Hands, hips and knees that have gotten stiff, in Inverness
I can't do anything about the arthritis itself. I can do something about the muscle that has tightened up around a sore joint, and for a lot of people that's most of the day-to-day ache.
Never had a massage? Read this first.
There are a few things worth checking first
What I can and can't do here
Massage doesn't change the arthritis. What I work on is the muscle and soft tissue around a sore joint, which has usually spent a long time guarding it.
Warmth, slow work, and a position you can hold for the hour. An hour at the Inverness studio starts at $79, and ninety minutes at $109.
You don't have to get on a table
We work at whatever pressure suits you, and in whatever position you can hold. Hands and feet are included if you ask. Getting on and off a table is the part people worry about most, and it's optional. Say so when you book and we'll pick the position first.
Days when it's flaring
Tell me. A joint that is hot, or red, or too sore to touch is not something to work on. If there is a fever with it, call your doctor that day, and call me after you have spoken to them, so we can move the appointment. Nothing more is said about it.
How it goes, for this
On the phone
You tell me which joints, and which days
What is worst in the morning, what a flare looks like, and how you are getting around. That decides where we work and how hard.
The hour
Whatever position you can hold
Warmth and slow work, and hands and feet are included if you ask. We pick the position at the start.
After
At home, nowhere to drive to
Once you are an established client I can come to you. In-home visits are $125 for the hour and $149 for ninety minutes.
Can't get onto a massage table? Pick what you have, and I'll tell you how it works.
I can get on a massage table
Then that's what we'll use. At the studio it is set up and ready before you walk in. At home, for my regulars, it goes up and comes down again inside the hour, and there's nothing for you to arrange.
Only my own bed
That's fine, and it's common. I work alongside the bed and set the positioning to suit you, with pillows under the knees or side-lying if lying flat is not comfortable. A hospital bed makes my job easier.
My recliner
Good. Neck, shoulders, arms, hands, feet and lower legs all work well in a recliner, and for a lot of people that's where the pain is.
I use a wheelchair
We can work in the chair, or move to a bed or table if you transfer easily and want to. Tell me which on the phone and I'll bring what suits.
A kitchen chair is all I have
That is all I need. I bring a seated setup, you stay fully clothed, and it's the same work through your neck, your shoulders, your back.
I am asking on behalf of someone else
Call me and skip the booking page, because I'll want to know what they can and can't do, whether there is a hospital bed, and who will be there. If they have a guardian, a healthcare surrogate or a power of attorney, tell me who holds it. You're welcome to stay in the room the whole time.
If you're still not sure, call me and describe the room. It takes two minutes and costs nothing.
Questions
Will massage help my arthritis?
Not the arthritis itself. What I work on is the muscle around a sore joint, which is where a lot of the day-to-day ache sits, and an unhurried hour is worth having on its own. Be careful of anybody who tells you massage does more than that.
I bruise easily now. Is that a problem?
It changes the pressure. Say so at the start and I'll work lighter the whole way through. If you're on blood thinners, tell me when you book.
Can you come to my assisted living apartment?
Usually yes, with the facility's permission, once you are an established client. Some of them have their own rules about outside practitioners, so call me before you arrange anything and we'll find out what theirs are. If we have not met yet, the first visit is at the Inverness studio.