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 Discount Packages:

There were several questions about whether the packages expire. There hasn't been an official expiration date since they usually get used up within a few months to a year, but there have a been a few instances where a client returned after 3-5 years and had some sessions left. How it was resolved was that they received a paid discount on their remaining sessions. 

The policy is now 2 years to use up the package discount,  and after that any unused sessions can be used as a paid discount at 45% off a paid session. 

Price Increase :


New Prices as of November 1, 2024: 
60 Minutes: $135
75 Minutes: $155
90 Minutes: $185


All appointments booked from November 1st will reflect the new prices. My goal has always been to make my services as accessible as possible. In past years I've tried different strategies and am trying out a few things:


Subscription Program: There will be an option to subscribe to an automatic monthly charge at a discounted rate of $10 off the massage service that you choose. If you subscribe to a monthly 60-minute massage, you'll be charged $125 on the 1st of every month. If you don't book an appointment that month, that's ok, you can use it another time for yourself or someone else. 

No Tipping on Credit Card Payments: The tipping option will be turned off as of November 1st - the new prices are fixed. I'm looking forward to getting rid of the credit card tipping option as I've always felt it's awkward. If you feel inclined, I will gratefully accept tips in cash or other forms of payment. Note: Your repeat appointments and referrals are the best tips as they enable me to stay in business. 

Package Discounts: These will continue and the discounts are the same: $10 off each session for a package of 5 and $6 off for a package of 3. 

There will be a limited number of these discount services for both Subscriptions and Packages. The Package Discounts have been limited as I have a large number of them already, but I will open those back up in November. Please reach out if you have any questions about these options. 



Service Menu Changes 
There is no longer an option for "Classic Swedish Massage Therapy" or "Integrated Deep Tissue Massage Therapy" - It's now "Custom Integrative Massage Therapy". Over 20 years ago, I learned Swedish and Deep Tissue massage techniques which are still mostly the standard. Those terms have implied that "Swedish" means "lighter pressure" and "Deep Tissue" means "deeper and harder pressure" but I've come to realize that these terms mean very little day-to-day. Time and again it's confirmed that the postural patterns and where you are mentally, emotionally and psychologically determine the techniques and pressure that your body needs which can change at any time. Practically everyone likes deeper pressure in some areas of their body and less in other areas, so now, it's "Custom Integrative Massage Therapy" where your session is tailored to your needs. I continue to use a blend of the techniques I've learned - Swedish, Deep Tissue, Traditional Thai, Zen Shiatsu, Traditional Lomi-Lomi and many that I've picked up that I can't name. Please continue to communicate before, during, and after your session and I'll continue to check in during your massage.

     I'll say that when I was starting out, I loved to receive the deepest pressure and techniques I could get. Over 20 years ago, that was what I needed and what helped me most at the time. Today, I still love a deep massage (I can't stand wimpy, rub-the-oil-on massages!) but now I can no longer take sustained deep pressure because my body is different and I'm no longer interested in that. For these reasons, I'm no longer offering 90 minute Custom Massage Therapy Sessions, only 60 and 75 minutes. In addition to the 90 minute Abdominal Massage that I'll continue to offer, I've added a new menu option, "Signature Treatments" with a 90 minute and 2.5 hours option. You still get the full body customized session, but the extra time will be spent on what I'm learning and what I'm interested in these days -  Abdominal Therapy, Cranial Therapy, Facial massage, moving stuck Lymph and Steam Therapy. With the increasing numbers of TMJ dysfunction (jaw tightness, teeth grinding) and general stress levels due to chronic poor posture, these methods are how I'd like to address these issues in a longer session. 
     I realize that this doesn't appeal to everyone, so I've been reaching out to other places that do more "traditional" 90 minute sessions as well as offering techniques that I don't do such as Neuromuscular Therapy and Myofascial Therapy. I'm compiling referrals and will put them on my website - if you have a good referral to add, let me know and I can add them as well. The goal is for everyone to get the help that they need and I can only massage one person at a time. We need more therapists for everyone! Also, there's value in having more than one therapist to address your needs - I personally see 2 different therapists monthly who offer different techniques and approaches. I find this really helpful for my overall health/ well-being practice. 


