Massage Therapy
Do you constantly hold your stress, or tension within your body?
Are you tried of little niggling aches and pains that come from working a sedentary job, or commuting long hours?
Are you concerned you don’t have enough time to properly take care of your body, and worried that your body is becoming stiffer by the day?
Are you looking for a natural solution that does not involve taking pills, so you can start feeling looser, lighter, less stressed, and feeling like your old self again?
If that sounds like you, then you’ve come looking in the right place!
We live in a world where everyone seems to be overstressed…
- Stress from being overworked, or having to drive in crazy bay-area traffic
- Stress at home from family and relationships
- Physical stress from sitting or not moving for long hours and not getting enough exercise
- Nutritional stress from the foods we eat
But so many people tend to ‘ignore’ and underestimate the impact these stressors have on your physical, AND mental well-being.
If you are tired of feeling overwhelmed with stress, and are ready to make positive, changes to your body and your health, then you've come to the right place!
Massage Therapy is a 100% natural, safe, and effective remedy to reduce your stress, and improve your quality of life!
Most people think of massage as something you might enjoy when you’re on vacation, or when you are in a spa.
But clinical research has consistently proven massage therapy can also provide you with several health benefits you may not be aware of!
You see, when the body becomes chronically stressed, it releases waves of “stress hormones” into the blood stream which affects multiple parts of your body…such as your muscles, your connective tissues (known as fascia)… and even your organ function, breathing and thinking.
Chronic build-up of stress is typically associated with:
- Chronic Inflammation which leads to poor organ function and muscle/joint pain
- Chronic fatigue, causing you to feel sluggish, grouchy, and unable to think clearly
- Stiffness and immobility of your muscles which make activities like walking, stretching, or exercise much more painful than it needs to be
It Doesn’t Have to be This Way!
Massage Therapy helps by relieving, cleansing, and “flushing out” the build-up of these stress-toxins out of your body.
Using hands-on techniques that help loosen up, or break-down these cells and fibers, you can expect after massage therapy to feel:
- Reduction in your stress and anxiety so you can sleep better, be more productive and be less cranky and irritable
- Improve your posture so you can breathe better, stand taller, and reduce tension off your shoulders
- Reduce the effects of inflammation on your muscles and joints, which will ease pain and improve your range of motion and mobility
- Looser, lighter, and more mobile so you can start feeling like your “old-self” again
These problems not only affect your mental state, but also your physical state. And living with pain or stiffness not only affects how you feel, but also how you think, and how you behave.
Is Massage Therapy Right For Me?
At Balance and Body, our goal is to customize, and cater our massages to you. Meaning YOU will always be in control as to WHERE you want us to focus on, and the amount of pressure you can tolerate.
We will have a discussion, prior to your massage about the areas where you are feeling pain or tightness, and fit our massage to fit you, and your body.
So whether you are:
- Someone who is new to massage and wants to “try it out” and see if it helps
- Someone who wants to enjoy a nice, relaxing experience and escape the stressors of daily life
- Or if you are struggling with chronic pain and stiffness and really need someone who can get ‘deep’ into those muscle tissues
We have a place for you!
What also makes massage at Balance and Body Restoration unique, is that our massage therapists work alongside our Doctors of Physical Therapy who are specialists in dealing with musculoskeletal injuries.
Meaning, we want to make sure that your massage is not only a relaxing, enjoyable experience, but that it is also SAFE and will NOT cause you to be in more pain.
Most people, when they are looking to try massage for the first time, may be unaware of the different ‘types’ of massages that are out there.
What I’d like to do next is explain the different types of massage that exist, to fit what you may be looking for.
1. Swedish Massage
Swedish massage is the type of massage that is most commonly known to people.
It is best known for the use of long, broad strokes that help break down connective tissue and muscle tension across the body.
Swedish Massage is the “go-to” massage and best for people who:
- Are ready to simply de-stress, and enjoy a soothing, relaxing experience
- Prefer Light-medium pressure
- Are new to massage and want to feel what it’s like
Even though Swedish Massage isn’t as “deep” or as “forceful” as other types of massage, it still provides several health benefits such as:
- Reducing pain in stressed and strained muscles by creating increased blood flow, circulation which drives oxygen into those tissues
- Reduction in stress and anxiety so you can sleep better and think more clearly
- Increased flexibility through the removal of harmful toxins and acidity built up in your muslces
2. Deep Tissue
Deep Tissue massage is a bit more forceful than the typical Swedish massage.
This is because there are muscles and tissues that are deeper than the ‘outer’, more superficial layer.
Deep tissue massages are best for people who:
- Know they have a ‘higher pain tolerance’ and need someone to dig deep into the areas so you can feel some relief
- Have chronic muscle tension and stiffness from years of working in an office
- Suffer from chronic stiffness and are looking to become more mobile
- Want to recovery much more quickly from sport or exercise without having to spend hours ‘stretching’ or ‘foam rolling’
While you may expect to feel a bit of soreness after deep tissue work, it comes in the form of that “good pain” that you know is helpful.
And as a result, you can expect, after a deep tissue massage:
- Looser joints, improved muscle flexibility and ease of daily movements
- Pain relief from joints and muscles that are hard to reach with “foam rollers”, or “lacrosse balls” or even a more general massage
- A body that feels refreshed, recharged, and re-energized
3. Trigger Point Release
If you’ve ever felt that feeling of ‘knots’ or ‘rocks’ built up in your muscles,
or if you’ve ever tried to ‘foam roll’ a muscle and feel certain areas feel much more painful than others, then you know you’ve hit something called a ‘trigger point’.
Trigger points are areas of increased muscle tension, stiffness, with a heightened state of pain sensitivity that can create pain that refers to different parts of the body.
Why are these areas so sensitive?
