Welcome to Desert Roots Massage & Bodywork based in Reno, NV.
(Photo credit: L. Sankovitch)
Body, mind, and spirit can benefit from receiving massage therapy. My mission as a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) is to help you feel your best and allow your body to continue, or return to, doing the activities you love most! Each session is customized to meet your unique needs and address issues you are experiencing. I want you to walk away feeling better than when you arrived.
To bring my clients the best care, I am continuously committed to my personal growth and education as a massage therapist. In June of 2023, I also became a personal trainer to expand my depth of knowledge and enhance your massage treatments with recommended exercises. I want to assist you in rebuilding a fundamental base of mobility through correcting exercises and/or working out tight overused muscles. Increasing my skill set allows me to achieve better results and be a more effective health advocate for my clients.
My specialty is a medium-to-deep pressure with some sports massage and acupressure. I offer modalities such as:
- Deep Tissue Massage: A medium-to-firm pressure massage which works deeper in the muscle. Perfect for those with particularly tight muscles who need a little deeper pressure.
- Sports Massage: A deep-tissue massage with stretching, focusing on specific areas or muscle groups and aid in athletic performance and recovery.
- Prenatal Massage: Massage throughout pregnancy after 12 weeks. Can help release some of the aches and pains of pregnancy. Please note: high risk pregnancies will require a doctor's involvement.
- Cranial Sacral Massage: Also known as craniosacral therapy (CST), this is a gentle massage technique that uses light touch for relieving tension and promoting healing in the body. It involves applying pressure to the head, neck, and spine to help restore balance to the nervous system and surrounding structures.
- Lymphatic Massage: Also known as lymphatic drainage or manual lymphatic drainage (MLD), this is a gentle massage technique that helps move lymph fluid throughout the body.
Additional therapies and techniques offered:
- Reiki: A Japanese healing technique using gentle touch to promote relaxation and well-being. The word "reiki" comes from the Japanese words "rei," which means universal, and "ki," which is a flow of lifeforce energy.
- Sound Therapy: The use of tuning forks in intervals, one at each ear, produces an organized wave of expansion and contraction throughout the body. This occurs at all levels, helping our body to relax deeply. This relaxed state assists our body in regenerating and our energy system in finding balance and alignment. (video)
- Cupping: An ancient form of alternative medicine in which special cups are placed on your skin for several minutes using suction. Cupping has many purposes, including helping with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation and well-being; as well as being used as a type of deep-tissue massage.
- Kinesiology Tape: A taping technique designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process while providing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion. It also provides extended soft tissue manipulation to prolong the benefits of manual therapy administered within the clinical setting.
- Breast Massage: Regular breast massage can help encourage healthier breast tissue. It can lead to improved circulation, toning up fatty tissues, and tightening them to help prevent/reduce sagging. Some may feel discomfort and tension around the breast area when approaching menstruation and breast massage can help relieve pain by improving blood circulation in the area. It is also helpful with breast surgery pain and scarring.
- TMJ/Jaw Therapy: Relieve tension in and around your jaw by massaging the neck, facial muscles, and in-mouth. (video)
- Cold Stone Therapy: The use of cold stones can reduce stress and anxiety as well as assisting with injuries and recovery by aiding the reduction of inflammation, pain, and swelling (including reducing DOMS and muscle fatigue). The stones get deeper into the muscles where needed and are helpful in combination with sports massage.
- Muscle Activation: Works with the nervous system to check strengths and weaknesses in target muscle groups and reactivate those muscles by restoring the signals of the target muscle groups to the brain.
- Bamboo Stick Massage: Uses warm bamboo sticks to knead and massage muscles, similar to a deep-tissue or Swedish massage.
- Scraping Massage: Also known as gua sha or skin scraping, this traditional healing technique involves using a tool to scrape the skin. It is often used to treat muscle issues, such as chronic pain, shoulder tension, and nuchal pain.
- Aromatherapy: Uses essential oils mixed with lotion during massage. Essential oils can aid in relaxation and help release tension in the body more quickly, allowing for the maximum benefit from the massage.
For DoTerra Essential Oils, follow this link to sign up as a preferred customer and place your order.
For nutrition assistance, check out my profile on Northestar.
Photo credits: TOP) L. Sankovitch; RIGHT) Alfyn Gestoso, @alfyn_photography
