Massage is an amazing tool. I’ve seen it help my clients with chronic and acute headaches, low back pain, torticollis, all kinds of neck troubles, pain management, stress relief (which is huge), and most importantly I find that it is a gateway drug, introducing people to their bodies when we spend so much of our lives in our brains. When we learn how to feel our body through massage, we learn to listen to what it’s telling us, and discover that We are the expert on what our body needs. Empowerment.
Mother’s Day is coming this Sunday! And you already know that the best thing you can get the moms in your life is a Gift Certificate and a Gift Basket from I.M. Spa. I can’t tell you how many women come in to the spa and say, “I keep telling them to get me a massage, but they never remember.”
But you may not know about some other awesome local businesses in the area that would be perfect for your mom’s day presents. For instance, there is a Mother’s Day tradition here in Northwest Arkansas at Chotkowski Gardens where you can walk through the peony gardens from 1 to 4p.m. Every year I see the invitations for this event and never seem to be able to make it out, but this year I’m taking my whole family and as many friends as I can wrangle. I love peonies
I wish there was a smell feature on the computer, because peonies smell divine!
Other places you will want to shop for Mother’s Day are:
Phat Tire: Get that woman a bike and go for riding dates with her!
Click here to buy a Gift Certificate for a massage, acupuncture treatment, or facial online! Or call us at I.M. Spa and we can make it beautiful for you: 479-251-7422
Read here if you want a little giggle about why you should honor your mother.
Me and My Mom
Happy Mother’s Day!!
Wendy Finn is the mother of 4 boys, owner of I.M. Spa, a Raw Food Enthusiast and educator, a world traveler in pursuit of superior massage education, a Master Massage Therapist of 20 plus years, a gardener, and a nursing student. She’s passionate about touching people and sharing health. Schedule an appointment for a massage 479-251-7422
I just finished up a clinical rotation in Mental Health this semester. It’s enough to make you suffer from depression! Or at the very least need a massage for your Mental Health.
Our instructors and books say repeatedly that our jail systems are the biggest warehouse for the mentally ill. There may not be any inpatient beds for somebody suffering with psychosis, but somehow they fit right into our jails. Our mentally ill are being incarcerated for behaviors that are a result of mental illness, schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer’s, or addiction. Many of them are homeless. They need treatment, medications, and support.
And probably the most depressing part of Mental Health Clinicals is the adolescent unit. These kids have endured trauma and abuse beyond what I can fathom, and when they leave the treatment facility will return to the people and situations that caused their pain to begin with. It’s downright depressing.
My mental health textbook references massage therapy 4 times. I’m so impressed with how far we have come.
And it’s not just that there is a little bit of mental illness. Mental health is similar to physical health. Sometimes you get sick. Most of the time you’re pretty healthy. And sometimes you have a lifelong illness (physical or mental) that needs lifelong treatment. Most people can identify times in their lives when they were out of balance, overly anxious, stressed, depressed, or just not functioning as well mentally as they know they are capable. And all of us know people in our family, friends, or community who are suffering with more extreme forms of those imbalances. Mental illness touches us all.
I’m grateful for the dedicated Mental Health care professionals that I have met this semester. God Bless Them! We need them so badly. We need funding and policy changes to allow mental health the same importance and voice that physical problems like cancer get. We need more health care providers to get excited about helping people with mental health problems, to serve health care in that capacity.
I actually feel guilty because I prefer to work with people with their guts falling out than with mental health problems, because at least if your guts are falling out I can stuff ’em back inside and slap a bandage on it. In mental health, the guts are falling out, and people are bleeding out, but you can’t stuff it back in. You can’t see it. It’s not so easy. I guess I feel disempowered by mental illness. There is no immediate fix, no bandage, just a winding road of possibilities and not enough resources for long term support.
But at the same time, I deal with mental illness/health all the time in a positive way, on the massage table. And it has been a very empowering relationship. People come to us in pain, grieving loss, with anxiety and depression, and needing help with dealing with the stress of everyday life on the planet. We are honored every day that our community chooses to come to us for stress relief.
