket. She wears a large box, wrapped in brown paper, with holes cut for head and arms.

Used Car Lot: Wear all black. Attach Hot Wheels cars with prices on them. Add banners and signs that say “HOT DEALS!”, etc.

Verizon Guy: Dress like a technician (zipper jacket, geeky glasses). Walk around with a cell phone saying, “Can you hear me now? Good!”.

Waist of Time: Attach watches to your belt.

Web Server: Dress like a waitress/waiter, carry around a tray with food that has fake spider webs draped over it.

Web Surfer: Dress up like a surfer and cover yourself with fake spider web stuff.

Whack-A-Mole: Find a tall cardboard box and cut holes for your head and arms. Paint your face brown with whiskers. Paint the box to look like an arcade game, with a coin slot. Attach a mallet to the box.

When Life Gives You Lemons: Take a white T-Shirt and write the word LIFE on it with a Sharpie and then carry a basket or bag of lemons and hand them out to people.

White Trash: Take a large white plastic trashcan. Cut it so you can wear it around your torso, fill with white or clear garbage hanging out around the top. Tie the lid to your head. Wear over all-white clothes.

Wicked Witch of the East: Design a large box to look like a house. Place it over yourself, cut holes so you can see out, and so that your legs show. Wear striped stockings and red glittery shoes.

Wisdom Tooth: Wear an over-sized white sweatsuit, pull the ankle cuffs over your feet and stuff your shoulders with padding or small balloons to make yourself look like a large tooth. Then wear a graduation cap on your head and carry a diploma.

X-Ray Machine: Use a big box, painted white, with a hole cut out for head and arms–legs out the open bottom. Paint a black rectangle on the front, along with the words: “Caution: X-RAY IN USE”. Use the torso of a life-size paper skeleton decoration as the image on the black rectangle (the screen).

Another myth busted. I managed to see so many college athletes over the years graduate, go to the pros, not get to go to the pros, play overseas, end their careers, start new careers, move all over, get married, have families and managed to hide those little sniffles and tears of joy and sadness because I felt like I had to. I was supposed to be The Sports Massage Therapist right? Where were my ethics, my boundaries, my professional distance? I had to be strong – I couldn’t let that armor down.

January 27, 2001, is indelibly etched in my brain. It was a Saturday night. The Thursday night before, Christopher, myself and one other Massage Therapist spent the evening working with the OSU Men’s Basketball Team. During the Basketball season we usually took four Massage Therapists but, for some reason we did not work with the Women’s Basketball team that night, maybe they were out of town. The Men’s Basketball team was having a great season, everyone was in good spirits and looking forward to their next game in Colorado. Then Saturday night after their game in Colorado, the plane crashed. Christopher called me and told me to sit down. We lost 10 amazing men that night. There is crying in Sports Massage. We had worked with this program since 1995, we knew the coaches, the trainers, the managers and we knew the players. We knew and had worked closely with 6 of the 10. Click here http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=gottlieb_doug&id=6058906 for my favorite article about The 10.

The tears didn’t end though. What followed was an emotional few weeks, filled with memorial services and funerals.  The Athletic Trainers made sure we had the information, they made sure we knew we were included and expected to sit with them. Even that made me weep. We will always ‘Remember the 10’.

The only other times I bawled, cried real tears and even sobbed, was when I left The Oklahoma State University Training Room and The University of Tulsa Training Room for the last time this past January (2012). We do miss working with the Universities, High Schools – teams that we had worked within the last 17 years. We really miss the Athletic Trainers and hope to meet some here in PA. We don’t miss working with athletes though – they are still on our table. Maybe it is a tiny gymnast, a local volunteer firefighter that works out at the YMCA, or an older person that has a walking regimen. They are still athletes to us, and we are their Massage Therapists.

To book your appointment give us a call at 610-933-3666 or 610-906-2322

There are rules in every game for every player. These rules are common knowledge and expected in every game. There are refs there to make calls when the rules are violated.

There are also rules for Coaches, Parents, Physicians, Athletic Trainers and yes even Massage Therapists. These are not that well known. They are ethics and NCAA guidelines. There are no refs. There are people who will report you and there will be repercussions. Not just for the coach or the massage Therapists but, the athlete, even the team and the school.

The NCAA has many rules that govern what student-athletes may and may not do on and off the playing field. As relatives of student-athletes, there are NCAA rules that pertain to you as well. It is often good intentions that get people into a jam with NCAA Compliance. Here are the three most important rules we all need to know.

1. NCAA BYLAW

12.1.2.1.6 Preferential Treatment, Benefits or Services.

Preferential treatment, benefits or services because of the individual’s athletics reputation or skill or pay-back potential as a professional athlete, unless such treatment, benefits or services are specifically permitted under NCAA legislation.

(Revised: 1/11/94)

2. NCAA BYLAW

10.1 UNETHICAL CONDUCT

Unethical conduct by a prospective or enrolled student-athlete or a current or former institutional staff member (e.g., coach, professor, tutor, teaching assistant, student manager, student trainer) may include, but is not limited to, the following:

(Revised: 1/10/90, 1/9/96, 2/22/01)

(c) Knowing involvement in offering or

providing a prospective or an enrolled

student-athlete an improper inducement

or extra benefit or improper financial aid;

(Revised: 1/9/96)

3. NCAA BYLAW 2.9 THE PRINCIPLE OF AMATEURISM

Student-athletes shall be amateurs in an intercollegiate sport, and their participation should be motivated primarily by education and by the physical, mental and social benefits to be derived. Student participation in intercollegiate athletics is an avocation, and student-athletes should be protected from exploitation by professional and commercial enterprises.

We are often told and even encouraged by people to “get that kid on your table!” or “just send them a gift certificate anonymously!”  This would be wrong and unethical. These rules are serious and this is why we cannot provide any free services for High School & Collegiate Athletes.

We also hear about how we have obviously not thought of getting a famous athlete we know and have had as a client to write us a testimonial or post pictures of us and some of the teams and athletes we have worked. That is correct we wouldn’t dream of it. See rule number 3!

As much as we would love to be nice and generous, support our local teams and reach out to provide a few free sessions for certain people it is really against the rules.  Here is the best, most updated content site for information about NCAA Eligibility.  It is well worth any athlete’s and/or parents’ time to read this.

http://www.ncsasports.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/CBSA1.pdf

When we have an athlete on our massage table we are part of a team. There is the team that takes the field or competes in events together however there are a lot more people on the team than you may realize. Today I am going to go over the possible team members we should all be aware of.

Here is a list of Team Members (not in any order of priority)

• Parents
• Teammates
• Coaching Staff
• Team Physicians
• Athletic Training Staff
• Massage Therapists

Depending on the age of the athlete, the sport they play and the level they compete at the team members will differ. For instance; the 12-year-old gymnast that is brought in by their mom may only have the parent, a coach, and teammates whereas the D1 college player may have all the team members.

Parents

As a parent of an athlete, you are also part of the team. You have raised this athlete. You feed them, care for them and support them. You know them better than anyone else. (teenagers may argue this). You have a right to know who all these other people are. You need to know who to report to if you are concerned. It would also be helpful if they gave you a list of things they would like you to report such as; nausea, dizziness, headaches, bruises, etc. The list could be a little different in some sports. Here is a terrific link for parents of competitive athletes; http://www.safekids.org/assets/docs/safety-basics/sports/2012-sports.pdf Now read on to see who some of the other team members are.

Teammates

Teammates are part of every athlete’s support system. Even sports that seem individual such as Discus or Tennis will have other teammates. Teammates are usually friends and some become very close, they support each other, challenge each other and work together to achieve common goals.

Coaching Staff

Sometimes there is just one Coach for a whole team and there can also be a Head Coach and Assistant Coaches. Their main concern is the athlete; preparing them, helping them improve their skills and utilizing them. They also want to win so there are all kinds of strategies, planning and supervising that they are in charge of. Coaches also have to follow the rules, engage with the administration or club and/or body that oversees the sport.

Team Physicians

Team Physicians are usually involved and responsible for preseason screenings, event presence and coverage, diagnose injuries or illness and prescribe rehabilitation and or treatment. A wide variety of Physicians serve as team physicians, here are the most common;

• Family Practice
• Pediatrician
• Orthopedist
• Physiatrist

 Athletic Training Staff

Athletic Trainers are Nationally Certified Allied Health Professionals.  They are not personal trainers.  They should be a member of The National Athletic Trainers Association http://www.nata.org/. Athletic Trainers are trained in; Prevention, Evaluation/Diagnosis, Treatment and Rehabilitation of injuries.  If your child or family member is participating in a competitive sport at the high school or college level they should have a Certified Athletic Trainer on their healthcare team. If they don’t, you need to ask why. Go here to learn more about this important issue. http://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/youth-sports-safety-team-approach-needed-says-nata

Massage Therapists

Having Massage Therapists as part of the Health Care Team is somewhat new. Athletes have been utilizing massage therapy for many years. It was only in the 1990s that D1 college teams began utilizing massage therapists. Most Massage Therapists are contracted, few are actual employees. They may be asked to work with the athletes in the training room or off-site in their own offices. Parents of athletes or adult athletes commonly find one or more Massage Therapists to work with them privately. One thing that is crucial for people to understand is that these athletes have very little free time. So it is usually best to have a number of Massage Therapists (a team) to be able to work with the athletes at an appointed time that works out best in their schedule. Massage Therapists who not only have the skills and experience but, are conveniently located and have flexible scheduling. Massage Therapists also may just be working with one athlete on a team or only the ones that are injured. Who the Massage Therapists work with is usually the decision of the Coach or Athletic Trainer.

