Urban Integrative Bodywork

Friday morning moments of calm before my clients arrive. Stopped for a chocolate thing and coffee at Arizmendi Bakery . Chatted with a neighbor dropping their kiddo at Messy Art Lab. Peeked in at Bija Yoga to check out their Iyengar class schedule. I LOVE my new Inner Sunset location! Come visit me here on Fridays.

New massage home base ✨ I’m now at this absolutely gorgeous space on 9th avenue between Judah & Irving—and honestly, it’s pretty much exactly how I imagine my home would look if I didn’t have a kid. 😂

Come see me here on Fridays from here on out. A beautiful space, a little quiet time, and a massage sounds like a pretty good Friday to me. 💆‍♀️✨

Link in bio to book!

San Francisco Summer Special - 15% Off Massage - up to 15% off Aug 24, 2023 - 12:00 PM ~ Sep 15, 2023 - 5:00 PM - San Francisco summer is FINALLY here! Treat yourself to a late summer massage and treat your body to the rest and rejuvenation it deserves. Take 15% off one weekday session of any length between now and September 15.

Just a reminder, I accept FSA and HSA cards. Always double check that your plan covers massage first. Occasionally you’ll need a letter of medical necessity from your doctor. This is REALLY easy to get. Stressed, anxious, depressed? Your doctor would much rather you get massages before prescribing meds. Frequent low back or shoulder pain? Check. Pregnant? There’s generally no questions asked. This is a great way to save a significant amount on regular bodywork. If you’re over halfway through your benefits year and notice you still have a ton of $$ in there, now’s a great time to come on in! Link in bio to book your next massage.

Have I mentioned that there’s AC in here? Lovely morning in the office with some favorite clients. Now I’m off to enjoy the rare SF heat for a bit before my afternoon client. I’ve had a rare Friday appointment slot open up this week. Come on in!

Let’s chat about massage session lengths…

I offer four treatment lengths, 30 minute, 60 minute, 75 minute, and 90 minute. What you’ll get during each amount of time will definitely not be the same. There are a lot of goals and expectations that clients come in with for their massage. It can be helpful to have a framework for what’s accomplishable in each timeframe. Here are some basic guidelines:

30 minutes - This is going to be work on just one focus area. Folks often book this session length if it’s a SOS moment. Perhaps you woke up with a painful neck, did something funky to your shoulder, or have acute low back pain. This is also a good option if you have a chronic area of discomfort that you’d like regular maintenance on. You will not get a full body massage in 30 minutes.

60 minutes - Can either cover a full light or medium pressure relaxing massage, or deep tissue focused work on one area, but not both. A great introduction to bodywork if you’ve never had a massage before.

75 minutes - A full body massage session, with detailed work in one or two areas. This session length is excellent for those that like deep tissue massage, and want to make sure that both upper and lower receive work. It’s also a great amount of time if you love an extra long foot or scalp massage in addition to a full medium pressure bodywork treatment. This is also my preferred length for prenatal and postpartum massage sessions.

90 minutes - I’ll be honest, anything less than 90 minutes for my own bodywork sessions is not enough. I like this amount of time for a couple reasons: For those of us with monkey brains, who have a hard time letting go of all the thoughts and running to-do lists that take over when you stop and get still, this extra time allows those thoughts to quiet, leaving plenty of time to be present in the therapeutic half sleep/half awake state of presence that feels so blissful. It’s also a great session length if you want to really linger in a couple focus areas. Say you want a full massage, deep shoulder work, LOVE foot reflexology, and have a bit of TMJ. This is the bodywork session for you.

Have any questions about what bodywork session length is right for you? Send me a DM and I’ll let you know what I suggest.

I'm not going to lie. I'm SOOOOOOO happy to have school starting up again soon. For many working parents, the summer camp schedule of late drop-off and early pick-up times is incredibly stressful. Plus the mental load of all the extra parenting hours... The school year offers a consistent routine and a little extra time in the mornings and early evenings to catch a breath. Celebrate with a massage!

My flight has been delayed twice now. Oh man, I could use a massage. Kiddo is happily zoned out with a screen. But I’m searching the terminal map for a chair massage place. A good reminder to book that pre or post travel bodywork appointment now. There’s just one more day of the EverBody Deserves a Massage Week gift certificate sale that gives back. 10% off gift certificates and I’ll be donating a massage to Homeless Prenatal Program for every 3 sold! Link in bio to purchase.

Who in your life deserves a massage this week?

This photo is 10 years old. I'm giving a massage to my good friend Andrea of at her old yoga studio where I used to work. It's just before we both got pregnant with our kids. We became friends over a shared commitment to community wellness, as well as our journey as small business owners. Our kids now go to school together. We often joke about how little we knew about how hard parenting would be. And we remain deeply passionate about our collective responsibility to community care.

It's the start of EveryBody Deserves a Massage Week, celebrating diversity and inclusivity in the bodywork field. Among the guiding principles are to:
*Serve as advocates for the powerful physical and emotional benefits of massage and bodywork.
*Support and advocate for efforts that bring massage and bodywork to underserved populations.
*Honor the healing role practitioners play in our communities.

In addition to offering 10% off gift certificate this week at https://www.vagaro.com/us02/urbanintegrativebodywork, I'll be donating massages to the Homeless Prenatal Program here in SF. I believe we're all responsible for each other. Our individual healing is deeply connected to the healing of others. I hope you'll consider buying a gift certificate for someone you love (or even yourself!) today. Check out the link in bio for details.

Every Body Deserves a Massage Week

July 16-22 is Every Body Deserves a Massage Week, celebrating diversity and inclusivity in the bodywork field. Among the guiding principles are to:
-Serve as advocates for the powerful physical and emotional benefits of massage and bodywork.
-Support and advocate for efforts that bring massage and bodywork to underserved populations.
-Honor the healing role practitioners play in our communities.

To celebrate, I'm offering 10% off gift certificates for 60, 75, and 90 minute sessions. For every three gift certificates sold, I’ll be donating a massage to the Homeless Prenatal Program. The Homeless Prenatal Program is a nationally-recognized family resource center in San Francisco that empowers homeless and low-income families, particularly mothers motivated by pregnancy and parenthood, to find within themselves the strength and confidence they need to transform their lives.

As you know, I’m passionate about supporting pregnant folks through their transition into parenthood. As a low-income single mother myself, I know the difference having a supportive community and receiving help from time-to-time can have on this crucial time in our lives.

This is a wonderful way to do well by doing good. Link in bio to purchase.