According to University of Maryland, massage makes us feel better by the “release of endorphins (natural painkillers and mood elevators),” and reducing the levels of stress hormones (cortisol). Endorphins are one of the main neurotransmitters involved in depression and bipolar.
Massage Therapy for Mental Health
So, looking at the mental health problems our country is faced with right now may be devastatingly depressing, but thank goodness there is massage therapy for those times when we are in pain, grieving loss, having anxiety and depression, and needing help with dealing with the stress of everyday life on the planet. I guess massage is the bandage that I feel empowered by when dealing with the guts of every day mental health/illness. I’m grateful to have it in my life.
If this post was so stressful that you now need a massage, call 479-251-7422 to schedule an appointment. Or you could just come get a massage because you know you need it. Or because we haven’t seen you in forever. Please pop in to I.M. Spa to see us when you are downtown for the Farmer’s Market! If for no other reason than that it is good for OUR mental health to see you!
Wendy Finn is the mother of 4 boys, owner of I.M. Spa, a Raw Food Enthusiast and educator, a world traveler in pursuit of superior massage education, a Master Massage Therapist of 20 plus years, a gardener, and a nursing student. She’s passionate about touching people and sharing health. Schedule an appointment for a massage 479-251-7422
Today was the first day back in nursing school after a 3 week break. And during the break I took some time to try to define what was important to me to keep up with if it was at all possible during the craziness that is full time nursing school, full time business owner, and full time mama of four boys.
My 2015 Planner (covered with post its).
Things I put in my planner were:
I want to continue to run to school and to work, but I’m also training for the Hogeye Half Marathon with my son Sean (he’s 16) and Ellie, a young colleague from nursing school. We’re training 5 days a week. Yeah. I don’t know how that’s gonna get done either–but there it is.
I want to meditate daily-15minutes.
I want to blog 3 days a week and not get onto myself if it’s not perfect. I at least need to show up.
I want to do yoga with Ben one day a week (Mondays because it’s a rest day from running). When your nine year old kid wants to do something with you, you’d better make time for it, because God knows, soon enough he’s going to have a life that is too busy for yoga dates with mom (hopefully not, but it’s a distinct possibility).
I want to continue developing my book. Yeah, I said it.
I want to invite friends over to play once a month. Because I love them and they’re just going to have to forgive my messy home. It is what it is.
I really don’t know if there are actually enough hours in the day for this crazy list. But surely if I just do a little bit regularly I will be okay. I’ll try to keep you posted on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. But if you don’t hear from me for a while, you’ll know that I’m buried with school work.
And if I lose my mind in the process, you’ll be hearing bout it.
Wendy Finn is the mother of 4 boys, owner of I.M. Spa, a Raw Food Enthusiast and educator, a world traveler in pursuit of superior massage education, a Master Massage Therapist of 20 plus years, a gardener, and a nursing student. She’s passionate about touching people and sharing health. Schedule an appointment for a massage 479-251-7422
If you go to the doctor they will tell you to take these antibiotics 2 times a day for the next 10 days. If you go to the physical therapist they will tell you to come back and see them 3 times a week for the next 4 weeks, twice a week for the following 2 weeks, and once a week for the month after that.
If you go to the massage they say, “See how you are feeling and give us a call when you need us.”
The problem is, we forget to think about how we are feeling until our bodies are screaming at us. We need some general recommendations for how often it is appropriate to get massage.
I can tell you that if you are preparing for a marathon, it’s a good idea to step up your massage sessions to weekly, with serious emphasis on leg massage. You might want to do it in conjunction with your long runs. You will notice a change in your performance and your legs will feel amazing. It’s okay to do twice a week sessions as well if you are having a lot of tension or pain.
If you are suffering with muscle spasms you can do massage several times a week until you reach a happy place. You can even shorten the massages to 20 to 30 minutes if you are only focusing on one area.
If you are recovering from an injury it is common to coordinate massage therapy with your physical therapy schedule.
If you are only getting massage once or twice a year then you definitely need to step it up to quarterly. Put that appointment on the calendar before you leave the spa or it will not happen and the next thing you know, another year has gone by and you have not had a massage in all that time.
Don’t let that be you!