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, all Massage Therapists must be licensed. So please ask to see your Massage Therapist’s license. If they can’t show you their license, just leave. Really if they cannot get licensed or have the intelligence to keep it handy they do not deserve your patronage.

So please go meet the team members that work with your athlete. Or if you are an adult athlete ask your coach or teammates who they would recommend.

So please click here to schedule an appointment soon. We will be out of town on October 1st – 7th attending the American Massage Therapy Association National Convention in Raleigh, NC.

I was determined to learn as much as I could about Sports Massage. I decided the best way to do that was to attend continuing education over the years with some amazing educators; Myk Hungerford, Bob King, Harold Packman, Erik Dalton, Whitney Lowe, James Waslaski, Django Sanders, Bruno Chikly, MD and Phil Nokes, DO. I have quite a few of those pieces of paper stacked up now but, I still going to classes. I still don’t call myself a Sports Massage Therapist.

My practice flourished and while I had many athletes that enjoyed my work, I had as many other clients that did not identify themselves as athletes so, I still didn’t think of myself as a Sports Massage Therapist. I was flattered to have referrals from Orthopedic Physicians, Family Practice Physicians, and Physical Therapists. The biggest kudo, however, was when an Athletic Trainer called me and asked me to come to the university to interview for the opportunity to become their official provider of Sports Massage. At first, I was shocked and humble.  Who me? Really? Surely there are Sports Massage Therapists that are more qualified than I am. They assured me they were interviewing a number of Massage Therapists and asked me to please come to visit with them. How could I refuse?

In 1995 I got the contract with Oklahoma State University to provide Massage Therapy services for their Athletic Department. See even they didn’t define it Sports Massage. I had the pleasure and privilege of driving from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Stillwater, Oklahoma on a weekly basis during Football, Basketball, Track & Field, Cross Country, Soccer and Golf seasons. I usually took 1 – 3 other Massage Therapists with me. I understood immediately that these college athletes had only small windows of time. Between classes, practices, working out, checking in, meetings, homework, travel and just trying to live –  their time was tight. So time was scheduled according to the team’s availability. Thirty-two Football players on Thursday evening between 6 pm and 8:30 pm. You bet I brought a team of massage therapists with me!

It was the strength of the team of Massage Therapists, not me, not Sports Massage Therapists that allowed that to grow. In 1997 my business got a contract with The University of Tulsa. This was much closer and easier to schedule. Now we had more than one team to take care of. Sometimes they played against each other. It didn’t matter.  At The University of Tulsa, we got to work with Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer, Track & Field, Cross Country, Tennis, and Crew. It never mattered what color their uniform was if they were on our table we were on the same team.

This same philosophy came in handy when we started working with some local High Schools and out of state University teams that were traveling in Oklahoma to play against OU, OSU and TU. I have lost count of how many Universities my husband and I have had an opportunity to work with. I have lost count how many of the athletes we have worked with that made it to the pros. Some of those athletes still keep in touch, some come back and still look us up, we are flattered.

To book your appointment give us a call at  610-906-2322

First, I never wanted to be a Sports Massage Therapist and I still do not call myself that.  I am a Massage Therapist. I have had many classes of continuing education and lots of experience in Sports Massage but, that isn’t what I set out to do.  In fact, when I went to Massage School I avoided the schools that had an emphasis on Sports Massage.  It was several months later when I decided to give it a whirl.  What a whirl. I only did it because every time I talked to anyone outside of my school or my class they always asked me if I did Sports Massage.  I got the “you ain’t crap if you don’t do Sports Massage” mantra so much I actually believed it and signed up for a class at another school.

Silly me, I was so young and naïve.  I didn’t read all the writing on the enrollment agreement. It was a great class but, I was not prepared for the huge amount of clinical experience that was going to be required. I had a husband in the Navy, two little girls at home, I was working and going to Massage School.  Where in the world was I going to find the time to do 100 hours of volunteer Sports Massage?  I could have taken a class that was shorter or didn’t require that much clinical experience. Not me, I was not paying close attention to those details. The reluctance was settling in. I wasn’t going to throw in the towel yet though. I really liked the class. The people were nice. The instructor was very professional. I was learning some, although most of it I had already learned at Body Mind College, they just didn’t call it Sports Massage. I really believed this class was going to make a difference.

I set out to do my first volunteer clinical hours and signed up for the first thing on the list hanging on the bulletin board in the hall. The LA Marathon, no problem!                          <Insert Snorts & Laughter Here>

First I had to send in my registration packet. Yes in some states they actually make the Massage Therapists that are volunteering register for the race. Not a bad idea. I wish it would happen more often. This way they can see what training you have, if you are licensed, make certain you have malpractice insurance and if you are a student, who is responsible for you.

So the person that was “responsible for me” was quite professional, she had a curt, clipped way of communicating. I could handle that. What I didn’t handle well was that the first person that got on my table threw up. Yep, vomit all over my beautiful new dark blue massage table. Somehow they skipped the medical tent and got in the queue and on my table without a massage ticket. That system wasn’t foolproof.  By the time I got that person’s medical attention, moved out of the massage area and had my table cleaned up to the satisfaction of my supervisor I was way behind. I wasn’t even going to get credit for that first hour because of the problem. This was going to take a while!

To book your appointment give us a call at 610-906-2322

• No pain, no gain is a big fat lie!

Some specific techniques, like trigger point and active release may be painful momentarily during the process. The goal is to relieve pain. Not create pain. You should not spend a whole session or even a significant part of it, wincing, flinching, tensing up, crying, biting your lip or tongue or gripping the table until your knuckles are white.

• It is not just deeper, harder and faster.

Sometimes it is deeper, depending on the situation, injury or the client. Sometimes it is faster, for example; Pre-Event Sports Massage for a 5k. I don’t even know how to grasp how a massage therapist would do a massage harder.  That sounds like assault and battery to me not a massage.

• It is not just for competitive and pro athletes.

Sure we love to work with the pros but, before they were competitive or pro level they were perhaps younger and/or active and still appropriate for sports massage.

• It is appropriate for every sport and many other activities.

People that dance, do yoga, bike, hike, zumba or walk around delivering mail all day could be a perfect client for sports massage.

• It is appropriate for every level of activity.

Each session may be different but, it doesn’t matter if they are a record holding race walker or an older adult that walks at the mall with their friends a couple times a week.
It is for people of all ages. No matter how old you are, if you are active and have pain, reduced range of motion or want to increase your flexibility, level of activity and performance sports massage could help.

• It is not defined by session length.

What most people are familiar with is the very short sessions.  Sports Massage can typically be   only 15 minutes or less or up to two hours. It depends more on the client and the situation for the timing. Sports Massage at events and with teams will tend to be shorter sessions more often than not. So it may not always be the typical 30, 60, 90 minutes sessions that are commonly offered in most practices.

If you would like to schedule an appointment online please click here or you are welcome to give us a call at 610-906-2322 or 610-933-3666 if you would like to book and appointment or have any questions.

Defining Sports Massage is challenging.  Even when you ask a number of different Massage Therapists who say they offer it or are certified in it, they may all come up with different definitions.  All of them will, however, have a few things in common;

• Focus on specific areas or needs of the client.
• Facilitate a desired physiological change in the tissue.
• Have a goal or goals of improving performance, movement, flexibility, strength and/or endurance.
• Utilize a variety of techniques and modalities.

While Sports Massage has been around quite a while, it is still developing into its own genre. Sports Massage Therapists and Massage Therapists that offer Sports Massage will have a very good background in:

• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Kinesiology
• Pathology
• Orthopedic Assessment

Depending on the client and the situation, they may use only a couple of different strokes or techniques or quite a few. Techniques and Modalities may include but are not limited to; Swedish Massage, Traditional European Massage, Russian Sports Massage, Active Isolated Stretching, Neuromuscular Therapy, Orthopedic Massage and Bodywork, Myoskeletal Alignment, Myofascial Release, Strain Counterstrain, Positional Release, Active and Passive Stretching, Trigger Point, Active Release, Lymphatic Drainage, Deep Tissue, Acupressure, and even Ice Massage. Please note; in some states, Massage Therapists may be limited by their scope of practice and may not be able to offer or legally practice all of the techniques and modalities listed above.

Some people say relaxation has nothing to do with Sports Massage. I will also beg to differ there. Even the highest performing athletes can benefit from a relaxing massage.

We will look forward to working with you and helping you relax, feel better and/or improve your performance.  Please feel free to give us a call if you would like to book an appointment or have any questions call 610-906-2322.

Christopher and I had an opportunity to go to the Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp this year. It was an amazing experience! Since it is football season I decided to start a blog series about Sports Massage.

Here is a disclaimer: we do not intend or mean to imply in any way that we are working with anyone in the NFL or any team in the NFL.

I hope this blog series will prove interesting for clients, potential clients, athletes, and massage therapists. Here is a list of the topics I am planning to cover:

• Busting the Myths of Sports Massage
• Attempting to Define Sports Massage
• My experience in Sports Massage
• Working with Teams
• Confidentiality
• NCAA Compliance Issues

I am really looking forward to this and hope you all will enjoy it too!

