Through the power of touch and strategic self-care coaching we remind our clients that the capacity to make well and move well belongs to them. They possess all the power they need to change for the better, to be free of pain patterns, and to experience increased health and wellness. Through a variety of modalities including Swedish and deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, myofascial release, and orthopedic assessment and treatment we help our clients find grace in the face of gravity. We desire to live by example and inspire those who bring artistic and athletic inspiration to the generations.

If you suffer from pain, overuse, or intense working conditions in your art or sport, we want to help.

Read on to find out how.

Why are painters like hairdressers? They spend most of the work day with arms suspended out out front of them, using the finest and most expert motor control to create something original and beautiful. As a result their upper trapezius, deltoids, and supraspinatus muscles suffer from overuse, and this results in strains, tendonitis, and bad headaches at the end of a long day. Massage can relieve and restore this overworked area of the body so they can continue to create beautiful works and dos.

A wooden boat is built with screws made of silicon bronze fasteners that must each be screwed in by hand in order to feel for the perfect amount of torque. The kinestetic term for this motion is supination; the act of turning the hand from palm down to palm up. Radial nerve compression can occur over time from overuse of this supinator muscle in the forearm. Many boatbuilders think they are getting carpel tunnel syndrom when they experience tingling and numbness in their fingertips or hands, but often this condition can be alleviated simply through the "unwinding" work of massage.

Authors and writers who sit for long periods of time tend to suffer from piriformis syndrome. Similar to sciatica, this painful irritation is often accompanied by tightness, weakness, and a numb or tingling sensation that runs from the low back into the glutes, hamstrings, calves, sometimes even the feet. Relaxing the tight piriformis can free these writers from a constant, nagging pain that distracts them from their true creative potential.

In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell proposes that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. Musicians are no exception to the rule. Whether their instrument is guitar or flute, the body learns to form itself around the position they must hold during these 10,000 hours of practice and performance. Practice makes permanent. Massage can reduce the fascial "strapping" and relieve the shortened muscles that wreak havoc on a musician's range of motion in art and life. It is impossible to improvise freely without access to the full movement potential of the body, the primary instrument.

Athletes who suffer from patellar tracking disorder describe pain that comes from underneath the kneecap. Typically this pain increases after activities involving repetitive knee flexion and extension like running, jumping, or dancing. Frequently it results from a sudden increase in activity levels, like when beginning a new training program, or when performing athletic activities without prior conditioning. Treatment of this pain condition involves reducing the hypertension in the vastus lateralis to allow the patella to track normally. Focused strength training on the vastus medialis will also keep the knee tracking straight and free from pain in the future.

The soleus muscle in the calf controls ankle stability during the heel-strike phase of hiking. It also contracts during the push-off phase. When this muscle gets a tight knot from overuse or dehydration it can refer pain to other parts of the body. This knot is known as a trigger point. The trigger point in the soleus refers pain to the heel and is commonly misdiognosed as plantar fasciitis. The soleus also acts as a “second heart” to pump blood from the legs back up to the trunk. Trigger point activity can compromise this pumping action and produce edema or swelling in the lower legs. Releasing this trigger point can alleviate referred pain and allow blood and lymph to circulate freely again.

The psoas muscle that's located along the front of the hip helps snowboarders to carve with control, stability, and strength. When the psoas is tight the low back suffers and, as a result, injury can occur. Three signs of a tight psoas are pain upon rising from a seated position, an anterior pelvic tilt causing an exaggerated lumbar curve, and breathing with short breaths that only reach the chest. Standing and twisting at the waist without moving the feet, which is the essential movement in snowboarding, causes great discomfort. Trigger point release of the psoas can feel uncomfortable and even painful at times, but will get a boarder back to making precise and powerful turns on the mountain again.