Prenatal and Postnatal Massage Therapy 
Prenatal Massage has been a staple offering in my practice for 20 years. I've been massaging moms-to-be since before I had my own kids. Working in spas or on my own, I was often a solo provider, as it's a modality that not every massage therapist wants to take on. In recent years, I'm happy to see the tides are shifting and I've been connecting with other birthworkers who are promoting and adding their cultural practices. A major shift I'm seeing is in Postnatal Massage, this is something that I would urge pregnant moms to receive after the baby is born, but the return rate was often minimal.  I'm overjoyed to see an increase in Postnatal Massage bookings in the last couple of years. I believe the upswing is due to more education and media coverage of the importance the postpartum time. Indigenous cultures around the world including my own Korean ancestral culture have rituals, ceremonies and practices to honor this sacred time of new life. Our modern world is beginning to understand the real benefits to the mom, baby, family and our society. While it's ideal for the provider to go to the home so that the Postpartum process is uninterrupted, it's worth the effort to go and get a Postpartum massage if an in-home provider is not available. I'm compiling a list of providers who do in-home visits and I'm considering starting back up some in-home visits for Postpartum moms. In-home massage is how I started my private practice in San Francisco, years ago. I still have my beloved portable table, custom built for me and bringing it back out would be a lovely full circle :)
Some Personal Updates


Continuing Education is the Key! 
One of the big reasons I love what I do is that there's always more to learn. I love taking classes, meeting other practitioners, seeing and hearing what they're doing and adding to my repertoire of knowledge and techniques. It's only the last couple of years that in-person classes have opened up since the Pandemic, and so I've kind of been going nuts the last year taking exciting new-to-me classes. 


A dear friend suggested a Clinical Ayurveda course with DeAnna Batdorff up in Sebastopol (dhyanaessentials.com) so I made the trek one weekend a month from last September to March of this year and it was amazing experience. I've always been drawn to the ancient healing ways and Ayurveda is one of the oldest healing systems that lives through many lineages in India. What especially drew me was her approach to Abdominal Massage to add to what I've been learning and practicing, as well as her take on Lymphatic Massage, Tibetan Cranial Therapy, Cupping and Gua Sha (scraping). I've been adding these techniques - minimally, as needed, to enhance sessions. 

I'm also wrapping up a very cool certification course through the Steamy Chick Institute (steamychick.institute). Pelvic Steaming is a simple and effective way of healing with steam and herbs and has been practiced worldwide. I've been offering them as an add-on after an Abdominal Therapy session and will offer more personalized sessions when I finish the certification. It's been eye-opening learning about the most effective herbal formulas to address issues such as painful, irregular or absent periods, infertility and more. I've been enjoying steaming myself and my family regularly, sitting with the steam while sipping a cup of tea - so relaxing! 
Endings and Beginnings 
The end of September was my last regular shift as a Chiropractic Assistant/ Soft Tissue Therapist at the Apple Wellness Center. I started the position in 2014 and earlier this year, I decided that 10 years was a good run. I've enjoyed my time there, working with the Chiropractic team and the patients/ employees, but it was time to move on and focus exclusively on my private practice. I really appreciate gaining an understanding of the efficient and complementary  effectiveness of receiving a warm-up massage and then a Chiropractic adjustment. If at all possible, I recommend scheduling a massage and a chiropractic adjustment on the same day, I'm compiling a list of Chiropractic referrals for my website. 

Family Life 
Another reason I've been doing more continuing education is that my daughters are older! Work/ Life balance is a challenge for everyone and it was harder when they were younger to get away. They are now in their 11th and 6th grade homeschool programs and I can step back a little and reclaim those parts of myself that were put off for a while. We also got 2 Maltipoo puppies who turned a year old in August! They are bundles of joy and really complete our family - we've wanted puppies for a while and they came at the perfect time for us. I'm full of gratitude for our blessings as well as the challenges. 

 

The past 2 years have been a mini roller coaster! I saved the updates for a little personal record of history :) 

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12.12.21: New Clients with Referral 
If you are a new client, you must have a referral to schedule an appointment. For Maya Abdominal Therapy, new clients are welcome without a referral. Thank you! 
​NOTE: New Phone Number: 
(669) 350-5335



9.22.21: New Clients for Maya Abdominal Therapy Only 
You may schedule an Initial Maya Abdominal Therapy appointment if you are a new client. For all other services, only continuing clients may schedule an appointment. If you have questions, please email: [email protected]. Thank you for your patience and understanding. 