“For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.” ~Lily Tomlin

I don’t like to rush. I don’t like to rush others either. While I detest rushing and realize all the dangers of rushing; klutzy accidents, spills, awkward moments, mistakes ugh! It just isn’t pretty. I actually do my best to create situations so I am not rushed and do not rush others. I am chronically punctual and there is never anyone there to appreciate it.

I went to get a massage one time from another therapist who was rumored to be amazing. I arrived (of course) 10 minutes early. She wasn’t out of her session yet. So I waited. Then she came out and handed me the form to fill out. I got done with the form about the same moment her client came out. She told me to just give her the paper and go on in while she “checked out” the client.
I hesitated. I was attempting to be polite. I thought perhaps her day was a shambles because clients were late and she was being nice. So I offered that I could wait a bit if she needed time to take a break and clean her room. She said no and asked me to follow her, while she waved at the departing client. She told me to go ahead and undress while she changed the sheets. I looked at the clock it was exactly the time my appointment was due to start. I asked if I could please wait until she finished changing the sheets and left the room before I got undressed and on the table. She said nope that wasn’t how she worked and she didn’t have time to do that. WOW!

And yet I had heard she was amazing. So, I just said I would get undressed and stay behind the screen until the table was ready. She joked about me being really modest for a massage therapist. I didn’t launch on that one. I really wanted to get the massage that was supposed to be amazing. It wasn’t. She only did effleurage, compression, and very light point work. She talked the whole time. She would lightly touch a point and start telling me that this is where my pain was because of some nutritional thing. I told her I didn’t hurt there. She said it just hadn’t manifested fully yet but, she was going to take care of that before it did and save me the trouble. Yeah, the whole massage was her massage, not my massage. And it wasn’t an hour like I expected. It was exactly 48 minutes from the time of my appointment when she announced that the session was over and she had another client in minutes so if I wouldn’t mind getting dressed and pulling those sheets for her since I was a massage therapist and knew how to do that, she would see me out front in just a sec! WOW!

So I do not rush. I talk very little during the session. I like to listen. I like to help clients get the session they need. I like to meet clients where they are at. I schedule 30 minutes in between sessions so I can get a drink, go to the bathroom, clean the room completely (thank you) and maybe even return a phone call or text if I need to, sometimes I even snack. I am fully ready for the next client. They have my full attention. I am not thinking about rushing at all. I do not want my clients to think about it either.

If a client is late I do not call them 15 minutes after their appointment time. I have a deep fear that I would be calling them in the middle of a crisis or a wreck. Really, that would be my luck. I wait at least 30 minutes, sometimes later and send them an email. That seems safer and less rushed than a phone call or text message. I am quite fortunate that I do not have a problem with late clients. If the are 10 minutes late it is no big deal. I set aside time so I do not have to rush. I want to hear their whole story, I need all their information, I do not mind taking time to visit and go over results of the last session and/or goals for the next session. That is just comfortable for me and I believe the clients really appreciate it.

I did have one chronically late client. I simply changed their appointment time but didn’t tell them. They always apologized, had the best intentions, never wanted to change their appointment to another time and always offered to just have a shorter session. They appreciated it and gave me amazing holiday gifts.

The other benefit of this not rushed relationship with my clients is that the very few times I have had to rush to do something, they not only understood but fully supported me. They supported me when I had to cancel three weeks of appointments to rush to Oklahoma City after the bombing and work with 70 other therapists from 9 states to provide massage for the Rescue Teams, FEMA, Medical Examiners, volunteers and family members of the victims. They completely understood and didn’t mind missing an appointment or rescheduling when my husband Christopher and I answered the call to volunteer to train and mentor the AMTA Missouri Chapter and Missouri Massage Therapists so that they could provide relief and response after the Joplin Tornado.

So yes we don’t mind responding to a real emergency but, seriously no rush, just schedule an appointment whenever you like, take your time, it is after all your time.

“Taking the time to do nothing often brings everything into perspective” – Doe Zantamata

If I had seen this quote before I went on vacation I would have scoffed or just not paid attention to it. Seeing it the last night I will spend in San Diego on my vacation made it so real. We often are so busy we do not take time for ourselves, time to play much less time to do nothing.

I remember when I was a teenager, way before there was a web or even pagers we did nothing. It exasperated our parents. They would ask “what are you doing?”
We would reply “Nothing.”
My mom would inquire “what did you and your girlfriends do last night?”

I would reply “We just hung out.”
Mom would always want more information, “What do you do when you are hanging out?”
I would always just say “Nothing.”

I really meant it too. I have no idea what we did most of the time, I cannot account for that time. I do know that somehow we benefitted from it. Same thing with this vacation. I am not even going to try to account for the time. Nor will I begin to list or regret the things I didn’t do. I am rested. I am looking forward to going home, getting back to work and begin to set goals and accomplish things again.

I highly recommend this doing nothing. I am certain now that I have gotten the hang of it again I will be able to do it again on a more regular basis. I have enjoyed it and benefitted from it. I know you, my clients will benefit from it as well. I am focused, full of new perspectives, ideas, memories, information, appreciation, and energy. Just remember that when you book an appointment, you have the option of not doing anything for that time.

Really people, please talk to your doctor. Your Physician not only wants to know if you are receiving Massage and/or Bodywork, but they also need to know this. It is not a secret. It is in your best interest to talk to your doctor even before you decide to schedule an appointment.

Christopher and I have had the opportunity to work with and receive referrals from many different physicians over the years. The complaint we hear most often is that Physicians feel, most of their patients do not tell them when they are receiving massages. Why is this happening?

Because some people still believe that doctors and massage therapists do not play well together. Hey, give us a chance! You would be surprised.

Some people still think Massage and Bodywork is alternative, magical, inexplicable, not scientific enough or just woo. It isn’t. We have research. If you would like us to find and print out research on your particular pathology we will just ask. Or go visit www.MassageTherapyFoundation.org and have a peek about yourself.

Some people are afraid their physician will tell them not to get a massage. Not likely, except in the rare case that there is a contraindication. Even if there is a contraindication, that doesn’t always mean you cannot get a massage, it may mean you need to get a specific type of massage. This is necessary and will help the physician and your Massage Therapist make certain you are getting what you need.

Physicians will sometimes surprise you and let you know about a Massage and/or Bodywork Therapist that you didn’t know about. One that may specialize in just the type of work you need.

Most often I hear clients say that their physician was not only happy to hear they were getting Massage or Bodywork but, wanted to know more about it. Is it working, what are they doing and who are they seeing. So, please let your physician know if you are currently receiving Massage and/or Bodywork. Let your physician know if you are considering scheduling an appointment for Massage and/or Bodywork. And by all means, feel free to take a couple of our business cards with you to give to the Physician and Office Manager.

The body knows if the hands know the passwords. I have said this for many years and it remains a truth for all of us in the field of massage and bodywork. There is an almost magical moment when the person on the table realizes it. When the body acknowledges the passwords are correct.

Physically they may relax more, sink into the table or even sign. Verbally they may exclaim surprise that I actually know what I am doing or found the exact spot very quickly. More importantly, it defines a level of trust and communication that promises the rest of the session we will be working together to achieve a common goal.

I truly believe this would never happen if I hadn’t learned first to listen, touch and palpate the body. I may know and employ many advanced techniques and modalities but, I always begin with touch. I am grateful that I had an opportunity to thoroughly learn the basic strokes. I always include some basics, at the very least effleurage and compression.

I fear that if a client came to me and I started out immediately with Myofascial Release, Trigger Point or Deep Tissue it would take much longer. They might even freak out. It might be too much at once. We have to begin with the basics, we have to begin with the correct passwords.

I am so fortunate to have experienced a great teacher. I am more fortunate that he is still in my life. I do credit my teacher, Barry Green, Ph.D. with much of my success. Not many Massage Therapists get to say they have been in practice for 25 years. I have been vibrant, busy and successful for 25 years and do not see any end to that at this point. Having the opportunity to see and be with Barry again was the height of my trip to San Diego. It was the anniversary of my beginning Massage School at Body Mind College.

On this anniversary I would like to pay homage to my teacher, Barry Green, Ph.D. by sharing the three most important things he taught me.

Willingness: Cheerful compliance, the quality or state of being willing, free choice or consent of the will, freedom from reluctance, the readiness of the mind to do or forbear.

Being willing to work, set boundaries, learn, listen, connect, take the time, work on yourself, hear critique, work more to refine and being disciplined. Willingly accepting truths, exploring possibilities, letting go of ideas, things, concepts even people when it is sensible.

Whether you know me well or just a bit you understand that I am passionate about my work. Some say I am intense. I say I am in a constant state of willingness.

Connecting: To join, link, or fasten together; unite or bind, to establish communication between, to cause to be associated, as in a personal or business relationship.

Not just making the time to be with a client but allowing yourself to be fully present with them, to connect with them. The sessions are much easier, more beneficial, and the information you gather is much more precise. The work is never mechanical but, always vibrant and never fatiguing.

It is almost painful for me to hear or see Massage Therapist cheering for the weekend, saying it is just a job, dreading Mondays, or thanking God their day is over. I have to wonder if they are really connecting.

