What to Expect

Massage Style, Draping / Boundaries, Your Role as a Client, Your Information / Privacy

My Philosophy

The human body is both resilient and delicate at the same time. While the world often requires its toughness, massage therapy is an opportunity to let it be sensitive, to take care of the parts that feel.
Willow’s massage style is slow and steady, working with your body and not against it. For a session with lighter pressure, this keeps the work grounded and not overly energizing.
For deeper work, Willow avoids going too deep too fast, allowing the tissues to open up in their own time to avoid pain and overwhelm. This work may not feel super deep to some, but the results are profound.
Your body already knows how to take care of itself. Willow’s work merely serves to facilitate this natural process.
The Arndt-Schultz Law of physiology states that strong stimuli to the nervous system inhibit its proper functioning. On the flip side, weak stimuli actually help the system to operate healthily.
In other words, when we overwhelm the nerves in a muscle by applying too much pressure all at once, the muscle and surrounding tissues become guarded and “fight back” against the massage.
If we sink in slowly, however, great depth can be achieved without the side effects of pain, soreness, and added tension.

Before the start of your session, Willow will instruct you to get on the massage table, underneath the top sheet. This sheet will cover you throughout the session and will be moved only as needed to work each area.
You will undress to your comfort level before getting on the table. Any area left clothed can either be worked through the clothing using compression & kneading techniques or avoided.
By default, Willow’s draping prioritizes security. When an area of the body is un-draped to be massaged, a boundary is created that will not be crossed. There may be areas where work is done through the drape but never under it.
If secure draping feels too restrictive, adjustments can be made. This is especially true for clients who have received plenty of bodywork and are confident in their own boundaries.
No matter what, genitals and the gluteal cleft will never be un-draped. This is for your safety as well as for Willow’s. By default, the nipple line will also remain draped
For abdominal work, a separate chest drape will be provided. Chests are weirdly gendered in our society, so if you have any questions or concerns regarding draping and gender dysphoria, please feel free to ask!

Massage therapy (like any therapy) takes place in the context of a professional therapeutic relationship where communication is key.
Your ability to provide feedback throughout your session is important to the quality of your massage. However, feeling into our bodies isn’t always easy.
No matter your relationship with your body, Willow is happy to meet you where you are.
In order to make sure the therapeutic bodywork you receive at TransWellness is helpful and not harmful, a complete understanding of your health history is required.
All of the information you provide will be stored exclusively on PocketSuite, a HIPAA compliant booking app.