services
Overview
Every massage therapist has different offerings and there are many types of massage, also called modalities. Gloria presents a hybrid of Swedish and Deep Tissue massage that is intended to be holistic and personalized for the preferences of each individual while maintaining consistency from one session to the next. Her customized massage is good for a special occasion or for regular self-care maintenance such as once per month.
Gloria is dedicated to performing techniques symmetrically to each side of the body and frequently switching sides so that you can focus on how the massage feels, notice tension in your tissues, and follow patterns of the routine.
When you are aware of the sequence, you feel safe and enjoy observing the sensation of the massage. Consistent and rhythmic technique cultivates deep, hypnotic relaxation, the ideal state to alleviate stress and pain.
When you are quiet and paying attention to the massage, you can feel the massage in one area affect other areas in your body. The parasympathetic nervous system is activated as you relax.
Gloria is dedicated to recording SOAP notes to provide continuity between sessions, track personal preferences of the client, as well as treatment work and results.
Swedish
Flowy and gliding Swedish massage with light to medium pressure will sedate your nerves. Smooth, moderate to fast-paced strokes feel like waves of the ocean pushing and pulling your tissues. Classic techniques that are the hallmarks of every professional massage therapist will connect the different areas of your body. You will not be bored, you will be soothed!
Deep Tissue
As the tissues are warmed up with Swedish techniques, deep tissue may be performed with greater, slower pressure. After blood flow circulates, tight muscles are loosened, adhesions in the fascia are reduced, knots and trigger points are addressed, the segment will conclude with heat and/or compressions to calm the elevated sensations, and allow the immune system to heal in the hours and days after the massage. The tenderness that you were not previously aware of will diminish in time.
Achieving the ideal pressure is essential. Experienced massage therapists develop intuition with how much pressure to use. Immediately inform the therapist if the pressure is too much.
Deep tissue massage is not intended to cause post-massage soreness and malaise, (PMSM). Gloria does not offer painful, heavy-pressure massage.
Treatment Work
Medical massage, also known as orthopedic or clinical massage, is similar to the basics of therapeutic massage and applies the intention of addressing areas or issues that require attention because of discomfort, pain, or limited range of motion. The focus is outcome-based; a goal is evaluated with the purpose of making an improvement. It can often be a part of a recovery or treatment plan with a team of other health care providers and generally may take more than one treatment to achieve results. Tracking progress is achieved by recording SOAP notes.
Prenatal Massage with Pregnancy Cushion
Please avoid booking in the 1st trimester unless given permission from your doctor. Prenatal massage with a pregnancy cushion begins in prone. After being face down, the client gets on hands and knees so the cushion can be removed. The client rolls over and part of the table is raised on an incline so that she is not laying flat on her back. Restricting heat, heavy pressure, and limited time in prone are additional precautions.
Knots, Spasms, Trigger Points
A knot is a persistent tightening of muscle that typically involves part of the muscle and can be felt through palpation as a bump or ball under the skin.
Spasms are when the entire muscle voluntarily contracts and remains contracted which is usually very painful and can last a few seconds or for much longer.
Trigger points are muscle knots or irritated muscle fibers within a taut band of skeletal muscle that radiate pain, also called referred pain, to areas directly around the knot or in commonly mapped areas. Trigger points can be felt by the client when palpated or compressed.
There are key or central trigger points that may activate latent trigger points also considered satellite trigger points.
Dr. Janet Travell in the 1950s discovered tender spots in the muscles and helped people understand that knots or trigger points can be the source of pain with no disease or disorder attributed to the affliction.
Hawley, Dr Bryan. “Medical Massage Therapy,” drbryanhawley.com.
Reiki Healing Energy
Reiki is one type of healing energy, a practice that was founded by a Japanese Christian Minister who became a Buddhist Monk in search of how to perform healing. What was once kept secret for many years is now shared with an ever-growing network of attuned practitioners. Reiki is performed through rituals of setting intentions, prayer, and invoking ancient symbols, followed by channeling energy from a divine universal source for the purpose of relaxation and self-healing of the client. Hands are placed on the client to send Reiki, as well as the aura, the energetic field around the body, and chakras, the energetic centers throughout the body.