Listening: The Chinese verb “to listen” is perhaps the simplest, yet most comprehensive, an example of open-minded, active, complete listening known. The Chinese character that means “to listen” is made up of the characters that mean “eyes,” “ear,” “undivided attention,” and “heart.”

The Chinese view listening as a whole-body experience that involves all of these things.

• The Ears – Listening with your ears means that you understand the listening process including focusing, understanding, and reacting. It means that you have moved past the hearing stage and made a voluntary decision to listen.
• The Eyes – Listening with your eyes means that you look at the person who is talking. It means that you observe his or her facial expressions, movements, mannerisms, body language and nonverbal communication. It means that with your eyes you begin to see what that person is saying, even if he or she is not speaking.
• Undivided Attention – This is perhaps the most difficult of actions. Your undivided attention means that you have eliminated all distractions and all barriers that may cloud your ability to listen. It means that you have moved beyond the prejudices and biases that you hold about a person, an issue, or a topic. It means that the person you are with is the only thing on your mind.
• The Heart – It has been said that empathy is your pain in my heart. This is what listening with your heart entails, sympathy and empathy. It means that you are able to put yourself in other people’s shoes, inside their head, inside their life, and listen to them from their point of view. This does not mean you revel in it, say you totally understand it or embrace the drama of it.

I am looking forward to my next decade(s) of practice and I am thrilled my teacher still has many things to teach me.

I know I could get out of blogging tonight. I know everyone would forgive me. I realize there are no blogging police. No one would blame me because I am on vacation. I have been spending time with my husband and dear friends I haven’t seen in a long time. I have been taking my time and taking care of me. Everyone would be happy about that. I wouldn’t be happy though.

My first massage instructor Barry Green once told me “You are the most disciplined person I know”.

I really didn’t believe him but, I wanted to. I still want to. I have a hard time figuring out when I am being disciplined and when I am being stubborn. Sometimes I wonder if determined and diligent are actually appreciated, misunderstood or used as an excuse to be OCD.

I get exasperated when clients tell me about their former therapists who didn’t answer the phone or return calls. Forgot or arrived late to appointments. I couldn’t remember their name or what they did the last time because they didn’t take notes or pay attention.

This blogging challenge is like anything else. It is a goal. It is a necessity, like doing the laundry, showing up for the appointment on time, returning the calls, paying the bills and really being there and connected with the client in every session. These things do not come easy to all of us. Some of these things are no fun.

I imagine it all like a walk. Sometimes it is easy, there are friends around or online or there is one really strong supportive friend right there with you. The path is clear and flat. Then it starts going uphill and you find yourself all alone. Then it gets even more challenging because the path is full of stones. Sometimes we just have to walk on the stones. We will do this because we must, it is why we are here. We walk on stones not just to not let others down but, to not let ourselves down. We can do it. We can walk on the stones.

The smaller stones can cause the most pain. The bigger stones can become easier. We can walk on these stones alone and together. As friends, as peers, as a blogging group and yes as Client and Massage Therapist.

Twenty-five years ago I started massage school. I finally decided to do this because someone very dear to me told me that if I didn’t, I would not be a pleasant person to be around in twenty years. They said if I didn’t do this now, while I was living in San Diego, I would miss my opportunity. The first challenge for me was to figure out which massage school to attend. Even in 1987, there were a lot of massage schools in the area. I decided to visit all of them before I made my decision. I attended each school’s open house and also visited afterward to discuss the actual details. At the time it was frustrating and challenging. Looking back on it, it was amusing.

Please remember, I was not from California, I was from Oklahoma. I was a Navy wife with two daughters and was working full time at an oil company. So this wasn’t an easy thing for me to do.
I am not going to mention the exact names of the schools because it really doesn’t matter and while a couple may still be around they are much different than they were twenty-five years ago.

I visited the first school on my list and I was overwhelmed. It was huge. There were a lot of different instructors and different classes. It was confusing. They showed me wonderful pictures of their graduates that were practicing successfully in the area and they were all beautiful and incredibly cool looking. It just didn’t feel right.

The next school was a little farther away but, I wanted to see what they had to offer too. They thought it would be the best idea for me to attend one of their “special” classes. These classes were only a few hours or a day and often had massage therapists, bodyworkers and laypeople in the classes. The one I went to was being taught by a famous author. Boy was I surprised when less than 15 minutes into the class we were directed to get undressed completely and get comfortable in our skins. I offered to go get the bathing suit that I had in the car. They said no. They said I had “body issues” and was a “prude”. They said I needed to learn to let go of things and have more self-esteem for my body. I just didn’t take it well. I remained as calm as I could but, I told them I was a size 6 and had a better body than most of the class. Just because I chose not to show it off to the paunchy old bald guys in class did not mean I had issues. It meant I had respect for my body that only my husband got to see naked. They said I had to be naked to remain in class or it wouldn’t be fair. I said I would participate if I could wear my swimsuit and that perhaps they should consider fair being what a person was actually comfortable with and not what someone was pressured into. I got to do the class as the only clothed person in my swimsuit but, I decided that wasn’t the school for me.

I visited the next school on my list and it was curious. It wasn’t just a school. They explained that after I finished a certain amount of the training I would be working in their “parlor” for a while before I would be allowed to continue with the next part of the training. Then I could work in a different location of theirs that was more of a fitness type of place. After I worked there for a while and proved myself I could take the advanced training and maybe, just maybe, get to work in their special location. I saw this location and it was plush. The therapists (male and female) were amazing and dressed like rock stars. I am serious, they could have blended in with Buckingham Nicks any day. It just didn’t seem right. Something was amiss.

So on to the next school. Which was much more encouraging. They seemed laid back but organized. They explained that part of my training would be working in their student clinic. I asked them how much I would be paid for that and they laughed. They said I wouldn’t be paid anything, I had to work in the clinic as part of my hours. I really didn’t know any better, it just seemed strange. So they invited me to get a massage in their student clinic so I could experience it myself for free. I agreed. It sounded like a reasonable thing and I could then actually experience what the students were learning. I asked them what time I could come for my massage and they told me. When I arrived I was surprised because I didn’t actually have an appointment. It was like a free night and there were a large number of people there. It looked like I could have sat and waited for hours and may not get a massage. The said that did happen often because they were so popular. I asked if I could pay for an appointment another time and they scheduled me for the next day. When I went the next day, it was much calmer. I filled out my information form. I went into the room with the therapist who looked at me quite thoughtfully and said: “Your Spirit Animal is the Beaver”.

I was shocked. I had no idea how this fitted with the massage. I was glad they moved on and told me to get undressed and get the table. The music was okay, the massage was boring. Not relaxing enough to fall asleep or nod off, just boring and very oily. Driving home I still felt like I was sliding around in an oil slick. So, of course, I marked that school off the list.

I went to the next school on my list was much more structured. Everyone seemed not quite as cool and laid back and more professional. I thought this might be a good thing. Everything seemed to be falling in place. They agreed that I could schedule a massage in the clinic as I had at another school. I was beginning to learn about this clinic thing but, still didn’t have it all figured out. When I got to the clinic for my appointment, I filled out my information form. I was led to the room by the student and they seemed more confident, actually kinda bossy. “Get undressed, face down first, I will start on your feet,” they said. I didn’t know any better, so I did. During the massage, it got a little weird though. The music just could drown out the sound of the student counting the strokes out loud. I was so obvious…one..two..three…four…one …two..three..four…one.two.three.four.five. one.two.three.four.five and so on. I asked them if they were counting the strokes and they said yes, it was the best way to learn. I asked if they had an actual recipe so they knew how many of each stroke they did and they said yes. I knew I would not be happy there.

I was disappointed. There were a couple of other schools that either were not well recommended or a bit too far. It seemed that there was not a massage school I would be happy at. I questioned myself and thought perhaps I was being too picky. After all, I couldn’t actually say what I expected or wanted, only that it wasn’t anything I had seen so far. I almost gave up. I decided to put it on the back burner and wait a bit and maybe get more information.

Then one day within a month my friend brought me a local newspaper and showed me an advertisement. There was a new massage school opening and it was pretty close, just about 20 minutes down the highway. They were having an open house the next week. Okay, so I went. I was so impressed. For the first time, no one was trying to sell me on how much money I would make or list all the impressive things I was going to learn. Instead, they were passionate, funny and informative. They actually asked people in the crowd to get on the massage table so they could demonstrate some of the things they were going to be teaching. They laughed when someone asked if they should take off their clothes. They assured them it wasn’t necessary. They demonstrated such amazing knowledge. They seemed to be offering a unique more advanced training with an incredibly thorough education in the basics without teaching a recipe. I knew immediately that this was the person I wanted to learn from. Lucky for me Barry Green, Ph.D., agreed to be my teacher. I began attending Body Mind College in San Diego, California twenty-five years ago. It was the single best decision I have made in my professional career.

I still have no clue what my animal spirit is however, I am a very accomplished and successful Massage Therapist because I had an amazing teacher. Barry Green was a real teacher, he took that title as an honor and a commitment. He was never afraid to be authentic and help us learn. He was never a salesman or just doing a presentation, he actually taught and shared knowledge which is rarer than we sometimes realize. I am honored to say he is still my teacher and my mentor and he still has a private practice and is still teaching continuing education classes.

