Fascia essentially connects and surrounds everything in your body (including every individual muscle cell) in one continuous network. The body's fascia can become tight, stiff and rigid, causing pain, lack of flexibility, and reduced range of motion. This can be caused by repetitive motions and overuse of certain muscles (for example, driving a car, typing, carrying a bag or purse on one arm, playing musical instruments, athletics, etc), surgery, trauma, poor posture, disuse or inactivity (such as sitting at a desk everyday).

CTT works to soften and increase the fluidity of the body's fascia using the application of specific, slow, deep pressure, helping to reduce muscle spasm and pain, increase flexibility and restore range of motion. Over time with regular therapy, patterns of tension held on the myofacsial (muscular/connective tissue) level can be released.

Trigger points are extremely taught bands of muscle fiber that decrease circulation to that part of the muscle, causing the build-up of metabolic wastes and a decrease of nutrients and oxygen to the area, leading to ischemic pain, weakness in the muscle and reduced range of motion. Trigger points can also "refer" pain to other parts of the body which may present as headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ syndrome, fibromyalgia, sciatica, tennis elbow, and so on.

Through precise and focused pressure to the trigger points, Neuromuscular Therapy counteracts the nerve impulse to the over-contracted fibers, allowing the muscle to relax and bringing much needed blood flow, oxygen, and nutrients back to the starved tissue.

Over time with regular therapy, these pain and tension patterns can be interrupted and changed, reducing pain, restoring flexibility and range of motion, and leading to new possibilities for movement and activity.

This modality consists mainly of long flowing strokes, kneading, and joint movements designed primarily to increase blood and lymph circulation. In addition to improving circulation, Swedish massage increases the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues, enhances the removal of metabolic wastes, helps to relieve certain types of pain and muscle soreness, restores joint mobility, loosens scar tissue and adhesions caused by injury or surgery, promotes relaxation, and soothes the nervous system.

This Japanese modality is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to TCM, chi can become stagnant at certain points along different meridians leading to a variety of physiological and psychological imbalances. The intention in shiatsu is to help bring the body's chi into balance by dispersing stagnant energy. Traditionally, shiatsu takes place fully clothed on a mat on the floor.

At Red Moon, however, we integrate shiatsu into a typical session on a table, unless a client requests a in advance to have full shiatsu session on the floor.

We practice cupping from a Western (European) perspective, an Eastern (Traditional Chinese Medicine) perspective and from an Indian (Ayurvedic) perspective. Cupping involves the use of suction by placing specially designed glass cups on specific areas of the body. The suction is created by briefly dipping a flame into the glass before it is placed on the body (the glass does not get hot, the flame just uses up the oxygen which creates the suction).

Cups can be left in place or glided across the body. Cupping affects the body both physically and energetically, it: disperses stagnant blood and fluid from congested tissue; stretches and lengthens muscles, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue; brings in fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients and removes metabolic wastes and toxins; improves immunity, relieves chest congestion, headaches, menstrual cramps and other types of "colic" or irritability/agitation; moves stagnant chi or energy along the meridians; can lead to auto-adjustments of vertebrae and release stagnation and compression surrounding spinal nerves; tonifies capillaries and vessels; and is generally tonifying and balancing for the body.

For cancer survivors or those at risk of breast cancer, we use techniques to improve lymphatic drainage from the breast, which helps to remove damaging metabolic waste products that commonly back up in the breasts due to tightly fitted or underwire bras and other physiological causes. We can also focus on back, neck, and shoulder pain experienced by many with large breasts.

Castor oil is made from the seeds of the castor plant and it is a unique oil that contains ricinoleic acid which absorbs into the skin and relaxes muscle tissue. It is also helpful for softening and breaking up adhesions and scar tissue as well as other growths such as benign tumors, fibroids, and cysts. When used following surgery such as cesarean surgery, castor oil packs combined with scar tissue massage can help to break up adhesions and excess scar tissue (a common side effect of abdominal surgery). Adhesions following surgery can have a variety of negative consequences including pain, loss of range of motion, bowel, bladder, and menstrual problems, as well as risks for future pregnancies (as each subsequent cesarean surgery is more challenging when there are a lot of abdominal adhesions). Castor oil packs can be used as an at-home self-care technique, and when you book one with your massage appointment you will get to keep your castor oil pack and your therapist can give you instructions on how to re-use it at home.

It focuses on treating specific injuries, syndromes, or disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fascitis, shin splints, tendonitis, sprains/strains, and so on.

Sometimes, medical massage may be prescribed by a physician in order to treat a diagnosed disorder.

The intention is to bring a sense of ease into our bodies through the sensory experience produced by these movements.

This modality can allow you to explore new possibilities for movement, activity, range of motion, and a general way of feeling in your body. It can help release deep-seated physical &/or emotional patterns and bring about a sense of deep relaxation, lightness, freedom, simplicity, and effortlessness.

The best way to describe our use of energy work during a typical session is a slow, gentle, receptive touch or hold with the intention of creating a space for physical and/or emotional shifts or releases that need to take place to happen in a peaceful and safe environment.

The intention is to create a still, open, free space to allow for new possibilities (physical, spiritual, and emotional) to be explored on a conscious, unconscious, or energetic level.

Specifically, it is a gentle, non-invasive approach that involves sensing the rhythms of the cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that bathes the brain and the spinal cord) and simply holding a still and quiet space for the body's natural processes to bring about its own "treatment" based on the body's innate wisdom to heal itself. This therapy is notably helpful for jaw tension and TMJ dysfunction.

Benefits include: increased metabolism, immune response, and blood and lymph circulation, localized pain reduction, reduced swelling and inflammation at injury sites, and reduced muscle spasms, cramps, aches, and other chronic pain.

During our sessions, we will utilize the application of hot towels, hot packs, or hot stones either at the client's request or at our discretion for specific conditions. We also frequently recommend hydrotherapy as a form of self-care for clients to use at home.