Affirmation Massage

If you are looking to shop small today, this local trans-run business is a relaxing way to do it! I am forever grateful to all of my clients for continuing to let me be part of their healing journeys and who refer friends to me. Each massage I do helps me keep my business open and allows me to do what I love. If you are looking for a massage, book today! If you want to gift a massage to someone you love, I offer gift certificates on my website-- a great holiday gift that won't add clutter to anyone's homes!

This week has been hard, but has also been a good reminder that caring for one another is how we get through this. Members of marginalized communities are already discriminated against in this country and will continue to experience harm from the government in the days to come. We all deserve safe space to rest and heal, but often that space is unattainable to members of marginalized communities.

I always offer trades to make my services more attainable, but this is another way people who might not otherwise be able to receive a massage can access it: through sponsorship! If you feel financially privileged and are wanting to find a way to help others right now, please reach out to me and we can discuss how to fund someone's massage.

If you are a member of a marginalized community and would benefit from partial or full sponsorship of a massage, please reach out to me to see if funds are available and how to access them.

We will all get through this together. We will get through this *because* of each other.

All my love.

**kWhiteSupremacy

When receiving bodywork of any type, a client should know what is going to happen and understand that they have the ability to ask for something different if that is what they need. My clients are the experts of themselves; it is my job to give them as much information as they need in order to provide informed consent.

Especially before the first service with a new client, I will answer as many questions as someone needs in order to feel comfortable and ready for a service, and for them to know exactly what will happen (in what order, even!). I will always respect boundaries that a client puts in place, and will discuss pressure, draping, stretches, and the reason for specific techniques as much as a client would like to talk about them. Whatever I can do to empower a client, I will do; informed consent is incredibly important!

Being trauma-informed is an important piece of my work. I graduated with my Master's in Social Work in 2015 before realizing it wasn't for me (it's okay to quit something that isn't good/healthy for you!). I've been able to take a lot of what I learned during that time and incorporate it into bodywork, which has allowed me to provide a healing space for a lot of people who have not previously felt safe or comfortable getting bodywork done. I understand that the body holds memories and that those memories, or feelings around those memories, can sometimes surface when the body is being worked on.

I am comfortable sitting in whatever comes up with my clients, and providing what they need. Do you want to lean into the discomfort and breathe through what comes up? Do you want to make sure we don't work on a specific area because you don't want it to potentially come up during the session? Do you need to hold a fidget toy, do we need to discuss a nonverbal cue for if you can't access your voice at some point, do you need more light or less music or a change of temperature? It is all adaptable for you and your experience in letting your body and mind rest and reset.

Let's heal together.

Sometimes the scar tissue LMT has to do a little extra work with their own scars! This was me applying a castor oil pack (and securing it with plastic wrap so I didn't get oil everywhere!) and letting my body heat the castor oil to loosen my scar tissue so it was easier to massage. I did this at night and the next morning noticed that some areas where my tissue "sticks" was more mobile. Self care is literally messy sometimes, but very worth it!

If you have top surgery, cesarean, or other surgery scars you'd like to see more mobilization or sensation around, reach out or head to my website to book at massage! I'm happy to help you along your journey (and give you some tips for caring for your massage at home).

Hi, I'm Bear!

Five years ago today, I passed my licensure test for medical massage therapy, and began a career that has been incredibly rewarding and fits who I am and how I work so well. A year later, I started my own practice under the name Mama Bear Massage Therapy--a great name-- but one that slowly began to feel it did not fit. As my understanding of my practice grew, I changed the name to Affirmation Massage, and it feels like the perfect name for what my practice is and does.

Now I am here again, having shed another name that--while beautiful-- no longer fit me or served my needs. (You'll notice, perhaps, that my new name was tucked into my old practice name, me trying to add it where I thought I could at the time but not quite getting it right.) I'm glad I listen to myself and trust what I'm saying to be true and good. I'm glad I'm brave enough to push through bureaucratic slog, and I'm glad to be here. Doing this. With all of you.

Today is also my birthday, and as a triple Leo, it feels only right to celebrate me by offering a 10% discount if you sign up for a massage! Use the code BIRTHDAYBEAR before midnight and you'll get 10% off any massage service. See you soon!

It's euphoric! It's a headache! It's ✨bureaucracy✨ in all of its tedium.

I'm changing my name! The paperwork is slowly but surely moving forward! Since my massage license and many reviews still have Cora listed, it feels important to say I don't have any hostility towards that name, it just no longer fits who I've grown into. As the paperwork comes through, I will work to change my name in as many places as possible, but there will certainly still be reviews and old posts with my old name.

I'm looking forward to the end of this process, and hope to confuse as few people as possible along the way!

I am so excited to announce that starting next month, my office will be moving (just a few minutes away from my current space) to the Be Well Collective! The collective is made up of some incredible businesses ranging from pediatricians, therapists for adults and kids, speech and physical therapy, pelvic health therapy, doula and lactation services, and more. It seems one of the only things they were missing was a massage therapist!