If you are a teacher will your students say this about you?
If you are a student who is your teacher?
If you are a Massage Therapist are you willing to be a teacher and/or mentor someday?

Do you like unexpected surprises? Sometimes they are good, sometimes not. I actually had a pretty good one recently. I was thinking about getting something. Talking myself out of it. Telling myself I didn’t need it. Saying I couldn’t find one that I liked. Even saying it was too expensive. Have you ever done anything like that?

Well, much to my surprise, when I wasn’t looking for it, it appeared. It was beautiful. Perfect, cost less than I thought and has already proved more useful and valuable than I ever imagined.

This is it!

Yes a case for my IPad with a keyboard. May not seem like a big deal to some but for me this is great. Now I can keep up on the 31 blogs in 31 days challenge. Some of you might even like to know what it I am up to on the road.

I hope that one day I become the unexpected surprise for one of you. One of you that has been telling yourself that you don’t need a massage. One of you that has been telling yourself that you probably wouldn’t like it. One of you that has become convinced that it is too expensive or that you do not deserve to feel great. One of these days one of you will.

In the meantime, just go back to the front page at www.phoenixville-massage.com and click that “Schedule Now” button and I will see you when I get back in town. It will be a wonderful unexpected surprise for both of us!

If you hear we are in Las Vegas it is true.  Please note it will be our first time to visit Las Vegas. It will be the first time we have attended The World Massage Festival. It is also the first time a Massage Festival or Conference has been held in Las Vegas. The World Massage Festival is in its 7^th year so, it is one of the newest events in the US for Massage Therapists. We will be going to classes and getting our CEUs required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for renewing our licenses. We will be meeting a lot of other Massage Therapists from all over the US and seeing some dear friends we only get to see at events like this.

We do this several times a year for a number of reasons:

1. We are addicted to continuing education and love learning new things
2. We enjoy meeting and visiting other massage therapists
3. We love being active in our professional community
4. The Pennsylvania Chapter of The American Massage Therapy Association has local and statewide meetings with continuing education throughout the year we don’t ever want to miss.
5. The National Convention of The American Massage Therapy Association is always incredible!
6. Going to new events is always fun.

We will also be dropping over to San Diego afterward for a little vacation. Xerlan lived there for 6 years and attended Massage School there. We will be back, completely recharged and ready to roll September 4th!

This list is in no particular order so please do not be upset if you think something should be ranked higher.

1. Majolica – this is my brother-in-law’s restaurant, my sons Jacob and Aaron also work there. Regardless of nepotism this is still my favorite restaurant ever!

2. Bridge Street – I love you, you are vibrant and fun, busy and colorful, full of great restaurants and places one never needs to go thirsty, for thirst is a dangerous thing!

3. Diving Cat Studio – serious love here in spite of how much money I could spend there. I always walk away with something that is absolutely necessary for my soul!

4. Phoenixville Phantoms – What a cool school mascot! See you at the Football Games!

5. Farmer’s Market – It took some time to get used to a new Farmer’s Market but, I adore it now!

6. BLOBFEST – I swear I will enter the Tin Foil Hat Art Contest next year!

7. Being two hours or less from a decent beach and ocean water – this is a huge plus for me.

8. The Dogwood Festival – What a wonderful little fair in the park! How do they get those big rides parked around all those huge trees?

9. Firebird Festival! There is nothing like this anywhere. I am going to make a bird this year!

10. The Colonial – what an incredible independent theatre, with TED Talks!

11. Being able to ride my bike just about anywhere – you people are great drivers too!

12. The Phoenixville Library – Can’t wait to see all the new things being done there!

13. The Architecture – The houses, porches, yards, and shops are all such great eye candy.

14. Sweet Creamy Desserts – you people know how to splurge. Between Brown’s Cow and Petrucci’s a lady has to have incredibly strong resolve not to put on the pounds!

15. You don’t even have to go out of town to find green spaces, to fish, kayak, canoe, hike, walk, and just really enjoy the outdoors!

So, yes I am in love with the Phoenixville area and love meeting new people and making new friends here. So if you see us about town please, stop us, say hi, ask for a business card!

What could you do if you didn’t have a headache?

How would you feel if your headache was gone?

How wonderful would it be to be able to go to bed at a decent hour and sleep all night without a headache?

How would you feel if your shoulders and neck were not tight?

Did you know Massage can be effective for tension headaches?

What if that only took an hour?  What if it only took thirty minutes?

What if there was research proving it?  Really Click Here!

What would it be worth?

Think about it. Then just click here to schedule your time, with your therapist and we will look forward to working with you and helping you feel better.  Please feel free to give us a call if you would like to book an appointment or have any questions 610-906-2322

A client called and said she was having a problem with our online booking program.  I said I would be glad to book her appointment but, I would really like to know what problem she was having so I could get it fixed. She said she couldn’t find the menu.

Inner Monologue: I really do not like this trend of Massage Therapy businesses and Spas grabbing on to the term “Menu”.  Maybe it is just my husband and me that don’t care for it.

I explained that she could book online and all she needed to do was choose how long of a session she would like and who she would like it with. She said she wasn’t certain because she didn’t know what kind of massage we did because we didn’t have a menu.

I directed her to click the About Us button and that she could see some of the things we specialize in there. And I asked her if there was a specific technique or menu item she was looking for. She said she didn’t really know. So, I asked her why she wanted to get a massage.  She said she had plantar fasciitis. I assured her that both of us were quite familiar with that and would be able to address it and relieve her pain. Then she asked why don’t you put that on your menu?

Inner Monologue: That would be ridiculous! It would be a very long menu list of specific complaints that would be completely inefficient for client scheduling.

I explained that our practice is evidence and outcome-based as well as client-centered.  This means our practice is founded on ideas and principles supported by evidence.  We focus our work on specific pathologies, do assessments and utilize measurements when appropriate and have set goals to achieve with the client. The way this happens is that the client schedules and pays for the time. The therapist will design/develop the session and may do a variety of different techniques to achieve the goal. Being a client-centered practice means you, The Client is the key and the focus. We will listen and facilitate, we will work with you and together we will achieve the goal(s) and or expectation(s) you have for the session.

She said she couldn’t imagine how that would work because we didn’t know her and didn’t know what was going on with her feet. I told her that was why we had a client intake form and that her therapist would take some time before the session to get to know her, make certain she is comfortable with her therapist, and find out what was going on with her feet before the session.

She said Okay, but what if I need something special, like trigger point or something, how much more will that cost?

Inner Monologue: I really don’t know how to even work with the concept. Do therapists actually have people on tables and tell them it will be $10 more dollars to go deeper because that is deep tissue or there is a trigger point where they need to address?  Do they tell people that they need to just schedule another session of the more expensive kind next time?

I told her that there would never be any additional charge, regardless of what technique or modality we utilized to help her. The only thing we ever charge for is an appointment time and we do not want that to be any longer than necessary.

She said that was different and assured me she could schedule online now.  I thanked her and said that we would look forward to meeting her.

Inner Monologue: Sometimes I think clients would like us to be more like plumbers.  No one cares what technique or modality the plumber does.  They just want it fixed.  Now.  Many times clients do not care how many initials are at the end after the name or what things people are certified in. Some of them haven’t a clue what most of these certifications and techniques are anyway. Clients just want to know that you can help them. They need to be assured you are familiar with their pain or problem and that you are committed to work with them and be their therapist.

Your body is our business and we are serious and professional about this. Our online scheduling is not broke, we don’t have a menu per se, just schedule click here to schedule your time, with your therapist and we will look forward to working with you and helping you feel better.  Please feel free to give us a call if you would like to book an appointment or have any questions 610-933-3666 or 610-906-2322

If you want to see a great menu check out Majolica, it is my brother-in-law Andrew’s place on Bridge Street and their menu is fabulous!

Even before I married my husband and we moved back to his hometown, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania he told me about his “Nana”, Virginia Deery. She passed away in 1991. She is still missed. She was pretty amazing. She was Head Pediatric Nurse at The Phoenixville Hospital for many years. She adored her family. And her husband Arthur and sons Mark and David adored her right back. She was an amazing cook. Apparently threw some great parties with lots of decorations she made herself. She sewed almost all of her own clothes (that weren’t nurses’ uniforms). She even canned the produce her husband gardened. She was very active in Rotary and Eastern Star. She cared about her community. She was a renaissance woman way before her time.

After we moved here and started sorting through some things in the house, I learned a lot more about her. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1933 with her degree in Nursing. We actually found a notebook of hers from Bryn Mawr College. Can you imagine how we felt, my husband and I when we opened it and in her beautiful cursive hand were all of her lecture notes on “Massage”?

The hair stood on our arms. Tears slipped out of our eyes. What an incredible find and what a coincidence that the one notebook she kept all these years on the shelf with her college books was her notes on “Massage”. We, of course, personalized it and felt like it was a confirmation of what we do, being Massage Therapists. Then I got to thinking.  It was on the shelf with her college books. What if she didn’t have a college textbook on Massage in 1933?

I wish I could tell her; Yes Virginia, now there are textbooks for massage, lots of them. Your notes that were extensive in 1933, are beautiful. They do not just include the basic strokes but, recipes, variations and instructions to do massage for patients with specific needs. I am sure you were getting the most up to date information. I am sure you were taking good notes. Thank you so much for taking such great notes and leaving them here for us to find, Nana! There is just so much more information today and so many more books.  I think she would be glad to know this.

