Mandamine Massage Therapy

Dear friends and clients:

It’s officially August, which, here in Old Town Alexandria, is often a time of high heat and humidity with dry spells, then an intense thunderstorm. There’s really nothing like an August thunderstorm in Virginia!

And since it’s August, that means it’s time for a new aromatherapy for the month, which got me thinking about petrichor. That’s the scientific term for the earthy scent released dafter oils that accumulate in rocks and soil during dry periods are released by moisture. You know that smell of rain and earth that’s particularly intense in August? I wanted to capture that in an aromatherapy blend, so I decided to mix two that would do that, white fir and bergamot.

To learn more about the benefits of these essential oils and the blend they create, I invite you over to my blog to read more, https://www.mandaminemassage.com/s/stories/aromatherapy-massage-series-august-and-petrichor

Dear friends and clients:

Obviously I am looking at the news as much as anyone else, so gastrointestinal health became top of mind this week! I’ve not encountered anyone personally who has suffered from contaminated food, but that led me to think about how many ways massage therapy can help with tummy and intestinal troubles, be they temporary or acute. Even more simply, it can help with gut health overall!

Now, I’m not even talking about stomach or abdominal massage, I’m talking about how holistic massage can have an impact. I invite you over to my blog to read more, https://www.mandaminemassage.com/s/stories/massage-therapy-and-gut-health

Dear clients and friends:

Summer can be a lot of fun, but sometimes no matter what is happening, exhaustion creeps up. Actually, sometimes it’s because it’s summer that we feel so drained.

Maybe it’s spending too much time in the heat. Maybe it’s driving kids to camp and activities every day. Maybe it’s a vacation that looked relaxing on paper but somehow ended up packed from morning to night. Or maybe it’s just life doing what life does and asking for more energy than we really have.

You’re not alone.

Summer exhaustion, sometimes called summer fatigue, is a real thing. It can show up as low energy, headaches, brain fog, irritability, or that feeling that you need a nap even though the day has barely started.

Here in Old Town Alexandria, if temperatures drop into the high 80s, people start calling it “relief!” Our bodies work hard during these hot, humid days, and that effort alone can leave us feeling worn out. Add in longer daylight hours and sleep that isn’t quite as restful, and it’s easy to see why so many people hit a wall in the middle of summer.

So what can we do? I invite you to head over to my blog to read more!
https://www.mandaminemassage.com/s/stories/exhausted-massage-therapy-can-help-2

Dear clients and friends,

Now that July is in full swing, it’s time for my monthly roundup of the coolest and most fun things to do in Old Town Alexandria. I love that my clients come visit the city right around their scheduled massage therapy sessions, because, DID YOU KNOW that Old Town Alexandria was voted one of the Top 5 Best Cities in the US in 2025 by Travel + Leisure? And that Conde Nast rated it as one of the top 3 small cities in the US?

It’s an especially great time to wander Old Town, since it was founded in 1789, and therefore has been an integral part of building our country in the last 250 years! There are over 200 independent restaurants and boutiques along the avenues and on the historic waterfront, and you know small business is what gives character and quality to our country.

Head to my blog to read more about happenings in Old Town this month. https://www.mandaminemassage.com/s/stories/july-events-in-old-town

Dear clients and friends:

Maybe we, at first, think of summer as a time to fun and frolic, and yes, that’s absolutely right! But as in the case of these last few weeks across the globe, it’s been a very very hot time, and that means staying indoors as much as if there were a blizzard outside. For me, on summer days when it’s too hot to be outside, I find myself in a reflective mood, searching for insights and lessons about how to be the best person I can be, and what I can do to find balance in all aspects of my life.

Maybe it’s because when temps reach 100+, I think it’s time to consider how we can ALL have more balance in our lives!

For that reason, the wonderful aromatherapy scent BALANCE popped into my head, and I’m going to trust it’s the perfect time to offer it as part of massage sessions at Mandamine Massage Therapy. There are so many elements that go into this very grounding blend that will help us access more insights into how to bring balance to our work, health, relationships, and overall emotional wellbeing.

Head to my blog to learn more about this magical blend, https://www.mandaminemassage.com/s/stories/aromatherapy-massage-series-july-balance

Dear clients and friends:

I haven’t posted in a while about the various modalities I focus on at Mandamine Massage in Old Town Alexandria, so I thought I’d write them here so that those of you who have been working with me for a while and would like to change it up a bit, or those who are curious about other options, might be able to consider something new!