Research suggests these parts of the body are high in lactic acid, low in oxygen, and high in muscle waste products. This can cause extreme pain and sensitivity to an area and takes a much more specialized touch to release.
Also, because of chronic stress, our ‘nervous system’ becomes overloaded with dangerous stress hormone “cortisol” which creates a state of hyper-sensitivity and pain within the soft tissues of our body.
Trigger points are common in people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic pain, or those who work out too hard, or even sit in a desk for too long.
The interesting thing about “trigger points” is that these areas can cause pain in other parts of your body and you may not even know it!
It takes an extra level of training and knowledge to successfully alleviate these trigger points, but when done properly, it has the ability to help you:
- Be more active and mobile without pain holding you back.
- Feel “looser” and a soothing “release” of tension off areas that are chronically stiff
- Finally feel the “rocks” and “knots” leave your body and overall less tension
What to expect with Trigger Point Release:
- Initially a bit of “sharp pressure”, but quickly followed by a “good pain”, followed by a soothing alleviation of pain and tension in surrounding areas
- Pain relief in one area of the body, that can take pain away from another area (remember, everything IS connected!)
- A slight bit of fatigue, but an overall feeling of relaxation and “lightness” within your body
4. Hot Stone Therapy
Hot stone therapy uses heated stones placed on different parts of your body...
...to created added warmth, and pressure to enhance your massage experience.
We use Basalt rocks that form from lava, which is then cooled and smoothened out by water from nearby rivers. Because of the volcanic nature of these stones, their ability to retain heat for long periods of time, combined with the soft, smooth texture of the stone created from the water makes it a perfect tool to enhance your massage experience.
Placing hot stone along parts of your spine, and your body, you will feel the heat circulating to the area, creating a rush of heat that brings blood flow, and circulation and warmth to the area.
Our therapists will then use these hot stones in place of their hands with long, Swedish strokes, that will:
- Allow the massage therapist to go deeper into the muscle tissue without causing any extra pain
- Add a layer of increased warmth and heat to further relax, sooth, and heal your muscle tissue
- Further add to the massage experience by relieving pressure off the spine
At Balance and Body, we also offer highly specialized massages for groups of people who may have special concerns or needs.
Mother to be Massage:
There are many aches, pains and stress that come with pregnancy...
...Swollen joints, stiffness and spasms in the back, tight shoulders are all very common ailments.
But as you may know, if the mother is stressed, the baby is stressed. If the mother is feeling aches and pains, the baby also feels aches and pains.
But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Our massage therapists are specially trained to work with Mothers-To-Be, and can help make your pregnancy easier by:
- Relieving pressure and tension off swollen joints
- Ease tension off your back muscles from carrying the extra weight
- Reduce neck and shoulder tension that come with stress, or having to work over a computer
But realize that for a pregnant mother to be, massage therapy isn’t just something that can relieve your pain and tension, but also bring several health benefits for you and your baby.
- A less stressed, relaxed body which can make your delivery easier
- Reduction in harmful stress hormones in your blood stream which will help calm your baby
- Help you move more freely and exercise more consistently so you can have a stronger body to decrease the amount of post-partum problems.
Is massage therapy safe for my baby?
After the first trimester, the fetus is much stronger and capable, but at this point is where your baby starts to feel what you feel.
Our Mother to Be Massage is not only very safe, but our massage therapists receive extra, additional training to ensure you will be placed in a very comfortable position that will not only make you feel comfortable, but so your baby is also protected and safe.
Office Worker Massage:
A massage focusing on the main areas of pain and stiffness which come from spending too much time sitting in an office, or driving all day.
Sometimes you “know” you need to stretch, or exercise, but the last thing on your mind when you get home after a long, stressful day of work is to commit MORE of your energy to doing exercise.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a skilled body worker that can provide you with the relief you’re looking for WITHOUT having to spend hours stretching or foam rolling?
If that sounds like you, you may be perfect for our “Office Worker” Massage.
The “Office Worker Massage” targets mainly the upper shoulder muscles, upper back, and also the front (pectoral muscles) which become stretched, stressed, and strained due to the static position of typical office work.
The office worker massage also addresses stiffness and tightness in the lower back and hip region which also comes from sitting for too long.
What you can expect out of an Office Worker Massage:
While massage may not be able to permanently ‘fix’ pain and symptoms associated with prolonged desk work, you CAN expect to feel:
- Improved posture, breathing and mobility so you can think clearer and be more productive
- Temporary reduction in tension and stiffness off your lower back and hips so you can avoid having to take pain-pills or have to stretch for a few hours every night.
- Improved longevity, ability to sustain your work without having to take time off.
Testimonials:
HazelBest prenatal massage I ever had. Thuy is really amazing. I tried having prenatal massage before but never tried it again After. Untill my mom told me that thuy does prenatal massage. My mom is been a patient of kevin and every time my mom goes here she feels good and all I hear is good comments thats Why I trusted thuy to do my prenatal massage and thank god I trusted her coz she is passionate on what she does and she makes sure that your comfortable. Best prenatal massage ever! Thank you balance and body restoration for helping me ease my body pain during preagnancy! I feel so much better! kudos to you guys!
TiffanyDue to my line of work (sitting for 8 -10 hrs crouch over all day) has cause me to have severe back and shoulder pain). So I frequently get massages on a weekly base and for years I thought the place I was going to was the best till I started to go see Thuy. Instead of just going in and just massaging me she took time to figure out where my problem areas were and focus on those and recommended I see Kevin!!! With the combination of seeing both of them has actually given me more permanent relief instead of the temporary one that I was get from other massage places. Together they actually really work together to help me solve my problem and I am forever grateful for them!!! Definitely recommend this place. If you really want to see people that actually care you really have them see them both!!!!