If you are healthy and only dealing with every day stress of life on the planet then once a month, or once every two weeks is optimum and I’ll tell you why this works for me:
It keeps me out of pain
It’s something I give intentionally to myself. If I have gotten my massage then not even poison bullets can’t take me down. I can handle whatever the world throws at me (I keep a picture of Wonder Woman on my refrigerator with her bullet deflecting wrist cuffs).
As a mom it gives me something that is quiet, special, and belongs only to me (I’m not sharing!).
It puts me in a meditative state (Alpha Level) similar to what you experience in Shavasana and it is completely rejuvenating.
It keeps me aware of my body. Very often I will ask people about their pain or their body and they have to stop and question themselves because they haven’t actually visited their bodies for a while. When I get massage I often discover areas that need my attention that I didn’t know existed. You can’t maintain your body if you don’t know where you need maintenance. The massage therapist is like a tour guide for your body.
It feels amazing. One of my goals in life is to be as healthy as possible, have as much energy as possible (with my food), and feel as good as possible. If I don’t make time to feel amazing it is harder to know that it is a possibility.
Relaxation takes practice. Meditation takes practice. Anything you want to do well takes practice. I have watched many clients start receiving massage therapy and not know how to let go and receive. They want to hold their arm up to help with the massage. I still find myself tensing up sometimes when the therapist lifts my head to massage my neck. Learning how to relax on the massage table teaches me how to relax in my real life situations when I’m frustrated.
It’s good for my heart and circulation, calms my nervous system and digestion, and obviously good for my muscles. Supple muscles do better work that hypertrophied taut muscles. Moving through life with supple muscles is a much better approach.
Keeps me from getting injured easily.
Mental health. It’s good for me and it’s good for my family. Everybody benefits from me feeling better.
If you can only make it to the spa quarterly go quarterly. If you can step it up to once a month you will definitely notice a difference. But if you can manage every two weeks it makes life worth living!
Wendy Finn is the mother of 4 boys, owner of I.M. Spa, a Raw Food Enthusiast and educator, a world traveler in pursuit of superior massage education, a Master Massage Therapist of 20 plus years, a gardener, and a nursing student. She’s passionate about touching people and sharing health. Schedule an appointment for a massage 479-251-7422
Cask and Grove, a new oil and vinegar shop on Center Street.
As a small business owner, I value small businesses. We have the best small business community here in Fayetteville, with very unique, high quality, one of a kind talents, services, and goods.
When I’m thinking about getting a gift for a family member, friend, or colleague I actively look for things to buy that they can’t find anywhere else, that are unique to their personality, and that are high quality and local. I want my money to stay in my community. I don’t want it to go to some corporate headquarters that got tax subsidies for bringing their ginormous, monochromatic styles to our city.
I want to shop in a place where people make eye contact, say “hey, how are you doing, I’m so glad to see you.”
I want to connect with people from my community when I’m in their businesses. Revel in what they are geeky about. Be excited about their skills and talents.
I like to walk into a small local business and know that there is only one store on the planet with this particular layout. It is unique. It has its on flavor. And it is beautiful.
We are lucky to live in a place with such active support of small local businesses. This community really shows that we put our money back into our community, supports our local businesses, uniqueness, and diversity.
The best vote we have in this country is where we spend our dollars. We choose what we believe in every time we spend. I believe in Fayetteville local businesses.
Thank you for shopping local this season.
There are some fabulous new shops downtown. Andrea K. who used to do massage here with us at I.M. Spa opened up her own local business called Cask and Grove. I never knew that there was a whole world of infused oils and balsamic vinegars. When you go in there you can taste all the flavors, like fig balsamic with blood orange olive oil, or peach balsamic with chipotle olive oil. They’re on Center Street just across from Taste of Thai.
Center Street Mercantile
Another fabulous new shop that just opened up is The Center Street Mercantile. It’s underneath David Adams jewelry shop. They have intricately beaded bracelets, hand made laundry soaps, and cleaning supplies, hand carved crafts, locally sourced jams, even crocheted flamingos.
Foxtrot
And our newest neighbor on Block Street is Foxtrot. They have one of a kind styles and if you are in the neighborhood to check out their boutique, you get the bonus of being able to pet their resident chocolate lab.