Masks and Self-checks at home are still required for appointments. Let's continue to stay safe and healthy.



​9.8.21: Scheduling Changes - Accepting New Clients with Referrals only and for Maya Abdominal Therapy
If you have received a session from me before, you are welcome to schedule online. If you are a new client you must have a referral. The exception is for Maya Abdominal Therapy since it's a specialized treatment. This is temporary until the schedule isn't too booked out, thank you for understanding.

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​6.18.21: State-Wide California Covid-19 Re-Opening:
At this time, due to the close contact nature of this work, I'll keep wearing a mask for all appointments and continue getting weekly Covid tests. I also strongly advise mask-wearing unless you have a medical reason. Please continue to conduct your own health checks at home, and do not hesitate to cancel if you have a cough or fever. Thank you and let's continue to stay safe. 



​5.28.21: Covid-19 Safety Protocols: 

Although Santa Clara County is now in Yellow Tier and Social Distancing Protocols are no longer required, please conduct your own health check before your appointment. For now, masks must still be worn throughout the treatment and I'll continue to sanitize between each appointment. Thank you. 
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​1.31.21 The online scheduler is open. Masks must still be worn at all times and appointments have been spaced out for cleaning protocols. Thank you and see you soon! 
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UPDATE: 1.5.21. State order Shutdown continues.  As soon as the order is lifted I'll open the scheduler. Until then, Happy New Year!!! ​

UPDATE: 10.12.20: Massage Therapy Allowed Indoors
Although a Doctor or Chiropractor referral is no longer required, COVID guidelines are still followed and appointments will be pending upon approval in order to space out treatments. Please use the online scheduler to book online and email or text with questions. Thank you all again for your patience. ​

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​UPDATE 9.1.20: Medical Massage Allowed
The State of California and Santa Clara County now allow Massage Therapy with a Doctor or Chiropractic referral. I've started accepting patients with a referral and have opened up the online scheduler. When you get the referral and schedule an appointment, the appointment will be pending upon approval. The referral can be sent by email or text, so as soon as I receive it, the appointment will be confirmed. I look forward to seeing you soon! Thank you. ​

Santa Clara County has given the authorization to resume massage therapy services with COVID-19 Safety protocol restrictions. Some of these restrictions include:

--Maintain safe distance where possible.

--No handshakes or hugs. Use of contactless payment if possible. 

--Masks: Must be worn at all times, including through the entirety of the treatment. This limits facial massage. 

--The massage therapist must wear latex-free disposable gloves ( I already practice this).

--Before the treatment, client must wash hands or use hand sanitizer. 

--I will be seeing fewer clients per day and the time between appointments will be considerably lengthened to ensure proper cleaning and sanitation between each treatment as well as overall contact and exposure. 

--In addition, as an employee at the Apple Wellness Center, I am taking advantage of the offer to be tested for the COVID-19 virus on a weekly basis. So far I've had one test which was negative. My family and I continue to mostly stay at home and see a very small, select circle of friends and family. 

With all this in mind, it cannot be stressed enough that those who are higher-risk, live with those who are at a higher risk, has had any known exposure or exhibit any symptoms of illness should not come in for a treatment. 

Thank you for your cooperation and see you soon. 

This November will be the 20th anniversary of getting certification in massage therapy and I am definitely going to celebrate. However, right now:

--Statewide, Massage Therapy is not authorized except for those working directly with physicians or chiropractors providing deferred or preventative health care services. 

At this time, my office remains closed until Governor Newsom lifts the order. I've opened up and closed back up my schedule since the Shutdown started several times, and it looks like I will have to do so again. I am very sorry to everyone who has reached out..we'll just wait until it's time. 

My family and I are doing well - everyday I am grateful that we are in our home and that we are safe. Here's what I've been up to:

Homeschooling: This has been our 3rd year homeschooling our 2 daughters and so it was a pretty good transition to keep on doing what we're doing. It's not easy! I'm sure everyone with kids has come up with resourceful ways to help your children learn while the schools remain closed. Good days and bad days for us all!

