Decatur's Barefoot Massage Specialist...and more!
Purchase gift certificates online here!
♥
 |
Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy Specialist! |
Happy Valentine’s Day! Read More »
I seem to be getting this question a lot lately. From clients as well as people who know I’m a massage therapist that haven’t been on my table (yet). Â So I thought I would take a shot at it.
The answer is…it depends.
How often you get a massage depends on what you’ve got going on in your life and body and what your goals are by having massage. I know, I KNOW, goals and massage? What? But it’s really not that complicated.
Let’s say you’re really stressed out, your shoulders and neck are hurting and you’re having headaches. You work at a desk with a computer full-time and there’s no chance of your workload slowing down any time soon. You’re pretty sure it’s all stress-related because the doctor says you’re perfectly healthy.
If all goes well with your first massage, we will assess how much progress was made and decide how soon you need to come back. In my experience, stress-related muscular issues usually respond well to massage. You may need to come back at two week intervals for a while to train your body and nervous system to relax, but after a few sessions you may choose to go to three, four or more week intervals. After a few months of regular massage therapy, your body will begin to tell you when it needs a massage and you and your massage therapist may need to adjust your interval again.
This is just an example, but I hope it gives you an idea of why it’s sometimes hard to answer how often someone should have a massage.
If you’d like to know how often you should be getting massage, give me a call and let’s talk about it!
♥
|
Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Barefoot Massage Specialist! |
How Often Should I Get a Massage? Read More »
It’s New Year’s resolution time again. Maybe you’re one of the many who is making some changes this January. If so here are a few tips to keep a little perspective. |
Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Barefoot Massage Specialist! |
Don’t Get Taken Out By Your Resolution! Read More »
If you’re looking for that last minute stocking stuffer that will make your friends and loved one’s drool, you’ve come to the right place!
We now have Gift Certificates available here and online! So no worries if you can’t get to the office in person, just head on over to my online gift certificate store and follow the prompts. You can purchase as few or as many as you like in whatever denominations you choose. Then you can print them out yourself or email them to the lucky recipient.
And there’s really no rush if you’re purchasing online. The online gift certificate store will be open up to and including Christmas Day. So get out there and do your shopping, baking and partying, then click the link and finish up in your PJs!
♥
|
Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Barefoot Massage Specialist! |
Need a Gift Certificate for Christmas? Read More »
There’s a dirty little secret lurking in your clothes dryer. For years I’ve heard safety experts talk about cleaning your dryer to prevent fires. And for years I thought, “What a load!” and “Who has time for that?” and “That won’t happen to me!”
Until one day I noticed my dryer wasn’t performing particularly well. It was about 11 years old. And I began to wonder whether there was anything to this cleaning out the dryer for better performance thing I’d been hearing about. I Googled about it and everything came back with, “Clean your dryer!”
So then I got on YouTube and searched for my brand and style of dryer and lo and behold found a wonderful Hispanic man speaking in English showing how to clean out my particular dryer. His accent was fabulous! And his style was fun so one morning I sat about cleaning my dryer. Did I mention it had been 11 years? It was frightening. I wish I had taken pictures. There were literally bricks of compressed lint built up in the thing.
Fast forward a few more years down the road and said dryer gave up the ghost. Right in the middle of a load of sheets. And a mere two weeks after I had cleaned the machine and the exhaust system out. Hmmmph!
Somehow I managed to score a new-to-me, used dryer for the most reasonable price ever (free). Then one morning I went to work and when I arrived home it was installed and all my sheets were dry. Gotta love your neighbors!
So because I now know what dryers can look like on the inside and I didn’t have any maintenance history on this thing, I decided I should probably clean it. This time I took pictures and I wanted to show you why it’s important to clean out your dryer.
 |
| This is what I found when I got the front panel off. Notice the “mice” made out of lint and the whispy nature of the wiring. Something else that was immediately apparent is that a lot of the foam seals had lost their adhesive and were hanging or just disintegrating. These are important to fix or replace because the seals keep the lint in the exhaust system and not in the interior of the dryer with the electrical parts. Aka, fire hazard! |
 |
 |
| There were rafts of lint in the corners and standing on top of flat surfaces and all the electrical and motorized parts were covered in lint. |
 |
| The exhaust trap was caked with hardened lint on the inside and covered in dust and lint on the outside. |
 |
| And possibly the scariest part of all was this turbine thingamajig that I pulled this pile of lint out of. The good news is that with a vacuum, a little flexibility, elbow grease, and time this easy household task was accomplished and now I don’t feel like I have to stand over the dryer with a fire extinguisher every time I turn it on. |
I’m not even going to address the bacterial potential for what goes on in the innards of a dryer. Just know that you really don’t want to leave wet clothes hanging out in your dryer. Trust me. Really, trust me on that. And over dry everything just a tad.
Since I do so much laundry, three to four loads per day just in sheets, I clean my dryer out every three months. I’m not sure what is recommended for a normal household, but I will tell you that 11 years was way, way too long. We were lucky. So if you haven’t lately (or ever), make time to clean out your dryer!