I wish I could tell her; Yes Virginia, The National Association of Nurse Massage Therapists http://www.nanmt.org/ does exist. There are many more Nurses like you in the world today and that makes it a much better place.

I wish I could tell her; Yes Virginia, we are Massage Therapists. We have an evidence-based, outcome-based, client-centered practice, in the north office, in the house, you used to live in. We still use the same strokes you took notes on. We have learned many more techniques that add to the basics, not replace them completely. We work with many people that have medical issues. We help people with pain, headaches, loss of range of motion, swelling, postural issues, insomnia, stress, and depression. I think she would be proud of us.

I wish I could tell her; Yes Virginia, there is research on Massage Therapy. The Massage Therapy Foundation advances the knowledge and practice of massage therapy by supporting scientific research, education, and community service. They raise funds and award them for research grants and community service grants.  They promote “Best Practices” and “Research Literacy”. They publish a journal. The Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice (IJTMB) http://www.ijtmb.org/

The IJTMB is an online, peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal for the therapeutic massage and bodywork profession, and is available free of subscription fees and contributing author charges. It’s an indispensable resource for members of the massage and bodywork profession as well as for related health-care professionals.

I think this would make her very happy.

Make the world a better place today, click here and Donate to The Massage Therapy Foundation

There are certain things that may seem odd or different or you just don’t appreciate.  Sometimes when you understand more about them you get a whole new perception. This is actually another way for you to get to know more about us. We are just not apologizing for the following;

Practicing out of our home: There are a separate office and separate entrance.  Our office area is really comfy and professional.  The upside is we are here, we won’t be late or ever have to cancel because of weather or traffic and we will understand when you have to.

Having limited appointment times: It is challenging for us to say no. We have been practicing for many years. We know that if we do not set boundaries like available appointment times we will end up working too much and becoming unhappy and not be able to work for you and deliver the best session to the best of our abilities.  Why would we want that?  Don’t like the times available, give us a call, sometimes we cave.

Giving you more than one business card: If you like what we do you will want to share it. We want to always make certain you have an extra card to give to a friend or family member.

Taking time off: The most common reason you will see us taking time off will be to get more education. We are addicted to continuing education.  We enjoy going to AMTA PA Chapter Meetings, AMTA National Conventions, and other conferences. We love going to classes and learning new things.  Continuing Education is required for renewing our License to Practice Massage Therapy in The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Volunteering:  We wish more people could do this.

Short Blogs: Succinct is good!

Long Blogs:  Sometimes we just get carried away.

Frequent Blogs: Right now Xerlan is involved in a blogging challenge to write and post 31 blogs in 31 days with the cream of the crop of Massage Bloggers across the US.  So, please enjoy this while you can, we will not be blogging every day forever, PROMISE!

I got a massage.  My husband and I actually do this on a very regular basis.  How could we, with straight faces, actually agree or encourage anyone else to have massages once a week or even once a month if we didn’t get massage ourselves on a regular basis. Sometimes we trade out with each other. Sometimes we trade out with other Massage Therapists. Sometimes we just schedule an appointment and yes, pay another Massage Therapist for a massage session. Sometimes we splurge like that when we are traveling. So, of course, we are both huge fans of massage. I thought I would share my experience for those of you that perhaps had never had a massage.

I had seen this Massage Therapist before so I didn’t need to fill out any more papers, just update them about what was going on in my body, where I thought I needed them to focus but, giving them some poetic license as well.

I left my underwear on. Short Rant: Just because you choose not to get naked does not mean you are a prude or not living the current decade. Do not ever let anyone brow beat you like that. It is a myth that you have to get naked. If any Massage Therapist tells you that they require you to get completely naked or suggest anything that you are uncomfortable with, leave.  Get your refund if necessary. You only need to disrobe to the point of your comfort.  After all, if you are on the massage table thinking about how uncomfortable you are because you took off more than you wanted to how relaxed are you going to be?

That first couple of minutes, laying on the massage table….. shifting a bit, breathing….. feeling myself relax and sink in the massage table…. listening to the music and being thankful that this Massage Therapist has some taste and hasn’t popped some nature music with croaking frogs, thunderstorms or screaming whales in the background.

Perhaps some would say it is a Pavlovian response, I know the best is yet to come. That moment just before the massage starts, just before they even enter the room is delicious if you take the time to notice it.

The perfect pressure …. 99.9 % of the time.  Note to Massage Clients: Always, always, always let the Massage Therapist know if they need to lighten up or you would like deeper work. Give Feedback.  The more timely you are about giving feedback the less likely that feedback is a sudden tiny Yelp!

Why is it that I am always amazed when I realize that I have a tender spot or soreness somewhere I didn’t expect. I don’t think I am that out of touch with my body. I spend my days as a Massage Therapist working with people that always say the same thing.       “How did you find that?”                                                                                                           “I didn’t know I was sore there?”                                                                                       “Why is that so tight?”

Why do I think I would be immune to this?

Great Massage Therapists listen, care, check-in and question. My side of the short conversation went like this: “No I didn’t realize my neck and shoulders were that tight.”         “Yes, I have been on the computer more often the last week or so. I am doing this blogging challenge. 31 Blogs in 31 Days.”                                                                                         “No, I am serious. It isn’t crazy. Well, it isn’t that crazy.”                                                    “You need to read my blog.”                                                                                                “Yes, I did say my feet were hurting.”                                                                                      “No, I didn’t think about that being because my calves were so tight.”                              “Yes, I have been gardening again, the weeding never ends.”                                         “Yes, still hiking and biking every chance we get.”                                                              “No I still haven’t found the Tai Chi classes, I have just been too busy.”

I realize it sounds so familiar because I have spent so much time on both sides of this conversation.  When am I going to get it?

Okay, turn over time and I remind myself to just quit thinking and quit beating myself up over this.       

Breathe…….                                                                                        I sound just like a client because I am one too. I am okay with this.    

Breathe…                                                                                                                                        Over?  All Ready?  Ninety Minutes?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Time flies when you are having a massage.

Thank You.  The Massage Therapist leaves the room.  I get up and get dressed, peek at the clock. Wow, I feel amazing. Short conversation, yes my feet feel great, yes I do remember how tight my calves were, yes I am much better to thank you soo much!

My clients thank me and say they feel wonderful all the time. Why am I still always so surprised how good I feel after a massage?

I hope you feel as good after your next massage.

I am honored to announce that I made the cut and have been accepted in the Phoenixville Community Health Leadership Academy of 2012. It doesn’t start until September but, I am nervous and excited.  I am looking forward to meeting new people and learning so much more about Phoenixville and the non-profit organizations here.  I am also thrilled about learning new things and brushing up on things I already know a little about. The curriculum covers diversity issues, community collaborations, project planning, good citizenship, ethics, public speaking and more. The curriculum also incorporates the design and implementation of a community service project by each student. The mission of the academy is to “provide a vehicle to identify, train and empower greater Phoenixville area citizens for leadership roles that promote our community’s health and advance the quality of life.”

I am an avid reader and addicted to continuing education. So, I think this is going to be a great experience for me. I just don’t like being the new kid.  I never know what to wear. I am already a great volunteer.  I have been on several boards having to do with Chronic Pain, Breast Cancer, and Massage Therapy.  I want to make sure I know about as many resources here as possible. I like to be knowledgeable and helpful, it is just in my nature. I don’t want to miss volunteering or showing up for a great event because I didn’t know about it.  More than anything I want to find my place in this community where I can not only grow but, benefit and give back to the community.  Wish me well!

I thought about embedding the Tom Jones video from Mars Attacks but, decided against it.  This is going to be entertaining enough. Most people show up because they hurt or have a functional issue, some have lymphedema.  Usually, it is a problem or pathology they are willing to explain to us so that we can set goals and create a session or several for them.  Most often people will say their friend referred them or their physician referred them or they found us on the internet.  I just thought it would be fun to share a couple of more unusual reasons people ended up on our tables for your amusement and perhaps inspiration in case you are still trying to convince yourself or someone else to book an appointment.

• 92-year-old female, never had a massage before requested one for her birthday and her granddaughter bought her a gift certificate and accompanied her to her appointment.  She didn’t even have any complaints, didn’t mark a thing on the client intake form.  So, of course, I had to ask why she would like to have a massage today, is there any pain or something you would like me to address?  Here is her answer. “I just wanted one more cheap thrill before I died.”                                                      She went on to have quite a few more massages before she passed away quietly in her sleep after spending the afternoon weeding her garden and canning tomatoes.  Her family loved it that they had finally found something they felt like they could do for her and splurge for her by getting her gift certificates for massages.

• 68-year-old male, never had a massage before.  His wife scheduled his appointment and dropped him off instructing him he had an appointment and she would be back later.  He was more than surprised he had a massage appointment.  I asked him if he had any pain or injuries or if there was a reason he could think of that his wife would believe he needed a massage. He had no clue. He was also quite relieved that I empathized with him and agreed that it would have been better if he had known about it before he arrived.  He was also quite relieved that I was not going to require him to get a massage and was not going to charge them for this.  So, I got him a drink of water and asked him if he would like to call his wife.  He said no because she would be mad. So, he sat in the reception are just a few minutes reading a National Geographic Magazine. Because I was in a group practice at this time he had the opportunity to watch people go in and out of the office. Then suddenly it dawned on him.  He said, “excuse me, did I hear you say you did massage for pain?” I told him yes and he said: “Did I just hear that person say their back felt better after their massage?”                                                                                                              I said I was sure he had.  He said “I had no clue massage could help with pain, I just came here because my dang wife abandoned me. Do we still have time, would you be willing to work on my back just a bit? It is killing me?”                                                I worked on his back a number of times and his wife was quite happy with the results.

