3 Reasons You Need a Massage this Summer

Personally, your body deserves a massage every season of the year (if not more frequently). When Summer rolls around, there’s more than enough reasons to swing by for a soothing massage as the days get longer and the temperature rises. 

Below are three great reasons you should get a massage before or during the summertime.

1. Injury Prevention, Activity Booster
During the warmer months, we tend to find ourselves outdoors and more active. Make sure to remain loose and limber for all those fun activities, and make sure you don’t end the summer full of soreness, strains, or sprains. Massage is a surefire way to get your body ready for activity, or to recovery after some strenuous exertion.

2. “You Time”
Got kids home from school all summer? Got plans for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays for family, friends, and co-workers all summer? With all this wonderful weather often comes a lot more plans and happenings. Don’t spread yourself too thin and make sure to take care of yourself. Dedicate and hour or two to yourself with a relaxing massage.

3. Dehydrated Skin
As the temps scrape the hundreds here in Southern California, your skin is bearing the brunt of the damage. Keeping cool by sweating, ultraviolet sun exposure, and loss of body moisture through the skin are just a few reasons the skin needs a little extra love during the summer. Why not get a full body moisturization through massage? True, every therapist uses different products, but I offer organic, hypoallergenic creme that can be enhanced with my essential oils for focused skin care. No need to neglect the largest organ of the body, your skin.

Hope these benefits of massage remind you of how important it is to take care of your body and stop neglecting your self-care regimen.

Interested in more benefits? I could talk for days. Let’s schedule your next massage soon and get you ready to rue the summer.

Have a wonderful week. Happy June!

How I Became a Massage Therapist: A Comedy in 3 Acts

Where do I begin?  Deep down, I always knew I wanted to be a therapist of some sort, and only until the time was right did I take the leap to start my bodywork journey to become a licensed massage therapist about 3 years ago. 

ACT I
As someone who is ceaselessly interested in every dimension of everything, I’ve done a lot of different jobs in my life.  From my 1st job in high school selling Daily News subscriptions door-to-door to a litany of others (in no particular order): weekly open mic host & producer; Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf barista; marketing and beyond for an active daylighting company; karaoke host; camp counselor; spoken word artist and published poet; executive director for a small non-profit organization; and a few more I’ll leave to your imagination.
ACT II
But there at the end, balancing weekly open mic and karaoke nights on top of the non-profit job during the weekday/weekends (that was going nowhere), with a growing family to boot, I was at a crossroads of life and career aspirations.

One night at my local dive bar, I ran into one of my favorite karaoke singers and caught up with her.  She mentioned she was a massage therapist … and I had so many questions to ask her.  Truth be told, I looked into massage therapy soon after graduating from CSU Northridge, but the thought of additional student debt was not very enticing at the time.

Amanda informed me she was ten years into her massage career, had her own mobile massage business with other therapist contractors, was making good money, and couldn’t have been happier with her work.  I knew right then and there I had some research to do.
ACT III
I scheduled a walk through that very week at National Holistic Institute, figured out the financial aid, discussed the class schedules they had available and the only one that worked for me happened to include both weeknights of my shows.  Not only that, but the group I would join started their semester that week, so I had to sign up then or wait another 6 months to start. 

After a little reflection, the decision was clear.  I ended my open mic at the Coffee Bean after 10 years, told the karaoke company I could no longer host, and was starting classes at NHI the next week.  It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. 

I worked at the non-profit until I passed my licensing exam and was working at Equinox Spa and building my mobile massage business before I graduated from school.  After getting my massage wheels going, I eventually brought back my open mic, now at my favorite dive bar on Tuesday nights; and while I’ve moved to OC, the show goes on with a new host.

I still bring massage to LA on the weekends and have been reaching out to more areas of the OC, and if it’s been a while since I’ve seen you, let’s schedule your next massage and change that!

Lots more to get excited about this year!  Stay tuned.

My New Massage Studio in Encino is Ready to Relax & Revive

It’s official: I’ve opened my massage studio in Encino! I’m working to create a space to escape your stressful days and restless nights on Ventura Blvd.

Tucked inside the office of a Doctor of Acupuncture & Traditional ChineseMedicine, the studio is a peaceful room for our sessions located on the 2nd floor at 17000 Ventura Blvd (above The Stand restaurant). The location features free parking behind the building, well lit grounds at night, clean bathrooms, and secure access.

I currently have availability BY APPOINTMENT ONLY on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday. And I’m currently running a promotion for 1st timers to the studio through the rest of 2017: Choose $20 off or 30 extra minutes!

Contact me to schedule your 1st appointment in the studio this week!