I.M. Spa (of course!) bubble bath, body scrubs, skin care, candles, and gift certificates
The Mustache-All kinds of great gifts. Brian and his wife have brought a unique shop together sourcing local independent goods all from their travels all over the country.
Surf Arkansas at the Moustache
Little Bread Co. (great handmade cookies-with your kids names on them, custom cakes, and pastries)
Wit & Whimsy-Boutique. This young woman is an inspiring entrepreneur from Missouri who came to Fayetteville with her fashion and business. Love her.
Ultra Studios-Fashion boutique & salon. Brooke Benham owns this beautiful shop and now she does hair too. Love it here.
Himalayan Mountain Shop-cool imports from Nepal & Bhutan. Have I told you lately how much I LOVE Lama Thinley and Sandy from the Himalayan Mtn. Shop? Their store is awesome!
Lama Thinley at the Himalayan Mtn Shop
Dark Star Visuals-Bead,Specialty gifts, and Boutique. Stacy at Dark Star is old school Fayetteville and a treasure to have downtown. Her most recent passion is healing stones. They are dazzling. Ask her about them when you go in. Everybody needs a little healing.
Dark Star Visuals
World Treasures-Guatemalan Imports. I aspire to go back and forth to Guatemala as often as these guys do. In the meantime I can pick up gifts for my family there that give us a taste of what it is like there. So grateful to have them in our neighborhood of shops.
World Treasures
Nightbird Books-Keep this treasured book store hopping! Shop there often. My kids always ask for gift cards from Nightbird (especially Ben-he’s a readaholic).
Pack Rat-These guys have had this shop for a looong time. They are committed to clean, green products, community, and anything outdoors. Love them. And when you go shop there, say hey to my son Levi!
Levi Helping Ben With the Climbing WallPackrat Owners, too beautiful!
Farmer’s Table just opened this year and it is run by this amazing couple who are so active in our community working with Feed Fayetteville to improve foods in our community. Good stuff!
There are tons more great food places at the Yacht Club on College, Center Street, and Dickson. So many flavors, so little time.
And I almost forgot! We have this sweet new tea shop downtown called Savoy Tea Company that sells great drinks, smoothies, and teas. It’s a great place to take your neice or nephew for a date (that’s what I like to do!) and have special one on one time.
And you should definitely check out Underwood Jewelers on Dickson Street.
And if you have a kid who likes longboarding (or a grown up kid) you HAVE to go to The Path. They even kept me from shopping at the mall this season cuz they carry Vans shoes.
And we just discovered this beautiful shop on College Avenue, Dick Palmer Archery. He is 81 years old and has been there making custom made arrows since forever. He stocks leather finger guards and quivers for arrows, hunting gear, and even slingshots. I have been in Fayetteville since 1993 and I am just now discovering this hidden gem. And I have 4 boys. Jeez! Please go check it out. He’s a treasure.
I heard there is a new gourmet kitchen shop on Dickson Street but I’m not sure where it is yet. And Lauren Jamesstarted out as an online store but just set up brick and mortar on Dickson Street as well.
Our website (I.M. Spa) has been updated to make it easy to buy gift certificates. You can find us here
Can’t wait to see you downtown! There are sooo many good things happening here! Come discover them!
Wendy Finn is the mother of 4 boys, owner of I.M. Spa, a Raw Food Enthusiast and educator, a world traveler in pursuit of superior massage education, a Master Massage Therapist of 20 plus years, a gardener, and a nursing student. She’s passionate about touching people and sharing health.
When I was a kid we moved around a ton. Texas, the Bahamas, San Diego, New Hampshire, Possum Trot, Low Gap, Monterey. My parents were musicians and the community we had was the community of artists and musicians. It’s a beautiful thing because there is a whole culture of people who speak the same language, hold the same values, and they dedicate their lives to their art.
It’s been amazing watching my kids grow up in the same house for the past 18 years. It’s a whole other level of community that I’ve come to know, and man is it beautiful. We have a supportive spiritual community in our church, a very active and supportive local business community, a musical community, an educational community at the university as well as at the public schools, a farm community that is feeding us well, and a downtown local community of folks who, you might not know them all one on one, but there are faces that are just part of the fabric that makes this town so beautiful. I’m sure I’m leaving out a bazillion folks but you get the idea.