• 47-year-old male, very healthy, never had a massage before scheduled an appointment because; his online spiritual healer/counselor referred him to me because the numerology of my name and energetic reading of our website would resonate with him.  This was a very educated man who said he wanted to take his health seriously but, no doctor would tell him anything was wrong or tell him anything to do because he was healthy.  So, he had a massage.  He wanted to try everything on the menu.  So he scheduled several sessions.  I did eventually convince him to see a wonderful Physician that had a client-centered wellness approach to his practice. So the Physician encouraged him to exercise and explore some different ways to do that, got him involved in some healthy cooking classes and he was thrilled. Somehow I imagine his online spiritual healer/counselor won’t be sending me any more referrals

• 26-year-old female, very healthy, never had a massage before.  Her husband was waiting for us when we arrived at work one morning before 8 am.  We actually thought he was a homeless person. He looked rumpled, unshaven, puffy eyes and just messy. He was quite polite and said he knew we hadn’t opened yet but, if he went home he might forget to pick up the gift certificates.  We, of course, said we would be glad get those together for him immediately.  He wanted twelve and wanted to make certain they wouldn’t expire for at least a year.  Not a problem, we have never expired a gift certificate. We really wanted to know more but, he just paid for them, picked them up, said thank you and left.  So when his lovely wife showed up a week later she explained.  Their twins had just arrived.  They were not expecting twins.  He had just left the hospital when he came to our office. She told us when he gave her the gift certificates he told her he thought this was the best way to show her that he promised to help and give her time to take care of herself.  One massage a month is a great way to do that.

So please don’t think you need to go to extremes or have a really unusual reason to book an appointment with us. On the other hand, you probably won’t surprise us either but, we are up to it. 

Everyone always says to stay away from these two topics. Some Massage Therapists swear their businesses have suffered because of it.  I think their businesses suffered because they didn’t know how to handle it.

We handle it fine because we do not care what your religion and or politics are.  We don’t have anything on our intake form that requires us to know that. It really does not matter what team you are on.  We are on your team when you are on our table. We are not going to do anything different than giving you are the utmost skill, attention, and care when you are on our table, regardless of your beliefs and/or politics.

If you want to share something or talk about this when you are on our table fine, suit yourself.  We do not really like to talk during a session except for getting your feedback, checking in with you and facilitating the goals of the actual session.  So, do forgive us for not diving into a huge discussion.  If we do not dive into a discussion with you it does not mean; we really don’t care, we agree, we disagree or we are afraid if you really knew what we believed we would lose your business.  Hell, we don’t want to discuss sports, kids, fashions, recipes or anything because we want to focus on doing our job and meeting you; the client, where you are and help you get where you want to be.

Don’t get us wrong, you are welcome to talk and we will listen, sometimes we learn something valuable. We recognize that sometimes people just need to vent or have someone to listen to them. Some people just relax better when their mouth is moving.  Some people need to twirl their hair or wiggle their toes.  We want you to feel comfortable and safe and be able to relax.

I am going to share a little story with you. Once there was a lovely client who on her 17^th visit to see me in two years asked me “Why are you always so nice to me?”

I asked, “Why wouldn’t I be nice to you?”

She said, “You know I despise your political party, I think you are wrong about a lot of things and tell you that all the time.”

I asked, “How do you know what my political party is and why would that mean I need to be anything but nice to you?”

She said “I just thought that because you are a Massage Therapist and most of them are on the other side, and you never really agreed with me. You know a lot of people have said that I am opinionated and hateful.”

I said “That is a shame, I adore your spirit, I am honored you feel safe and want to share your opinions with me. Besides none of that concerns me, what I am truly grateful for is that you value the work I do. I am thrilled that I am able to help you. You continue to come to see me in spite of what you perceive to be our difference of opinions. I appreciate that a lot.”

She said, “I am not sure how to take that but, I am glad you are my Massage Therapist.”

I said “Okay, let me focus on your arm now, please.  Can you move your fingers and feel the difference?”

And all she said was “Oh yes!”

And the session continued and she rebooked and came back again and again and again.

Regardless of what you believe or how you vote you can always book an appointment by giving  us a call at 610-906-2322

I am not from here and just moved here with my family in February.  My husband Christopher is from Phoenixville.  I really do love Pennsylvania and just thought I would make a quick list to share.

1. Pretzels: especially Extra Dark Splits

2. Mount Misery and Mount Joy: Awesome little hikes

3. Museums: This is going to take me a while to get through all of them

4. Schuylkill River Trail: My new favorite place to ride my bike

5. The Trees: No joke they are so huge, tall, colorful and vibrant

6. The Trains: I love living where there is actual functional mass transit

7. Water Ice: It is even on the menu at Paoli Hospital!

8. The Weather: Cooler than Oklahoma and a lot of other places this summer!

9. Wawa: Best convenience store ever. Beats QuikTrip, sorry Chester

10. Wegmans: Civilized Supermarket at it’s best

So please hit like if you agree with me about any of these or feel free to post something you think I should have had on the list. I don’t want to miss anything!

If you want to book an appointment give us a call at 610-906-2322

Did I get your attention?

Actually, if you were the type of person that would be looking for that kind of service you wouldn’t be here.  Really.

What I am talking about is our Client List which is private. Confidentiality is just that. We do not share our client’s information with anyone.  If there is a reason your Physician or Health Care Provider needs to know you are planning on or getting massage sessions we will request you to notify them. That is just the way it is done.

Some Massage Therapists do not understand what the big deal is.  One would hope that clients would love you and refer to you and not care what anyone thinks.  That is not always the truth though.  Some people just want their privacy respected.  And that is okay.  A client once said “My wife knows I come to see you, she comes to see you. It isn’t any of my co-workers’ business though”.

Everyone has the right to privacy.  More than one Massage Therapist has shared their concern that the secrecy implies they are doing something different than Massage Therapy.  This is not true at all.  The thing is that many people including Massage Therapists equate getting a massage to getting their hair done.  With so many Massage Therapists working in Salons, Spas and Beauty Shops it isn’t surprising there is some confusion.  It isn’t confusion it is culture.  The culture of the clients of Salons, Spas and Beauty Shops is more tribal, they get most of their services in a common area and or walk through a common area with many people receiving services so there is no anonymity.

On the other hand, many people equate getting their massage as therapy and considering it is done in a more private setting expect that privacy.  With Massage Therapy actually becoming more accepted as a healthcare career people will expect even more privacy.  Many Massage Therapists are already aware of and following HIPPA Guidelines.

We have been appalled and shocked at the number of Massage Therapists that in public, in person, on their websites and on facebook out their clients.  Not that it is an embarrassment to be someone’s massage client but, it is just common courtesy to get people’s permission or just don’t do it.

It doesn’t matter if they have been a client forever or just one time if they are alive or dead.  That is just so wrong on so many levels.  It is after all unnecessary.  What is someone trying to say when they identify someone as a client?

Our perception is that they are working in an area that may have a different culture about privacy, like a Salon, Spa or Beauty Shop. They are still probably great Massage Therapists.  They may be lacking in self-esteem, seeking attention and have some questionable approaches to ethics and boundaries.  Of course, this is just our opinion.  What matters is that we choose to be unquestionable about people’s privacy and information.

We do not sell our client’s information to mailing lists.  We have even witnessed a massage therapist bragging to other massage therapists about the residual income they receive from selling their client list and imply that WE are the stupid ones for missing out on this opportunity. Thanks, we’ll pass on that.

Over the years we have worked with a large number of famous people in sports, entertainment, and other areas.   They always appreciated us having a private separate entrance, scheduling that 30 minutes in between clients so they are not running into our next client and not publishing or announcing that they were getting a massage from one of us.

We could have gone nuts recently over the number of Olympians we have worked with. Football season is coming up and there is a huge list of players we worked with in college that are now in the league and even league players that still consider us their massage therapists. The interesting thing is that famous entertainers and athletes have never been that challenging to work with.  More of a challenge is to work with people that have Chronic Pain, Cancer, and Lymphedema.  We are up to that challenge but, we do not drop names.

Maybe that is the key.  We don’t own people.  We don’t own you.  We don’t own your information. We won’t even bring it up if we run into you at the supermarket.  You would have to be the one bringing it up.  You are not our client, we are honored to be Your Massage Therapist.  We would love it if you referred your friends.

You might notice that Christopher and I may be a little different than other Massage Therapists you have known.  We are very loyal members of The American Massage Therapy Association.  We are also very active in our local Pennsylvania Chapter.  We are volunteers.  We look for ways to volunteer in our community. We go do stuff outside of our practice to benefit not just us, our practice and our community, but the association we are members of, and the profession as a whole. We do take time away from our practice to do this.  So please forgive us for not always being available.

