Who's Amanda &
What's Therapeutic Massage?

Massage came into my life like it does for many -- through an injury. I broke my femur in a cycling accident when I was an over-exercising 27-year-old. Massage and physical therapy helped me feel whole again and reaffirmed my belief in both the healing power of touch and the human body’s own resilience. In 2011, I made the switch from client to practitioner,  catalyzed by the loss of a friend and burned out from sitting all day as a full-time editor. I started my career as a licensed massage therapist with an invaluable six-month fellowship at The Teal Center, where I focused on neuromuscular massage and how bodies move and don’t through pain, injury and stress.

 

My work is grounded in helping your body accept and recover from pain by tuning into the patterns that reinforce stress. I'm interested in discovering not just where you hurt, but why — and responding with skilled hands and a curious mind. My clients say I’m specific, and intentional.

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My multidisciplinary sessions can include:

 

• Neuromuscular

• Swedish

• Myofascial

• Oncology

• Sports

• TMJ

 

An aging former runner in recovery from an eating disorder, I am very much invested in finding new ways to strengthen my body, move it with joy and less judgment and ease its stressors.

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And yes, I still write, in The Washington Post and the Washington Business Journal.

 

The through line between massage and journalism is curiosity, paying attention and responding accordingly. Listening is a full-body experience and one I rely on full-time, whether I'm helping a client figure out why her neck hurts or putting into words the experiences of my source.

 

What Is Therapeutic Massage?

My experience is grounded in anatomy and kinesiology. Knowing which muscles, bones, ligaments, nerves, organs, lymphatic vessels, arteries, etc are where goes a long way in having an informed conversation and an effective treatment. Knowing how the body moves -- and doesn't -- gets us closer to figuring out why yours may be hurting.

 

In one session, depending on what you need and want, I may blend all kinds of treatments and modalities, from warming up fascia, to finding deeply held areas of pain and tension in a muscle belly, or gently holding your neck. 

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Member, ABMP.