FAQs Embodied Movement & Massage

What are your policies?

By booking an appointment you agree to the following policies:

A credit card number is required for booking, but you will not be charged until after your session. We accept cash, credit card, Venmo, and Apple Pay.

A completed intake and consent form must be submitted before your first session. We use Massage Book which is HIPAA compliant.

Sessions can be cancelled or rescheduled with 24 hours or more notice.

Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice will be charged in full.

Packages expire after 6 months.

Limit one discount per session.

Refer a friend, both get $10 off.

Do I leave a tip?

If you’d like to leave a tip, it is greatly appreciated! Thank you. Though standard in the industry, it is not expected.

What to expect in massage sessions?

Please fill out your HIPPA compliant intake form before your first appointment.

At the start of your session Daniel will consult with you about your goals and discuss your treatment plan.

Daniel will step out of the room to allow you to undress to your level of comfort and to get under the top sheet on the massage table. Throughout the massage you will be draped and at no time will genitalia or breast tissue be exposed.

If you wish, you can remain fully clothed in massage sessions, in which case, please wear or bring comfortable clothing.

Massage sessions are passive and may include long holds to calm your nerves and brain, as well as Swedish, myofascial, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, stretching, Thai, Shiatsu, reflexology, positional release, prenatal,and Dermo-neuro-modulation techniques.

Please feel free to let me know how you are feeling after your session! I love to get your feedback on anything that you felt or anything that I can do to make your next session better.

What to expect in Movement + Massage sessions?

Please fill out your HIPPA compliant intake form before your first appointment.

At the start of your session Daniel will consult with you about your goals and to discuss your treatment plan.

In Movement + Massage sessions please bring athletic clothing that you can move and stretch in. These are hands-on bodywork sessions that may include learning exercises, active muscle techniques, assisted-stretching, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, as well as passive nervous system focused massage techniques.

What to expect in Strength & Flexibility training sessions?

Please bring athletic clothes you can move and stretch in. You will learn movements, exercises, and stretches that positively affect your neuro-myo-fascial tissue. It feels a bit like yoga mixed with Pilates.

How is Embodied Movement & Massage different?

Daniel has 17 plus years of experience as a professional ballet dancer/athlete. He has been a personal trainer practicing assisted-stretch training for over 7 years. Unlike many massage places and spas that offer generic protocols, Daniel offer customized, therapeutic bodywork that is cutting edge and informed by the most up-to-date science. Daniel has over 25 years of experience in dance partnering- moving, holding, lifting bodies and limbs.

We view massage from a nervous system point of view. The skin is the brain’s antenna to the world. While many people think of the “press” or pressure as the main focus of massage, we view the fundamentals of massage as touch and interaction with the skin to calm the nervous system. Through stretch, manipulation, holds, and pressing of the skin we can help to calm down the brain and the underlying motor nerves (i e- calm down the muscles).

In Movement + Massage sessions, we introduce novel input and output for your nerves and neuro-myo-fascial tissue, helping to calm, activate, and strengthen.

Why a nervous system approach?

Our nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and nerves) uses 20% of our body’s oxygen and energy while making up only 2% of our body’s mass. Everything that we feel, such as pain and tension, is experienced through the nerves and nervous system. It is running the show. Pain and tension are experienced through a complex communication between nerves and the brain.

Pain is a protective mechanism of the brain, which may indicate injury and tissue damage, but it does not always indicate injury and tissue damage. For example, sometimes nerves may become cranky or entrapped in their tunnels, creating pain. At times the brain may remember old injuries and guard that area. Pain is complicated. It is influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. Stress can have a major impact on pain. Stressful times cause pain to rear up. Emotions like fear greatly impact our experience of pain as well.

Massage, touch, and manual therapy are experienced through our body’s nervous system as well. Touch receptors in our skin communicate with our brain. Any “change” to our tissue through massage happens via the nervous system. We used to believe that massage was mechanically “breaking up” adhesions or changing the property of the tissue, which is not supported by evidence.

Because our nervous system runs the show of our experience and how we experience bodywork, we focus on the nervous system.

My last massage therapist went too hard and it hurt!?

I hear you! I aim to offer a therapeutic massage that is pain-free. There is an outdated view that it has to hurt in order to be effective. This has been debunked by the latest understanding of the nervous system and massage. Painful massage can actually sensitize the nervous system and create more pain. I aim to foster open communication, please let me know if anything is uncomfortable or painful.

Is deep tissue the most effective type of massage?

No. It is a misconception that deep tissue or painful massage is necessary to achieve results. In fact, painful stimulus has more risk and can sensitize the nervous system, creating more pain.

Deep tissue is not actually a massage technique. It’s a description of applying firmer pressure with other massage techniques.

I believe bodywork should feel good and be pain free!

Does massage break up tissue adhesions and change fascia?

No. We now know that massage, bodywork, and fascia focused bodywork modalities do no “break up” adhesions or “change” the connective tissue. This is a myth that unfortunately continues to be perpetuated. Massage does not “break up” a knot. Painful poking pressure is not necessary to help your nervous system and your excited motor nerves to calm down. Painful poking pressure actually has more risk without added benefit.

What is Dermo-neuro-modulation?

Dermo-neuro-modulation is a concept that all forms of bodywork and manual therapy work with the nervous system through the skin. Touch sensors in the skin communicate with the brain and nervous system. Our skin, brain, nerve tissue, and sensory organs all develop from the same type of tissue in embryo called ectoderm. Our skin is deeply connected to our brain and nervous system. Sometimes we may experience pain and tightness because of cranky nerves or nerves that aren’t moving optimally through their nerve tunnels. Dermo-neuro-modulation techniques focus on nerves in the skin, aiming to mobilize nerves through their tunnels to help to calm them down and calm down the brain and nervous system.

Why pain-free bodywork?

Trying to alleviate pain through painful massage may feel good in the moment by distracting one pain with another, but can actually sensitize the nervous system and lead to more pain. I th bodywork should feel good and safe, helping your body to heal and restore itself.

Does massage help long Covid?

Yes, massage can be a helpful support when dealing with long Covid. The pulmonary and nervous system is often affected in long Covid. Symptoms include PTSD, fatigue, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, headaches, shortness of breath, cough, sleep disturbances, loss of smell, abdominal pain, decreased appetite, rapid heart rate, heart palpitations, peripheral neuropathy, and light and sound sensitivity. Massage has been found to provide benefits to patients experiencing such symptoms. With long Covid, a gentle approach is optimal. It’s important not to over stimulate, but to instead help to downregulate the nervous system into a parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode.

Is my posture bad?

The latest scientific research shows that there is no correlation between “bad posture” and pain. Many people with “postural deviations” are pain free, and many people without “postural deviations” have pain. Pain is a complex protective mechanism of the brain and nervous system, but it does not necessarily equate to tissue damage or danger. In relation to pain, posture is important in that “your best posture is your next posture.” Being stationary in one position for too long can cause pain and dysfunction. Movement and varying your posture is key!

Do you offer a referral discount?

Yes, refer a friend both get $10 off on Massage, Movement + Massage Sessions, and Strength & Flexibility Training Sessions. Limit one discount per session.

Do you offer pregnancy massage?

Yes, Daniel is certified in pregnancy massage.

Location?

Grand Street Healing Project at 105 Grand St in Brooklyn.

Upon request: in Manhattan at The Curative at 736 Broadway.

Upon request: in-home sessions for an additional $60.