Autumn 2024 Newsletter

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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.