Sage spa

Back You Up (We Can)

BACK ME UP... I've got your back... crick in my back...back in circulation...back off!...BACK TO BACK...behind your back...back on your feet...LAID BACK... like water off a duck's back...the straw that broke the camel's back...back against the wall...BACKACHES...back off. So much information stored in your back. We can help.

Free Spa Workshops at SAGE

 

Try a FREE spa workshop

.....and take the joy home!

 

 

 To register call Sage Spa 718 832 2030. 
It's free. No obligation.
Space is limited. Call today. 

 

 

Get the ball rolling:  Tips for effective self-care between massage sessions

Monday, Sept 8, 2014 7:00PM-8:00PM 
Thanks to everyone who showed up for this event.
We had a great time.

If you use the palm-sized balls or a Ma Roller correctly, it can be just like having a massage therapist's magic fingers dig right in. Learn about the tools and specific skills so you be able to release pain and tension in between your professional massage sessions. Learn how to use the tools our therapists use at home when the spa is closed, to effectively relieve stubborn tension.

 

 

Agnes is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Master. Her speciality is trigger point therapy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Wants a Massage: 
Learn the techniques as well as how to read your infant's signals

 

Monday, Sept 15, 2014 7:00PM-8:00PM CLASS FILLED

Regular infant massage deepens parent/child bonding, helps babies to sleep better and grow faster, tames gassy bellies and reduces crying.

In this workshop you'll learn the basics to get started. 

NOTE: You should not bring your baby.

It is best to do this workshop before baby arrives. We will have a doll that is designed to learn infant massage on. Also, significant others of all kinds (hubbies, partners, grandparents) are welcome.

 

Megan is a licensed massage therapist and Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI). She has taught dozens of families and is continually thrilled to see babies chortle with delight when they first experience massage.

 

 

 

How can I help?

Massage techniques for Labor

Monday, Sept 22, 2014 7:00PM-8:00PM

Being able to ease your partner's stress through touch can bring you closer and help you to be a more active participant in the birthing process. Massage has been shown to be effective in reducing pain and anxiety during the first stages of labor. This workshop will teach the partners of laboring/pregnant women simple massage techniques that can be useful during childbirth.  

 

Lauren is a Licensed Massage Therapist certified in prenatal massage and reiki. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, and is expecting her first child in December.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's your skin type? 
How to identify your type and take care of it in between professional facials. 

Join us for this special fun packed evening of 
facials, champagne and chocolate! 

Monday, Sept 29, 2014 7:00PM-8:00PM CLASS FILLED

A WAITING LIST AS BEEN CREATED FOR A 2ND EVENT

 

 

Amanda is an NYC Licensed Massage Therapist and Licensed Esthetician.Sheabsolutely loves working in spas, and helping people with their skin concerns.  Amanda discovered the Eminence Organics line in 2010, and has been personally using them ever since.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get to know your chakras
Introduction to the Seven Chakras
and Reiki energy work

Monday, Oct 13, 2014 7:00PM-8:00PM
 

 There are seven chakras in each of us that connect to our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. People carry excessive energy in some chakras and deficient energy in others. 

This workshop will help show you where you may be out of balance energetically and teach you techniques to help balance your chakras.

 

 

 

Daniella is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Infant Massage Instructor. She lives in Park Slope and has two children, aged four and five, who love getting their heads, shoulders and feet massaged by mom!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sage Special Offer Save 10%

BONUS: Attend any Sage Spa workshop & receive 10% OFF your next Sage spa service.

Offer Expires: 12/31/14. Offer may not be combined with other Sage Discounts or Special Offers. Mention the workshop when you book your appointment to receive the discount

 

Father's Day

Father's Day

June 16, 2013

 

To somebody ... you may be the world

 

 

 

Mother's Day

Sunday

May 12th

 

http://sagebrooklyn.com/sage_packages.html

Jackhammer or Butterfly's Touch?

 

How to get the pressure you want during a massage

It can be frustrating sometimes.  You think you've told the therapist exactly what you need; but, they didn't "get it." How could they possibly not have understood?  Sometimes the problem may be that you're not speaking the same language. Let's talk a little bit about the language that massage therapists use and how they understand it:

 Gentle Pressure: Means gentle pressure but can be any kind of technique... swedish, shiatsu, myofascial release, nerve strokes like light dragging of the fingertips on the skin. Definitely doesn't mean deep tissue.  And can definitely be a better choice for more sensitive nervous systems, people with PTSD or just people who get regular massage and don't have as much stress as those who wait until they're desperate to convince themselves they need a massage.

Medium Pressure: A little more force on the part of the therapist using any or all techniques.  But the therapist is probably keeping in mind that certain parts of your body (those pesky shoulders glued to your ears) may need more of a deep tissue approach. And certain body parts may require less.  For example, a fictional client might need medium pressure on their back, deep pressure around their shoulders and much lighter pressure on their calves due to small varicose veins.  The majority of massages fall into this category. The key here is to keep your therapist informed. In other words, speak up! You are the one who knows your body best and even a good therapist cannot pick up every single nonverbal clue from your body( though I've had amazing massages where it seemed like they were reading my mind!).

Deep Tissue: This is the big buzzword in massage today.  Deep tissue massage has gotten the reputation of being able to cure whatever bodily pain, distress or quirk ails you... and do it quickly. And it CAN be a wonderful help for that hellish garden of knots in your shoulders or for people who exercise a lot and whose muscles are very fit and healthy and can tolerate the pressure. You climb on the massage table.  Your therapist uses her forearms or even elbows and  bam! 60 minutes later you feel like a new person.  Love it!

