Devised from Sweden, Swedish massage is a technique designed to relax the entire body by moving the muscle with long gliding strokes while returning blood to the heart. Applied by hands & palms it can include firm kneading, percussion-like tapping, bending and stretching of the muscle.

Benefits include increasing levels of oxygen in the blood, decreasing muscle toxins, improving circulation and flexibility while easing tension.

Deep tissue work reaches the furthest layers of muscle tissue, tendons and fascia. It is commonly mistaken for ‘deep pressure’ although it often involves the use of deep finger pressure and slow, firm strokes. It is commonly recommended by doctors to treat a variety of physical ailments.

Deep tissue therapy helps reduce chronic pain, open blood flow to reduce inflammation, improve blood pressure, break up scar tissue and rehabilitate injured muscles.

A trigger point is a tight area of muscle that refers pain to other parts of the body. When stressed or injured, muscles often form trigger points, like contracted knots. They can pull on tendons and ligaments associated with the muscle and cause deep pain within a joint by adhering to the fascia. Trigger point therapy is designed to alleviate the source of the pain through cycles of isolated pressure & release sessions.

The main benefit to this therapy is that it treats a number of chronic pain conditions such as low back pain, sciatic pain, joint pain and headaches by releasing constricted areas and knots in the muscle.

Sports massage is best described as deep tissue massage with a functional application that adapts to your activities. It includes stretching and stripping of the muscle. Stripping is a technique that clears out adhesions (scar tissue) formed in muscle fiber during physical activity, elongating the muscle.

Benefits include the softening of scar tissue, pushing lactic acid out of the body which reduces recovery time, reducing risk of injury and enacting the bodies healing responses to treat injury. Sports massage is especially beneficial to you if are training for a marathon or triathlon, cycling, are in a competitive sport or wanting to advance your yoga practice. It is also recommended if you are recovering and or preparing for or from a high intensity workout (CrossFit, Barre, circuit training or powerlifting)

Reflexology is pressure to the feet and hands based on a system of zones and reflex areas. These areas purportedly reflect an image of the body with the premise that such work creates a physical change to the body. It is known to stimulate nerve function, boost circulation, induce a deep state of relaxation, eliminate toxins and stimulate the central nervous system.

Fascia is a thin, tough, elastic type of connective tissue that runs throughout the entire body wrapping around most structures including muscle. It can become restricted due to psychogenic stress, overuse, trauma or inactivity. This can lead to pain, muscle tension and diminished blood flow. Myofascial release is a therapy that alleviates this skeletal muscle immobility and pain by relaxing contracted muscles, improving blood and lymphatic circulation and by stimulating the stretch reflex in muscles. Gentle, sustained force is applied until the tissue is released and the fascia is stretched

Prenatal massage is for women at any stage of pregnancy. It reduces stress and promotes overall wellness naturally. It can alleviate common pain found during pregnancy such as backaches, stiff neck, leg cramps, headaches and edema (swelling) as well as reduce stress on weight bearing joints and encourage blood and lymphatic flow. Hormonal changes can cause nervous tension, lack of sleep, depression or anxiety all of which massage can ease. Some labor inducing points can be used towards the end of the third trimester to gently encourage labor. In most stages of pregnancy the side laying position is required to avoid harm to the fetus and mother.