Today was a good day for a massage. I’d been traveling since 7:00 am this morning, the straps of a suitcase, backpack and laptop case slung about my arms, shoulders and neck as I hustled from car to airplane to light rail to bus to another bus and finally to walk the last quarter mile home at about 3:00 pm. I had a great time visiting family and friends and making connections – a wonderful, magical time. After 19 nights of sleeping odd hours - sometimes on other people’s couches - I am ready for the therapist to work his magic.
I arrived early for my massage scheduled for 4:15 pm. As I walked in the lobby of the Center for Well-Being in Monroe, Washington I was greeted by the soothing sounds of water falling in a tall stone fountain, the chords of Native American flute playing on a CD, and the calm friendly faces of staff.
While I waited for my massage I thumbed through the scrapbook the founders had put together on the evolution of the business. In the scrapbook the Center’s mission was stated as: “working to make massage a viable medical option for our community.”
I received today’s massage from one of the Center’s founders, Richard Oliver. I asked him to say more about the Center’s mission. He emphasized the therapeutic aspects of massage and the ways it can improve quality of life including stress reduction, improved blood flow, decreased muscle tension, increased endorphins, all of which strengthen the immune system and also make you feel good. “We want to make a difference in your tissue. We want to help you make forward progress,” he said.
As we discussed what I wanted out of my massage I mentioned the tightness in my neck, shoulders, arms and shoulder blade area, including recurring numbness in my right arm. He pointed to a chart showing the muscle anatomy of the human body and explained the relationship between different sets of muscles that can hold tension and create discomfort. With respect to my nervousness about having people touch the front and sides of my neck he agreed that massage might help get to the bottom of this puzzle. I asked him if he could do a bit of cranial-sacral work during the massage. Cranial-sacral is a form of light manipulation which can be used alone or as a compliment to massage (or other therapies) and works with the cranial bones, sacrum and spinal fluid to balance energy in the body. “Cranial-sacral is non-invasive, even less invasive than massage. This means that there is less resistance in the body and this lack of resistance allows us to go deeper,” he said. Richard is technically trained and also highly intuitive in his approach. This means that he can tailor his technique to needs of the client, even when those needs shift between massages.
This all sounds promising to me. I know from experience that balancing energy in the body is important given that emotional energy underlies physical ailments. Proper energetic flow moves emotions allowing for healing. Also, Richard’s intuitive approach means that I am likely to experience a massage that is not only custom made for me, if my needs change, he will follow suit and with each massage I will get more of what I need. This is the theory.
Our extensive discussion meant that my massage would be shorter than usual – something to keep in mind for all those massage goers out there! Richard stepped out of the room so that I could undress. I slipped between the sheets. The table was padded with what felt like miles of memory foam. The heating pad had been turned up to high – just like I like it - a wonderful feeling on this cold winter evening. Even my toes felt comforted as they sunk into the warm foam.
(for more, see next post)
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