We also have a healing community here in Fayetteville that is a remarkable resource. We have great chiropractors, acupuncturists, naturopaths, physical therapists, vibration therapists, acoustic therapists, art therapists, nurses, doctors, psychologists, hypnotherapists, yoga instructors, physical trainers, midwives, doulas, herbalists, nutritionists (or rather ‘foodies’), and many other specialties. Hah! I almost left out one of my favorites, massage therapists.
I’m on a mission to interview as many talented, smart, innovative, out of the box thinking, health practitioners who are amazing at their job as I can. (Which isn’t very many right now since I’m in nursing school full time). I love to find out how people got interested in their work, what they love about it, how it changes lives, and how it contributes to our healing community.
I have quite a list of people I want to talk to, but I’m interested in you. Who do you love? Who has helped you with your health? Who has made you feel better? Who are you grateful for, and can we talk to them so that we can tell others how awesome they are?
Leave a comment below with the website and contact information of the healing community people you love, so that we can share the love. Inquiring minds want to know!
Learn more about I.M. Spa or book a massage, facial, or acupuncture appointment 479-251-7422.
Wendy Finn is the mother of 4 boys, owner of I.M. Spa, a Raw Food Enthusiast and educator, a world traveler in pursuit of superior massage education, a Master Massage Therapist of 20 plus years, a gardener, and a nursing student. She’s passionate about touching people and sharing health.
Sometimes massage gets people out of pain. Sometimes chiropractic or acupuncture gets people out of pain. And sometimes Claudia gets people out of pain.
A little help
When I think about Claudia doing her thing next door at BFit, I see her leading a class of world class athletes who are sweating and cursing while she’s doing the exercises alongside of them, breathing easily with a smile on her face. She’s a badass.
But that’s just one aspect to the work she does. She excels in one on one rehab work with people who want to get out of pain, or people who just want to get in better shape and develop more endurance.
Recently I had a client who I had been trying to help with some chronic hip issues over many months. She had been going to chiropractic as well and still could get no relief. And it goes without saying that we can straighten you out, balance your energy meridians, and soften your tissue till the cows come home, but if you are not moving well, or if you go right out and get back into your same old hurtful movement (as well as thought and emotional) patterns, you are not going to get better.
That’s where Claudia comes in. She teaches people how to move well.
After our client went to see Claudia for a while, her pain was gone. Why? Because Claudia worked with her to train her body to move better.
Claudia has a background in dance and has been doing some volunteer yoga work with the women’s prison, inspired by the Prison Yoga Project.
Claudia in the women’s prison
I’ll be doing another, more in depth piece about what Claudia has been up to. She inspires me so. But for now, if you want to learn more about how you can incorporate better movement into your life to help you get out of pain, watch the BFit Fayetteville Facebook Page for her next FREE Foundation Training event. Or better yet, hit her up for some one on one training. She’s the best.
You can also learn more about Foundation Training here. Or find some Foundation Training exercises to do on Youtube.
Wendy Finn is the mother of 4 boys, owner of I.M. Spa, a Raw Food Enthusiast and educator, a world traveler in pursuit of superior massage education, a Master Massage Therapist of 20 plus years, a gardener, and a nursing student. She’s passionate about touching people and sharing health.
When it came to birthing babies, I knew I didn’t want to do it in the hospital. I had all 4 of my sons at home with my dear midwife who is still one of my best friends almost 20 years after the birth of my first son.
Pregnant with Ben 2005
Now I can’t remember how I knew that I could have a midwife assisted birth. It seems to have been something I knew about all my life. I realize that many people don’t even realize that birth doesn’t have to be done in a hospital setting, and probably even less realize that you can hire a Doula to help you with your birth whether you choose a hospital or a home birth. I didn’t know what a doula was until I was in my late 20s, early 30s.
Before we go any further I want to say that I am grateful that we have hospitals in the event of complications in the birth process. It is tremendous to know that if something goes wrong there is a place where people are trained to handle those emergencies.
