Massage Therapy in Somerville, MA
Choose Your Mode
Chair
I do chair massage at indoor/outdoor events. Typically, I have a hard copy sign up sheet with 15 min intervals to stay organized. 2 min clean up between each session. Times can be altered to preference. Food for thought: some companies like creating a digital sign up sheet so people can sign up prior to the event.
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4 hour minimum
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8 hour maximum
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$60/hour (Affordable!... I pass the savings on to you for the face-to-face marketing opportunity)
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Call/text Johnny directly at (617)-304-9846 for the fastest reply.
Mobile
You guessed it. I come to you. You stay home. I even have a table warmer and extra thick padding, coupled with a face cradle that actually cradles your face, so you aren't sacrificing anything in terms of treatment.
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I require minimum of roughly 7' x 10' clear floor space.
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Roughly 5 mile travel radius of Somerville, MA, favoring North of Boston (blasted city traffic)
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Stairs, no problem.
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Call/text Johnny directly at (617)-304-9846 for the fastest reply.
Mobile Rates:
60 minutes: $200
90 minutes: $280
120 minutes:$360
Styles
With 12 years of experience in manual therapy, Johnny has a large pool of knowledge to navigate the mixed bag of wellness tips on social media, treat you accordingly, and has a tendency to mix & match techniques, so there is no need to choose a style, but some are listed below just for clarity/curiosity. The caveat is that massage is inherently an art form attempting to give objective descriptors to subjective transference of force coupled with technique, a problem muddying it's research, and confusing the public; talk is cheap, while results speak for themselves. The boast here is that Johnny knows the difference and got his doctorate to double down on that bet and demonstrably convey his preference for clinical reasoning over intuition.
Orthopedic (Selective Swedish)
Orthopedic massage is a style of massage therapy focused on treating the root cause of painful, musculoskeletal conditions. it requires extensive training to treat medical conditions in a no nonsense manner, despite social media contenting promising snake oil solutions. It requires thorough conceptual knowledge to to apply simple, targeted techniques. It involves releasing tense muscles, and decompress rigid joints. My goal is to restore balance, whether muscles need a reminder to do their job or to take a break because they want to be the over-achiever. Looking at you upper traps, says everybody.
Prenatal (Careful Swedish)
Prenatal massage is a specialized, gently adapted form of bodywork designed to support the unique biomechanics of pregnancy. Using safe side-lying, semi-reclined positioning, or a pregnancy table top bolster (a hard favorite) the therapist eases muscular tension, improves circulation, reduces swelling, and coaxes the nervous system from high alert to something more akin to “I might nap right here.” It can help relieve back and hip discomfort, regulate stress hormones, improve sleep, and generally make the body feel a bit more cooperative during its temporary architectural renovation. When performed by a trained prenatal therapist, it’s considered very safe. Techniques and pressure are modified, positioning avoids sensitive vascular structures, and anyone with a high-risk pregnancy or complex medical considerations simply checks in with their provider first. In short, prenatal massage offers comfort, calm, and a sense of bodily harmony—without requiring the expectant parent to develop any new superpowers.
Deep Tissue (Heavy Swedish)
Deep Tissue Massage is a form of bodywork that aims to relieve tension in the deeper layers of tissue in the body. Depth isn't necessarily more pressure, mind you. Deep Tissue Massage is a highly effective method for releasing chronic stress areas due to muscle imbalances, repetitive motions, and past lingering injuries. Due to the nature of the deep tissue work, open communication during the session is crucial to make sure you don't get too uncomfortable. Discomfort is part of it, but the "good" kind, to be distinguished from sharp pain. Up to a certain point, more pressure is counterproductive if the body is bracing so hard to protect against a perceived external threat, in which case less is more. I promise, pain shouldn't be part of the session. Keep in mind that soreness is pretty common after the treatment.
Sports (ROM & Swedish)
Sports Massage is a type of massage designed for highly active people who engage in athletics. Engaging in sports is harsh on the body and can often lead to injuries in both the short and long term. Sports Massage enhances performance and prolongs a sports career by helping to prevent injury, reduce pains and swelling in the body, relax the mind, increase flexibility, and dramatically improve recovery rates. Sports Massage is also highly effective in aiding the rapid recovery of an athlete from an injury by encouraging greater kinesthetic awareness and in turn promoting the body's natural immune function.
Myofascial Release (Slow & Dry Swedish)
Myofascial release is a form of soft tissue therapy intended to eliminate pain, increase range of motion, and rebalance the entire body. It does this by using massage techniques to stretch the fascia and release the bonds that exist between the fascia, muscles and bones. Fascia is the connective tissue that connects and covers all muscles, organs, and skeletal structures of the body; it's everywhere. Direct myofascial release is sometimes known as deep tissue work. Indirect release applies light pressure and gently stretches the fascia; this allows for increased blood circulation and relief from pain. think about putting tension in a cotton shirt fresh out of the drier, to elongate the fibers caught in the line of pull and beyond. Now your body has more freedom of movement to move about through space.
Neuromuscular Therapy (Def Not Swedish)
Neuromuscular therapy is a system of massage techniques that were developed in the 1930's by Dr. Stanley Lief in England. It uses a holistic approach towards healing, emphasizing and stimulating the body's natural ability to heal itself. Neuromuscular therapy also enhances the function of joints and muscles, and accelerates the overall healing process by facilitating the release of endorphins. Does it do so by magic? Certain techniques take advantage of the fact that some muscles must relax in order to move a joint, otherwise we'd be stuck in an undead rigor mortis. We can tell an angry muscle to back off with movement demanding it relax. We'll show you.
Lymphatic Drainage (Probably Not Swedish)
Lymphatic Drainage Therapy aims to gently and rhythmically move the lymph through the body, especially swollen areas of the body, relieving pressure and enhancing the functioning of the immune system. As both a preventative and remedial technique, MLD can be used for a wide range of purposes including faster recovery from injury, reduction of swelling and discomfort from pregnancy, and strengthened resistance to illness. Highly effective at reducing swelling and scar proliferation, if done two days prior to surgery, and during the healing process.
Swedish (Super Swedish)
Swedish Massage is a very relaxing and therapeutic style of bodywork. It combines oils or lotion with an array of strokes such as rolling, kneading, and percussion to help the body improve its circulation. The benefits of this type of bodywork are wide-ranging and include relief from aches and pains, decreased stress levels in the body, enhanced mental clarity, improved appearance, and greater flexibility. Probably the most common form.
Trigger Point Therapy (Pointy Swedish)
Trigger Point Therapy is a style of bodywork that focuses on stimulating and releasing "trigger points" in your body. Trigger points are tender areas of tension similar to acupressure points, except they occur in the belly of the muscle rather than along the energy pathways of the body. These "knots" are built up throughout a person's life due to physical, mental, and/or emotional stress. During a session, focused pressure is applied through a variety of techniques order to release your trigger points. This process can be quite painful at times, yet the effects are lasting and profoundly transformative.
Dry Needling (Just ish)
Just kidding! I leave the acupuncture to the acupuncturist with more than a weekend course's blessing to put needles in people and master the rhetoric gymnastics required to claim that dry needling is not acupuncture. Don't get me started ;)
Ash & I wrote an in depth paper on the matter because we were genuinely curious about the way many physical therapists frame dry needling, and holy (insert preferred deity) is there some impressive truth-bending, and not in the public's favor.