For those of you who have yet to come on over for massage therapy in our office in Old Town Alexandria, now is the time! It’s summer, it’s hot, and you deserve to do some self care in the form of body work by a massage therapist who can target issues, and help you get to the wellness you want to live your best life!

As it says right here on our website, I have extensive training in these techniques:

Swedish
Deep Tissue
Hot Stone
Aromatherapy
Prenatal
Reflexology
Trigger Point Work
Cupping
Indian Head Massage
Kinesiology
Chakra and Essential Oil Therapy
Reiki

Are there any of the above you’re always been interested in, but been hesitant to try? If you’ve already set up a massage therapy schedule, we could incorporate one or more of the above. If you are working to better a chronic issue or just feel better in general, there might be a way one of the modalities available you HAVEN’T tried will benefit you. Ask about whatever resonates with you, and let’s get you started!

I have loved learning about the best ways to help my clients. I would love to help you with one of them you haven’t yet tried!

In the meantime, make sure you get on our schedule. Vacations and events happen faster than you realize, so it’s a great idea to get massage therapy into your calendar now!

All the best of health and wellness to you this June and always,

Amanda
Mandamine Massage

Learn more and book here: https://www.mandaminemassage.com/rates

Dear clients and friends,

You may think a blog that includes discussing your thumbs and massage is silly, or a stretch, but there is a reason that I massage the hands, and even sometimes the thumbs of my clients. You may wonder why!

For one thing, did you know there are eight unique muscles and millions of nerve receptors in our thumbs?

There is a long history of massage therapists and healers using massage techniques on the hands and thumbs.

Head to my blog to keep reading, https://www.mandaminemassage.com/s/stories/massage-therapy-your-hands-and-your-thumbs

Dear clients and friends:

It’s JUNE! Yes, it’s the month celebrating both our LGBTQ siblings, and ALSO the longest day of the year and the power of light in our lives. So much to celebrate! Rightly, we picked an aromatherapy scent that has as much power as the month it is featured! "Endless Summer" is our pick for June.

I invite you to my blog to read more about this complicated and beautiful blend.
https://www.mandaminemassage.com/s/stories/aromatherapy-massage-series-june-and-endless-summer

Dear clients and friends:

I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend, even though here in Old Town Alexandria it rained most of the time! Still, it’s a time we can spend with our friends, family, AND found family, as well as considering all those we know who have served in the US military. Whether personally or through folks we’re connected to, we all know someone who died while serving in the Armed Forces. For me, I do that, while at the same time appreciating those I love and who love me. It’s always a great time to do that, right?

Thinking about my friends and relations who have served, it inevitably led to considering the impact that massage therapy has on military veterans. I, as most massage therapists do, have first hand experience with that, since several of my clients are veterans. People who have retired or moved on from their military duty often find massage therapy a powerful complimentary tool. It can help manage chronic pain, improve sleep quality, relieve symptoms of PTSD for those who have been through combat, as well as make a huge difference with issues that might be the result of long watches, or long ruck marches (carrying heavy packs for long distances). In fact, I know one person who benefits from massage because they have chronic back pain from those marches. Another has found they have much better, longer nights of sleep with the help of massage.

I invite you to head over to my blog to learn more, https://www.mandaminemassage.com/s/stories/massage-therapy-for-military-veterans

Dear clients and friends:

Mother Nature is not to be trifled with, as exampled by her switch, here in Old Town Alexandria, from a high of 60 degrees to 98 in one day! Summer is looming, and it’s the part of summer, the 100 degree weather, that can get us all down and keep us hunkered down in the air conditioning and avoiding outside activities. There’s good reason for that. Just 30 minutes in 100 degree heat and the body’s cooling system can get overwhelmed. Now, I know most of us aren’t going to spend even 10 minutes outside when it’s 100 degrees, and here at Mandamine Massage, since we are in Alexandria, Virginia, the days it gets to be that hot are rare, and mostly in August. Still, on the days it feels just too hot to handle, there’s (ONCE AGAIN!) good news. Massage therapy can help!

Head over to my blog to learn more, https://www.mandaminemassage.com/s/stories/too-hot-massage-therapy-can-help-keep-you-cool