The midwife assisted c-section rate in Arkansas is 3%. Nationwide the midwife assisted c-section rate is between 3 to 4.4%.
That means 4 women out of 100 have major cesarean section surgery with a midwife. Nationwide. Pretty good odds.
Here in Arkansas in hospitals, the rate of c-sections (in 2012) was 35.7%. That’s 11,486 general anesthesia, cesarean sections in one state in one year.
That means 36 women out of 100 (or more than 1 in 3) have major cesarean section surgery if they give birth in a hospital. Wow.
Zach holding Baby Ben just before he was born.
There are lots of reasons for that that I won’t go into right now. Suffice it to say that just with those numbers if you are in your child bearing years, you might want to weigh your options. Or maybe you didn’t know you had options.
In Europe, midwives attend over 70% of births. In the U.S. 7.9% of births are attended by midwives.
The United States is 36th in the world for infant mortality rate among developed countries.
What are we doing wrong?
Well, it’s complicated. I won’t go into depth about the complexities right now, but I will say that our babies are coming too early. Whether it is a planned cesarean, or a poverty stricken mother unable to carry her baby to term. We need to care for our mothers better and stop treating birth like an emergency (unless it is one), and more like a process.
Newborn Ben, born at home
I knew I wouldn’t be able to relax in the cold white, cement block walls of an institution with people I didn’t know running in and out of my birth room on their own agenda, peeking up under my carriage and feeling around whether I was ready or not, telling me I had to lay down so they could monitor my progress from the nurses station. Giving birth was the most primal thing I have ever done in my life. I wanted to do it at home, moving around at will, standing, squatting, pacing, surrounded by people I love (my mom, husband, kids, friends, midwife), while my mom baked cinnamon rolls.
That’s how we do birth at the Finn house.
And I’m loud when that baby is coming out. There is a sound that comes out of a woman when she is giving birth that is like the portal between two worlds. If I hear that sound now it makes me cry. I’ve heard a similar sound in the wailing after the passing of loved ones. It’s uncanny, and I could never imitate or recreate that sound again. It’s like something opens up inside of you that is not of this world.
I can’t imagine doing that in a hospital.
I can imagine that if I were in a setting where I didn’t feel free to open up my body and turn completely inward, supported by the people I love, that I would be more susceptible to needing a c-section. If I couldn’t move about the way my body wanted me to, if I had to submit to timed cervical examinations, if I were self conscious about what was happening, I know I would have been more susceptible to having a c-section.
Some people just feel more comfortable with the idea of giving birth in a hospital where all the emergency equipment is (midwives also carry emergency equipment, but not for major surgery). And we’re lucky now to have more options with the Birth Center that just opened up in Northwest Arkansas. That way you get the best of both worlds, a medical facility with mama and baby centered care in a comfortable setting.
Early C Section in Arkansas
On April 28, 2014, Arkansas Medicaid Director William Golden said “nearly half of the babies born in the hospital statewide in 2009 were born prior to 39 weeks because of elective delivery. Frankly, the data was pretty bad,” Golden said.
All of these things just to say that you have options. Just because the majority of births happen in the hospital in the United States doesn’t mean that it’s been good for our mortality rates. More information is better. And we are fortunate to live in an area with a thriving community of midwives, doulas, and educators about birth. (But we also live in an area where the medical school UAMS has a 39% c-section rate, and one of the main birthing hospitals has a 35% c-section rate).
Which brings me back to what I really wanted to talk to you about in the first place. I love Jessica Crass. She has worked with us at I.M. Spa for 3 and a half years and we are so lucky to have her. She is a talented massage therapist, ex-social worker, traveler, and farmer. Last year after helping a good friend through her birth process, the attending midwife, Jennifer Creel (from Terra Tots) mentioned that Jessica should consider training as a Doula.
Jessica is a member of DONA International and Northwest Arkansas Doula Connection. She has one more birth to attend to be a certified Doula, trained to offer physical, educational, and emotional support during the months leading up to birth, as well as during the birth process.
If I were ever going to have a hospital birth I would definitely want a Doula, somebody who knows my birth plan, who knows what I want and don’t want, somebody whose sole job is to help me make it through the marathon that is birth. I would want somebody who knew the ropes sticking up for me when I’m not in the best position to stick up for myself.
