the roots of inner smile massage.
The name for my massage practice came spontaneously and organically to me one day.
Early in my training, I received feedback after my first practical assessment informing me that I am often smiling when massaging. I could feel this smile deep inside me, but I was blissfully unaware it had made its way all the way up to my face!
There are little things in life—mundane, everyday activities—that can bring me joy, like hanging out the laundry in a systematic way that makes sense only to me, scooping spices into my empty jars at my local zero-waste shop, or gently squeezing a freshly baked loaf of sourdough bread to hear it crackle.
Finding myself on the path to becoming a massage therapist, however, has lit me up like nothing has before. It gives me a sense of deep joy that allows me to experience gratitude, humility, and compassion more abundantly and deeply than ever.
I truly believe that we all have access to joy—it's never too late or buried too deep to find (although it can certainly feel that way at times). More importantly, I believe we all deserve to access it, and that what we need is to build the right conditions for it to gently (or sometimes even abruptly!) reveal itself.
Safety, curiosity, compassion, and patience.
These are all elements and experiences I strive to create in my massage practice.
At Inner Smile Massage, you are welcome as you are, in your entirety. Together, we can endeavour to slowly shed the layers of complexity, stress, burdens, and worries, seeking to bring you back to that innate sense of joy, that inner spark that you deserve to find and tend to. We may only get a short glimpse of it, but perhaps, just the reminder that it is there will be enough to encourage you in the pursuit of discovering what brings you there.
This practice can then diffuse into the rest of your life, and find you making space for joy in other ways too.
Massage and self-care are only one piece of the rather large puzzle, but if I see you with a gentle, peaceful smile on your face at the end of the treatment, I'll know you're at least one step closer to getting there.
“A very calm, welcoming, and non-judgemental manner.
A peaceful soul to put me at ease.”