Cooking: Not being able to see my mother (an incredible cook!) who is on lockdown at her senior residence, I've been cooking more Korean food. Maangchi's YouTube channel has great recipes, here's a couple that I've tried out that we keep on making: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzZY7oDpdwU&t=353s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXcsHj1l-Pc

Meditation: Up until the Shutdown, I went to Japantown SJ about 4 days a week, 5:30am to meditate with my group. We have transitioned to Zoom online meditation almost everyday and it's an interesting experience. My group is a very small one and is not taking new members at this time, but San Francisco Zen Center has opened up their practice online. Of course, it's not the same as being at the meditation center, but this can give some guidance if you're interested in starting a meditation practice:
https://www.sfzc.org/online-programs/online-zendo

Handmade Paper: I love paper and stationery and recently, started learning how to make paper from our bags and bags of office and school papers. I thought it would be fun to start documenting the journey and started an Instagram page for my handmade paper, it's @moonlifecollection. 

A few months into getting my massage certification in November 2000, I learned of a Zen Shiatsu weekend workshop at a massage school in Marin County. I can still see the flyer in my mind: the photo of Ryuho Yamada, smiling serenely above the caption of "Zen Shiatsu Master." The description said that he would teach his style of Zen Shiatsu that he called "Leaning in" (way before Sheryl Sandberg's book). I was a newly-minted massage therapist and was eager for more knowledge, more training into this way which had found me during my darkest times. 

I had randomly fallen into massage therapy, by first receiving it and finding that it helped with the depression that I had struggled with most of my life. What attracted me most was the totally natural, sweet feeling that massage can give, something that I had rarely experienced up until then. I was starting to tune into my body which I had ignored for so long. There was a massage school around the corner from my apartment in San Francisco, and I decided to take some classes. It was clear from my first class that I had a natural talent for massage therapy--a wonderful realization after struggling academically for so many years. 

I just wanted to learn more for myself and didn't really see it as something I would be doing as a career. Massage therapy wasn't a career that was any kind of consideration in the family I grew up with, for many reasons. This all changed when I met Ryuho. 

We sat in a circle in the classroom and he entered with his assistant, a young hippie woman. He was about my parents' age, but he was unlike any other Asian elder I had ever met. He spoke about his life--and what experiences he had had! There were stories about growing up in a strict Zen Buddhist temple in Japan, studying intensively at Zen Buddhist monasteries, at one point living as a beggar monk with only a bowl as his possession. He told the story about leaving Japan for America in the early 70's and falling in with the hippies, artists and musicians in San Francisco. He spoke about his many psychedelic experiences with LSD and relationships with women ( he said he loved women who were controlling). He spoke about his different explorations with other religions, traditions - Japanese Shinto, Native American sweat lodges, his experiences with shamans and other psychedelics in the jungles of South America. Whatever he was interested in , he delved into it deeply. 

In the midst of his talking, he showed us a few Zen Shiatsu techniques. They were very simple: palm presses along the back, elbow acupressure along the spine, and some other pressing down techniques in seated or lying sideways positions. He showed us some self-massage with tennis balls and some meridien stretching. Not much else. Partway through the class, I overheard grumblings from some other students, "I thought we were going to learn shiatsu, I didn't know I signed up for a philosophy class!"

I was completely intrigued by it all. The best massage teachers taught us the utter importance of using our bodies when we're working, which is one of the most important aspects of massage therapy training. But Ryuho went a step further, he emphasized not only using our bodies, but gravity itself. He told us, when pressing down into the recipient, "Use your weight and gravity because they are more powerful than anything you yourself can do!" If at any point, we found ourselves using our own strength, we were told to pull back. Just lean in. Do nothing. As he leaned into the recipient's body he said, " I feel great, I can just hang out here all day!" Even now, if I feel myself using my own strength in a session, I remember his words and just lean in. Just gravity and my own weight. Minimal effort, maximum results. His teaching gave me a confidence in myself and the practice that I believe is what ultimately led me into a career in massage therapy.