We recently had an opportunity to visit area Massage Schools and speak to their students.  We spoke to four student groups at three schools in two days.  We had a blast!  We didn’t just talk about AMTA;  we talked about anything the students had a question about – starting a practice, marketing, sports massage, challenging clients, ethics, continuing education and questions they had about licensing in Pennsylvania.

One little thing about licensing; if you choose to not make appointments with us please, please, please make certain that you are seeing a LICENSED Massage Therapist. It is somewhat new, this being the first year however, that is no excuse. If we can complete our licensing process while moving from another state someone already practicing here has absolutely no excuse. Also, please be aware that it is illegal to practice Massage Therapy without a license in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

We had a great opportunity recently to participate in the National American Massage Therapy Association Tour. We got to provide a free chair massage with six other Pennsylvania AMTA members for two evenings at the Phillies games, and we had a great time! We met hundreds of people, many of whom had never had a massage before – some had, but didn’t have a person they considered as their personal Massage Therapist. Some did not know about licensing requirements, most did not know about research that had been done involving Massage Therapy, but all of them loved their massages and heaped praise on the AMTA volunteer Massage Therapists.

You know it takes some focus to create a balance and be able to have a successful practice, family life, and social life. Adding the volunteer time in there can be challenging, but it is so worth it.  The intangible appreciation and satisfaction that people are becoming more informed are more than enough for us.

We understand that most Massage Therapists are introverts.  When you think of a Massage Therapist, you may think of a person in a dimly lit room with soft comforting music, lovely aromatherapy, and two people –  the client and the Massage Therapist.  So it can be challenging, not just from an economic or time factor, but a security factor, that many Massage Therapists just cannot move out of that comfort zone.  The room they practice in becomes their box, they don’t seem to be able to escape from.  This does not mean that they are not terrific Massage Therapists, it just means we are different from them. It takes all kinds.

So get used to the fact that we will do great work inside the box, but will always be active outside the box as well.  If you have any questions about licensing, Massage Research, Massage Therapy, or our practice, please give us a call, we would love to visit with you, 610-906-2322 or 610-933-3666.

We are also available to do free speaking engagements in the Phoenixville and Chester County area, so if your group or business would be interested, please, once again give us a call – we would love to visit with you! 610-933-3666.

Feel free to request a topic.  We will be honest if we can’t address that topic, and will do our best to help you find someone that can.  Here are some of the topics we love to talk about:

• Massage Therapy 101 for Physicians, Nurses and Health Professionals
• The Truth about Sports Massage
• Stress Management for Desk Jockeys
• Massage for Chronic Pain, Cancer Patients or Expecting Moms

To schedule an appointment with us before we trek out of the box again call 610-906-2322 !

Here is a pic of our table.  Yes, there are removable parts to create breast recesses for women to be more comfortable.  It makes a huge difference.  The centerpiece removes and an adjustable abdominal sling is put in place for expecting Moms.  This allows expecting moms to lay face down and have the most comfortable Pregnancy Massage ever. The belly and baby will be fully supported without any stress on the Mother’s body.

Here are some of the benefits of Pregnancy Massage:

•     Reduced back pain
•     Reduced joint pain
•     Improved circulation
•     Reduced edema
•     Reduced muscle tension and headaches
•     Reduced stress and anxiety
•     Improved oxygenation of soft tissues and muscles
•     Better sleep

Please let your OBGYN Physician and/or Midwife know you are interested in getting a Pregnancy Massage.  Ask them if there is any reason you shouldn’t or anything they would like your Massage Therapist to know.

It is very, very important for women with the following conditions to speak with a health care provider before scheduling a massage.  While a massage may still be appropriate in some of these cases we want everyone to be safe and informed.

•     High-risk pregnancy
•     Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH)
•     Preeclampsia
•     Previous pre-term labor
•     Experiencing severe swelling, high blood pressure, or sudden, severe headaches
•     Recently gave birth

Mind you no man would ever realize that the table has all these options. They can’t feel any difference when all the parts are in place and the linens are covering it.

So if you are expecting or know someone that is, point them in our direction, you will not regret this!

We also have Gift Certificates that are perfect for Baby Showers!

Give us a call at 610-906-2322 to book an appointment!

We are really good at what we do and we love doing it.  Let us be clear though, there is nothing more frustrating than being in the wrong place for the wrong thing.  We want to do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen in our practice. We do specialize in a number of massage modalities and there are services that we do not offer.  We have had extensive advanced training and years of experience so, it is with no hesitation that we let you know what we really do. Here is a great way to see if you are the perfect massage client, or better yet if we can be honored to be your Massage Therapists.

Are you in pain?  Headaches, Migraines, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain, Repetitive Strain or Injured?  Pain is one of the most common things we can help you with.

Are you stressed?  Who isn’t?  We can help you relax, really relax and unwind with an hour or hour and a half massage session.

Are you an Athlete? Are physically active and like challenge your body?  We have had years of experience with professional, competitive, and “Try-Athletes” so we are very knowledgeable about sports injuries and orthopedic massage. We love helping people achieve their goals and recovering afterward.

Do you have Lymphedema? We also are quite comfortable and competent in working with Oncology Patients and Breast Cancer Survivors.

Are you recovering from an injury, doing well in, or completed your Physical Therapy? Massage Therapy, Lymphatic Drainage, and Orthopedic Massage can be your ticket to a more comfortable and easier complete recovery.

Are you Pregnant? You should see our table.  Not only can we help you with that low back pain but, our table has been specially made so that you can safely lay on your stomach, fully supported and very comfortable.  There are breast recesses and a belly recess that are adjustable to your size.  A gift certificate for a Pregnancy Massage can be the perfect thing for a baby shower too!

We do not offer spa services.

We do not do reiki or spiritual healing.

We do not sell any products.

So, please book an appointment or give us a call if you have any questions. 610-906-2322

Welcome to our home…practice

With 40 years of combined professional Massage Therapy practice, my husband Christopher and I have had a wide variety of experiences. We have worked in a salon, chiropractor’s offices, physical therapy clinics, hospitals, university training rooms and our own multidisciplinary practice in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  We have never had a home-based practice.  So when we finally had the opportunity to move to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and our house had a built on office with a private entrance, it was both a delightful surprise and a challenge.  So, if you have never been to anyone’s house to have a massage appointment, we do understand.  This is new to us too.

We are continuing to renovate this amazing house on Gay Street that has been in my husband’s family for four generations while we open our practice to the public.  You will not, however, have to smell paint or see a mess while you are visiting.  The office is done and beautiful.  It is comfortable and functional. It is private and secluded while being convenient and accessible.

Just to orient you before you come in for an appointment;

• You can park on the street right in front of the house and walk up the front walk to our front door and turn left, walk down the amazing stone walkway to the separate entrance and we will be waiting for you.
• The office has two French doors inside that connect to our living room.  These are covered by curtains and will be closed.  The living room also has French doors opening to the foyer that will be closed as well.  So, you don’t have to listen to anyone watching television or our sons playing video games.
• We do have a dog.  You might hear a bark once when you arrive, but she will not be anywhere near you, or where our office is. You will not be hearing her while your session is going on.  While we will keep her out of the office area, she does hang out in the living room with us during non-work hours.  So, if you are highly allergic to dogs you might need to take that into consideration.
• What do you want to hear during your session?  We have Pandora and can accommodate just about any musical request you would enjoy in the background.  So, please do not hesitate to let us know what you like.  It only takes a few seconds to do this.  You will not be hearing us very much during the session.  We may need to check in with you and ask you to let us know if you need deeper or lighter work or if anything is uncomfortable. We really do want to know this.  It matters a lot to us to be able to meet your needs.  We do not, however, need to chat or have an ongoing conversation during the session.  Most people appreciate this and enjoy having a session that does not involve a lot of chatter.
• You will get your full appointment time, hands-on.  We do not have any desire to hurry, treat people like cattle or see how fast we can finish a session.  If you book an hour appointment, it will be an hour hands-on.  The time we need to take to go over your health history, injuries and/or expectations, as well as getting on and off the table will not be deducted from that time at all.
• It is our intention that you do not cross paths with another client.  We schedule a 30-minute block in between each appointment to make certain of that. If you are going to be late, we appreciate a call to let us know if possible.  Just because we have a 30-minute window doesn’t mean we want to continuously push it.  It does mean that once in a while when you are stuck in traffic, or something happens, if you arrive within a reasonable time frame you will still get your full session time.
• We do not have online scheduling but, we do not mind if you would rather not do that please, just give us a call.  610-906-2322
• Please ask questions, we love questions.  We may not have all the answers immediately, but we love research and will get the answer and get back to you as soon as possible.

Welcome to our home…practice.

Being Massage Therapists, it’s pretty apparent to us that people have a lot of the same issues – neck & shoulders, low back, and lower legs and feet, or some combination of them. People have a way of rationalizing these discomforts, usually due to lackluster sleeping habits or neglecting themselves due to work or other similar distractions. Not realizing that there can also be contributing factors, such as subconscious stress, the tension that has built up so much that we consider it normal, and postures that have compromised our wellbeing.

As massage therapists, we have the opportunity to help people break out of this patterning and break these self-defeating habits by not only providing them with a massage session that removes them from the daily stressors but also relaxes their physical issues. But what else can people do to help themselves break out of the physical patterns of stress and tension? The easy answer to this is “get a massage”!