I'm excited to have the opportunity to be working inside a building where so much healing and growth already occurs, and thrilled to be able to bring my own services to the table.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Hi babes! I have openings Friday evening, Saturday mid-day, and one little appointment Sunday morning THIS WEEKEND; help me fill my books and recharge your own energy and body by getting a massage this weekend! Go to affirmationmassage.com and use discount code PRIDEKICKOFF at checkout.

I've been loving adding more life and color into my work space through trans art. Each piece is a testament to trans joy, resilience, existence and pride. My desire for my community is that we can inhabit our bodies without apology or fear--and having art illustrating that feels so significant. I stand a little taller in my office with the energy these carry.

Grateful to for the pieces they are lending (which are for sale, if anyone falls in love with them like I have!) and to .dax for their beautiful contribution! And my bear corner, with a picture from my kid which never fails to bring me joy.

I'm always taking more art to fill my space, so if you're interested in trading, please reach out!

Announcing a tarot-fying new feature to massages!

I've long thought that tarot would be an interesting and fun way to further explore energy-work in massage, and I'm finally baby-stepping into the concept! I am now offering a 3-card tarot spread to either guide your massage experience or accompany the massage afterwards.

I am offering this add-on free for the month of May so I can see how it fits, when it should be implemented, and adjust as needed! You would all be doing me a great service by adding it on to your massage services this month.

See you soon!

It's Autism Acceptance Month, and as a massage therapist whose majority of clients are autistic, ADHD, or somewhere else in the 'neurospicy' family, I see you and accept you!

I am always honored to have autistic clients come in and feel they can unmask and relax in my space. It is so important to have accessible healing spaces that allows both our minds and our bodies to feel safe enough to be ourselves.

Affirmation Massage is all about affirming every aspect of a person and adjusting the work to the individual, rather than the individual to the work. If you are anxious about getting a massage for any reason, feel free to reach out to me and we can discuss ways to help you feel more at ease before you even walk through the door! You belong here. 💙

I came out, weeping, to a small group of friends four years ago. I came out, apologizing, for the next year. I began taking testosterone almost two years ago, and had top surgery 16 months ago. This body, which has never felt like it belongs to me, is now mine. Is a source of pride and joy. Is me.

I'm so fu***ng grateful to be a part of the trans community, and proud of myself for doing the work of finding and finding and finding myself, and fighting for what I've found.

This year my fight will likely be changing my name, so I'd be mighty honored if you call me Bear.

Trans people are beautiful and resilient, we've always been here and we'll always be here.

Have you ever had bodywork that was so profoundly impactful that you commemorated it with a tattoo? I'll go first!

Shortly after I graduated massage school, I got a massage from  . I knew the physical benefits of massage but was always reluctant to get them myself because of a history of trauma and gender dysphoria. That massage changed my life.

Lauren is an incredible massage therapist, always utilizing curiosity, intuitive touch, and an unhurried pace in her work. She offered me a safe, calm space and kept me grounded, and that massage was the first time I was able to be fully present in my body without dissociating or panicking. I was able to offer myself a nonjudgmental curiosity about what my body was feeling and what it needed.

At one point, Lauren put her palm on my sternum and I both visualized and felt a birch tree burst from my chest, with foliage on my face. I was decomposing on the forest floor, and felt an incredible amount of peace about it, knowing that from death comes life and from life comes death.

That massage was the single-most spiritual moment of my life up to that point, and changed the way I listened to my body and held space for myself, and helped define the type of practitioner I wanted to be. I offer trauma-informed massage so that people feel safe enough to relax and allow themselves to heal; I approach the body with curiosity so it can tell me what it needs and we can move towards that goal together. I use my energy as much as my hands while I work to address the entire person and not just their muscles.

I got this incredible tattoo by .beware shortly after that massage, to remind me of what the experience meant to me personally and what I want my own practice to be. I'm so grateful for that experience and am glad to be in the business of healing and transformation.

       

Sun in the sky and I'm feelin' (chaotic) good!

As we move from winter to spring, our bodies move away from desired hibernation and begin to feel more energetic. Massages are a great way to help your system wake up and feel renewed and refreshed!

Follow the link in my bio to get your massage booked today!

I threw this in my story a while ago but thought it was time to make it a full post: my walls need art! And I would love to fill them with work from q***r artists. If you want to trade services, store pieces in my office like it is a gallery, or discuss cost of work, I'm open to chatting with you.

So excited for the launch of ***r today! If you're like me and like to 1) support local businesses that are 2) run by q***r folks, this free app is for you! It helps you locate q***r-owned businesses (like mine!) in your area for whatever you need!

Technology is so cool.

There are numerous benefits to getting massages while pregnant: it can help target and relieve specific areas of pain or discomfort, helps reduce anxiety and depression, and can help alleviate poor sleep. I've worked with pregnant clients since the inception of my business and love providing a quiet, comfortable space that allows them to honor their body's journey and get some much-needed care.

Prenatal massages make for great baby shower gifts! You can purchase gift certificates on my website and delight your pregnant friends.