And if I were to have another home birth(which ain’t ever gonna happen again praise the lord. I love the birth process, but enough is enough), having a Doula would be icing on the cake in the supportive atmosphere of my home.
If you are examining your birthing options, don’t rule out a midwife assisted birth, because it is by the numbers the most reliable, best track record kind of birth you can have. But also, consider hiring a Doula. There is so much to learn about birth, and there are so many decisions to make.
Giving birth is like running a marathon. You need a support crew on the way. You can do it! Go team! Go team go!
Our whole family after the birth at home
Wendy Finn is the mother of 4 boys, owner of I.M. Spa, a Raw Food Enthusiast and educator, a world traveler in pursuit of superior massage education, a Master Massage Therapist of 20 plus years, a gardener, and a nursing student. She’s passionate about touching people and sharing health.
Thai massage is a beautiful modality of massage therapy and I always tell people that receiving a Thai massage is like somebody doing yoga to you and massage all at the same time. And yes, it’s that good.
Thai Hip Stretch
I was lucky enough to study Thai massage in Thailand in 2009 and have not yet made it back as much as I would like to. I’d love to take my whole family to Thailand. It’s an amazing country and it has spoiled me for traveling other places. Nothing compares.
Thai Spinal Twist
Thai massage doesn’t leave you feeling like you need a nap the way a Swedish massage does. You get up from a Thai massage relaxed, but ready to get on with your day. The deep pressure stimulates the Sen Sib lines, the stretches are divine, and the overall effect is therapeutic, relaxing, and energizing.
Thai BackbendBackbend with a Lift
If you have always wanted to try something different at the spa and didn’t know what to do, you might consider getting a Thai Massage. It’s pretty good mojo. I don’t know if you can tell from this picture, but her back is arched onto my knee and I’m lifting her arms to give a little traction to her spine.
Thai StretchHip StretchSpinal Twist
I wish I could wake up every morning with a Thai Massage! Next time I go to Thailand I’ll let you know. We could take a group. Did I mention that Thai massages in Thailand cost about $3 for an hour? Yeah. You’ll want to go.
Wendy Finn is the mother of 4 boys, owner of I.M. Spa, a Raw Food Enthusiast and educator, a world traveler in pursuit of superior massage education, a Master Massage Therapist of 20 plus years, a gardener, and a nursing student. She’s passionate about touching people and sharing health.
Spa Girls on the Road 2014. Where should we go next? We’re having another $100 giveaway because we need ideas.
When I started nursing school I said to the girls (employees) at I.M. Spa, “We should go on a trip to celebrate the business (and me) surviving the semester. Where do you want to go? And that’s how we ended up going to Dallas to visit Cosmic Cafe, Shuang Feng Foot Massage, King Spa, and Be Raw Food and Juice together.
Well, another semester is upon us. It’s intimidating. It’s challenging. It’s a lot of work. But we’re determined to make it through. And when we do, we want to travel somewhere awesome and be clients at somebody else’s amazing spa location, eat amazing healthy food, meet amazing spa people, and see things we don’t always get to see.
Where should we go? Post a comment below about places we could go and you will be entered to win $100 worth of spa services or products from I.M. Spa.
Our Travel Minivan Outside of Cosmic Cafe in Dallas
Places we’re considering going? Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, New Mexico, and Colorado.
What kind of places do we want to visit? Spas, hot springs, local independent stores, vegan or raw food restaurants, yoga studios, and other cool local attractions.
The last $100 giveaway we did only had 6 people participating. Which is crazy, considering that there are thousands of people who come to I.M. Spa for services. But that means the odds of winning are in your favor.
So post a comment below, and we’ll put your name in the drawing for the $100 giveaway.
Or just call I.M. Spa for an appointment! 479-251-7422
Wendy Finn is the mother of 4 boys, owner of I.M. Spa, a Raw Food Enthusiast and educator, a world traveler in pursuit of superior massage education, a Master Massage Therapist of 20 plus years, a gardener, and a nursing student. She’s passionate about touching people and sharing health.