But, deep tissue work isn't perfect and there can be a downside.  Using too much force on a body that's not fit can leave a residual muscle soreness/spasm, sometime mild sometimes strong. Sort of like trading in one pain for another. If your bodily pain is due to some strong emotional stressor, relieving it too quickly can leave a person feeling very vulnerable.

As a therapist with 25 years experience in giving (and getting!) massages, here is my best advice for getting the massage you want:

• Find a therapist who's a good listener.  You don't want one who plows ahead because she "knows best." You want one who will take your bodily feelings/comments into account and adapt accordingly.
• Get your massage at a place where they give you some time to talk to the therapist beforehand, not just throw you on the table and do whatever. A good therapist will want to know all the details about you and your condition.  They will want to see "the big picture." Do you feel listened to? That's a good therapist.
• Try to be as clear as possible about what's going on in your body. This can be difficult sometimes because body feelings are often nonverbal.  One of the best ways I've found to be clear is to sit quietly for a few minutes and do a body scan meditation. You check in with each body part sequentially to see how it is today, not changing it or judging it, just asking. It can be quite revealing and will give your therapist more information to work with.
• Get massage more often.  Pain and emotional distress will not get such a head start and you'll have a better chance of extended relief.
• Consider a technique called Deep Tissue Sculpting. It's a technique for getting deeply into the muscles without tons of force.  The therapist will press into the area, wait for the muscles to give a little, then apply more force.  Apply a little more pressure, wait again.  Etc. You can get quite deeply into the muscles with this technique and the side effects are minimal and the experience quite meditative.

Now I hope you are empowered to get the massage you want. Best wishes for healing.

Massage as a Treatment for Headache.

Sage Spa's massage for headache treatment is designed especially for migraine sufferers. 

Recent research has shown regular and specific massage treatments to be effective in reducing headache duration and intensity for migraine and other types of headaches.

Sage Spa's Massage for Headaches MORE>

__________________

Ann Behav Med. 

2006 Aug;32

(1):50-9.

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Massage Therapy as a Treatment for Migraine.

Lawler SP, Cameron LD.

Source

Department of Psychology, The University of Auckland. s.lawler@uq.edu.au

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Migraine is a distressing disorder that is often triggered by stress and poor sleep. Only one randomized controlled trial (RCT) has assessed the effects of massage therapy on migraine experiences, which yielded some promising findings.

PURPOSE:

An RCT was designed to replicate and extend the earlier findings using a larger sample, additional stress-related indicators, and assessments past the final session to identify longer-term effects of massage therapy on stress and migraine experiences.

METHODS:

Migraine sufferers (N = 47) who were randomly assigned to massage or control conditions completed daily assessments of migraine experiences and sleep patterns for 13 weeks. Massage participants attended weekly massage sessions during Weeks 5 to 10. State anxiety, heart rates, and salivary cortisol were assessed before and after the sessions. Perceived stress and coping efficacy were assessed at Weeks 4, 10, and 13.

RESULTS:

Compared to control participants, massage participants exhibited greater improvements in migraine frequency and sleep quality during the intervention weeks and the 3 follow-up weeks. Trends for beneficial effects of massage therapy on perceived stress and coping efficacy were observed. During sessions, massage induced decreases in state anxiety, heart rate, and cortisol.

CONCLUSIONS:

The findings provide preliminary support for the utility of massage therapy as a nonpharmacologic treatment for individuals suffering from migraines.

PMID:16827629

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

The Hormone Guide

I couldn't resist posting this for our massage-for-PMS clients and for women everywhere. I found the image on Pinterest.

How Massage Heals Sore Muscles

NY Times February 6, 2012 By Nicholas Backalar

"A massage after vigorous exercise unquestionably feels good, and it seems to reduce pain and help muscles recover. Many people — both athletes and health professionals – have long contended it eases inflammation, improves blood flow and reduces muscle tightness. But until now no one has understood why massage has this apparently beneficial effect.

Now researchers have found what happens to muscles when a masseur goes to work on them....

________

Vigorous exercise causes tiny tears in muscle fibers, leading to an immune reaction — inflammation — as the body gets to work repairing the injured cells. So the researchers screened the tissue from the massaged and unmassaged legs to compare their repair processes, and find out what difference massage would make.

They found that massage reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair. “The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis,” helping the muscle adapt to the demands of increased exercise, said the senior author, Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky."

READ THE ARTICLE>

Valentine's Day for All!

Boyfriend-girlfriend, partner-partner, mother-daughter, grandma-grandchild, husband-wife.  All kinds of love is celebrated at Sage Spa on Valentine's Day.  Well, maybe except one... we know you love your dogs and cats; but, that's one kind of massage that we don't do. :)  Anyway, Sage is celebrating your love by offering a special Valentine's discount on our couples massage.  The special will be available from Friday February 10th through Valentine's Day itself February 14th. The price (normally $260) will be only $199!  There will be hundreds of red balloons in the air as usual.  Book now to reserve your place.

What should every modern woman have? (No need to read this, guys)

There are several apps for tracking your periods (and the moods and symptoms associated with it) but this one seems to be particuarly good.  Sage is conducting a study on PMS and one of the participants in our study turned us on to it.

Here is a REVIEW by a woman iPhone user that I thought pretty much covered all the plusses and minuses of the app.

Also, you can check out Sage's PMS session if you are interested.