At the end of that weekend he told us he would have an advanced workshop at a Zen temple where he lived and I already knew I would be signing up for it. A few months later, I randomly learned about, and embarked on a Vipassana 10-day silent meditation retreat, my introduction to meditation, which completely changed my life, but that's another story. A few months after that, I walked into Jikoji Zen Retreat Center to take the advanced Shiatsu workshop with Ryuho and my life changed again. 

Zen meditation is quite different from the Vipassana technique. I'm grateful that Vipassana was my introduction, because it's rigorous, pulls no punches, and explains what is happening every step of the way. Zen meditation, at least in the Soto Zen tradition as practiced at Jikoji, was pretty "easy" for me after experiencing Vipassana. When I say "easy," it's only that after 10 straight days of sitting for an hour at a time, from 4:30am to 9pm, the Zen way of sitting for 40 minutes at a time with 10 minutes of walking meditation wasn't such a physical struggle. Internally, it's the hardest thing I've ever faced, but though I didn't know it at the time, I had one of the best teachers in Ryuho. 

At the advanced class, it was more of the same - lots of talking and some shiatsu technique, but since we were at a Zen retreat center, he also gave us Zen meditation (zazen) and walking meditation (kinhin) instruction. It was a beautiful October and the air was crisp. The vegetarian food was wonderful. At one point I sat and spoke with him about my Vipassana experience, and he was highly encouraging, saying it was a great thing I had done. I told him I wanted to learn more massage, to learn more about meditation and he said, "Take more courses, keep learning, but especially, learn from yourself." I signed up for an upcoming sesshin - a 7-day meditation retreat in December that Ryuho was going to lead. 

That Rohatsu sesshin in December 2001 (Rohatsu is held in Buddhist places all over the world in recognition of Buddha's enlightenment)  was the beginning of my commitment to Zen practice. I still remember just about every person who attended - fewer than 8 people in all, as I recall. Ryuho sat with a couple of us beginners and again went over different ways to sit Zazen and also Oryoki, the way we take our meals in Zen tradition. He showed us step-by-step how to unwrap and take apart the 3 bowls and put them back together again. Unfortunately, a lot of his words are lost in time, but I remember he emphasized, over and over: "One movement." When he went over kinhin, he emphasized, "Half step, one movement." For one of his dharma talks he had us do some simple shiatsu on each other, a welcome break for our tight muscles after hours of sitting. 

After that Rohatsu sesshin, I continued to find my way up to Jikoji for their other sesshins and programs. In July of 2002, Jikoji's founder Kobun died tragically with his daughter Maya in Switzerland. Ryuho by then had gotten married to a woman he had met in Hawaii. However, the colon cancer that he had previously struggled with returned and he was mostly ill in his room when I would visit Jikoji. As happens with cancer patients that I have seen, whatever had not been dealt with in his life seemed to overtake him. I heard many accounts of angrily severed and ugly relations between him and Jikoji residents. These accounts were a source of dismay, but he and I never got so close for me to witness anything untoward, and he was ever pleasant and cordial with me. At one point he and his wife were on one side of the Jikoji grounds and residents on the other, like a line drawn in the sand. After hearing more ugly stories, I decided to walk over to him and his wife as they sat in the kitchen eating together. Without thinking, I got on my hands and knees, and bowed. He bowed back, gratified. Sun Faced Buddha, Moon Faced Buddha. I believe that is the last time I saw him. Ryuho died in December 2003. 

In the years since, much has happened both in my life and at Jikoji, but I've never stopped practicing Zen meditation and massage therapy. I can see who and what influenced me, both good and bad, which are all parts of the same teaching. And I can say that Ryuho's influence, brief as it was, compared to other teachers I've spent time with, impacted me greatly. I'm still unpacking it all, after carefully holding it and growing it within myself. For me, my Zen meditation practice and massage therapy practice are forever entwined. What seemed so simple at the time, the shiatsu techniques that Ryuho showed us, the words about leaning in and learning from ourselves, I use in practically every massage session and whenever I practice Zen Meditation. In a few days, I will be taking the Buddhist precepts in a ceremony at Jikoji. I again, bow deeply to my original teacher, Zen Master Ryuho Yamada. 


***Here are a couple of links to articles I found about Ryuho:

http://www.cuke.com/sangha_news/ryuho%20memorial.html

​http://www.cuke.com/people/yamada-ryuho.htm