♥
|
Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Barefoot Massage Specialist! |
Clean Your Dryer, A Cautionary Tale Read More »
I know many of you will be out shopping bright and early tomorrow so I decided to make shopping a little easier for everyone. I have finally figured out how to activate gift certificate sales on my MassageBook site. So, if you’d like to shop from the privacy of your own home, it is now possible!
Just head on over to my MassageBook profile and select the Gift Certificate tab. Follow the prompts from there and get your Christmas shopping done without even leaving the house!
♥
|
Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Barefoot Massage Specialist! |
Happy Thanksgiving! Read More »
So lately I’ve noticed random posts from friends listing different things they’re thankful for. One of the Facebook business groups I follow posted an “advent calendar” for gratefulness for the month of November leading up to Thanksgiving. I’m not great at keeping up with stuff like that. I get too invested, my perfectionism kicks in, and I spend too much time worrying about things that don’t matter. So I read through all the different questions and moved on. One of the ones that stuck asked what smell I was grateful for?
At first I was stumped by this question. I’ll admit I’ve been thinking about it on and off for weeks. You see why I moved on from the daily calendar, it would take me all year to finish!
Anyway, what smell am I grateful for? I like a lot of smells. Food, herbs and spices top the list. But that’s too easy and if you pressed me I couldn’t pick just one. I like the smell of my dogs most days. Their musty, individual smells are comforting and warm. I’m thankful they don’t smell like some dogs I’ve met! I love the way my house smells after I mop the kitchen with Pine-sol or when the dryer is running.
And then I sort of forgot about the question altogether for a while because I was stalled trying to pick a favorite smell. One that wasn’t just a smell.
AÂ few days ago, while I was on the table working with a client, out of the blue it finally hit me. I am grateful for the the smell of hot, stainless steel as it’s being rinsed in the sink. Kind of random and definitely odd, huh?
I don’t remember when I first noticed how good my stainless steel pots smelled as I washed and rinsed them. It’s been a while because I look forward to washing them now. But why? Why would anyone be thankful for the smell of hot, stainless steel? Because…
Because that stainless steel pot was a gift from my grandmother. She’s gone now and I’m so grateful for the frequent reminder of her and how she taught me so much about cooking and life and love.
Because there is hot water running from a tap and good soap to wash my dirty dishes with. I am lucky to live where I have access to the basics.
Because there was food in the pot to make it dirty and to fill my and my family’s bellies. I am fortunate to be able-bodied where I can work, earn, and provide food for my family.
Because I have a family to love and care for who loves and cares for me right back.
And that is when I realized what my favorite smell is and why I am grateful for it. Because family and love is what it’s all about and when I think about gratitude and what I am thankful for more often than not it circles back to love and family.
So what are you grateful for? And why?
♥
|
Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Barefoot Massage Specialist! |
A Meditation on Gratitude Read More »
Let’s talk about stress. A little stress is a good thing. It keeps our bodies working properly. The stress due to this hate-filled political climate, though. This is the bad kind of stress. The stress that gives people strokes and heart attacks. A few weeks ago news hit the airwaves about “Election Stress Disorder“. Apparently it’s a thing that has developed due to this never ending election cycle the media and social media delivers to us on a 24-hour basis.So, get out and vote, just remember to keep your cool!
Let me know what you think if you try these and, as always, I’m available with some professional techniques to root out your stress if you need me.
|
Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Barefoot Massage Specialist! |
When Voting Feels Like Punishment… Read More »
I’ll be headed out to the 2016 AMTA National Convention this afternoon. So my offices will be closed this week. I’ll be back at it October 31st. Between now and then if you want to schedule an appointment, please visit my MassageBook book (existing clients only) or call or text me. I’ll be slow to respond because I’ll either be in meetings or classes, but I’ll get back to you ASAP!
Hope everyone has a great week and hope to see you on my table soon!
|
Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Barefoot Massage Specialist! |
Milwaukee or Bust! Read More »
Since more of my clients seem to be using my online booking system through MassageBook, I wanted to take a few minutes and outline some pointers to make sure you’re getting the best service possible.
Tip #1: Login with the email address that you provided on your original intake form. This is how MassageBook will recognize you. If you change your email address, please let me know so I can change it in the system from my end. Using a different email address will make my system think you are a new client and won’t let you book online.
Tip #2: When you book your appointment online through MassageBook, you should receive a confirmation email almost immediately. Check your email to make sure the appointment you selected is reserved for you. If you don’t get a confirmation email, something went wrong. Try again or call / text me.
Tip #3: MassageBook will send you a confirmation email 24 hours before your appointment. If you don’t receive it please check your spam filter and if you still haven’t received it, give me a call to make sure your appointment time has been reserved.
Tip #4: Put the MassageBook email domain address on your spam filter whitelist or passlist. The email domain address you need to enter is, “appmail.2book.com”.
Tip #5: MassageBook will send you a confirmation text message 2 hours before your appointment. If you don’t receive it and you haven’t already talked with me, please contact me before driving to my office.
Okay, so there’s the biggest ones I can think of right now. If you have further questions about using MassageBook to make and manage your appointments, please give me a call and we can talk about it.
|
Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Only Master Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapist! |
Tips For Using MassageBook! Read More »