 WOW! Here we are in March already. We entered the New Year with a lot of gratitude, positive thoughts, and determination to make 2021 a wonderful year for our guests and for our team. With it only being the third month of this New Year I believe we have had a strong start.
March 6th will be 2 years of Bodyworks being at our new location, and December 2020 marked 7 years of Bodyworks being open. I started my business on Perdido Key Drive in a little studio as a solo-therapist. We now employee a team of 7 and we are growing fast!!! It has been amazing to watch. 2020 came with some speed bumps but we have slowly passed over them or rerouted into a new direction. Owning a small business reminds me of when my WAZE GPS app keeps rerouting…this way, nope, turnaround, STOP, rerouting, no network connection, make a U turn…but we eventually get there, we trust the process, and sometimes we find a new delightful way :) We have a lot to be excited about this month at Bodyworks!!!
We’ll be rolling out with everything this month and we would love your feedback once the new website goes live. The changes and improvements to our services were made to better improve your experience with us and give you the best results for feeling your best inside and out. The month of March is always a reminder to take action on our thoughts and inspirations we had for ourselves this New Year. We continue to move forward with a positive energy around us that will flow to others. Spring is awakening, and growth and movement are happening. I hope everyone is feeling re-energized this month to make those goals and dreams happen! Be Well, Cindy Owner/Founder/Licensed Massage Therapist
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 One thing our new socially distanced way of living has done is make some clients rethink getting a massage, or still get a massage but space out the time in-between appointments longer. Do you know how to give a good massage? Giving an at-home massage is not that hard. Here are some tips to help you out. First remember, Presentation MATTERS You can create a five star ambiance for your partner right in your own home. It’s all about your presentation. Set up in a quiet and cozy space in your home or if you’re surrounded by nature take your massage outside. With the right lighting, scents, temperature and calming music you can create your own home zen den that has the ambiance of the Ritz :) Be creative and have fun with creating your home spa ambiance. Pick the right massage oil or lotion You will want something with a little glide but also not super greasy. Sweet almond oil is a great oil and you can purchase at any local health food store or amazon. Lavender is a great essential oil to blend into your body oil for relaxation. Use firm pressure, but not hard People get confused about pressure in two opposite ways. If your partner is smaller than you, you may have a tendency to use very light pressure. This is okay to a point (you probably won’t hurt anyone), but can be a little frustrating if your partner is tense or sore or, even worse, ticklish. On the other side are the people who come from the “no pain, no gain” school of massage. Don’t buy into this myth! Massage should be pleasant. If your partner has to tense their muscles and clench their jaw in order to get through, it’s not helping.  Slooooooow doooooown There are absolutely occasions where someone might want a fast-paced, vigorous massage. But unless your partner is getting warmed up for a race or break dancing competition, this is probably not one of them. Take your time. Practice good body mechanics If massage shouldn’t be painful for your partner, it also shouldn’t be painful for you. If you are hunched over, if your wrists are bent at an awkward angle, if you are using your thumbs or fingers in ways they weren’t designed to work, you will end up regretting the day you ever offered to give a massage. Use bigger muscles in place of small ones whenever you can: use your back to provide pressure instead of your arms, and your arms instead of your fingers. When you move to a new part of your partner’s body, adjust your entire position, not just your hand placement.  Communicate Really, you probably don’t need to talk to a massage therapist to learn that open communication between you and your partner is key to anything you undertake together. But it’s especially true in a situation like a massage, where one of you is more vulnerable than the other. As the massage giver, it’s important that you check in regularly: How does this feel? Would you like more or less pressure? Learn from the pros
As with any skill, one of the best ways to learn to give a massage is by watching the people who are already great at it. Getting regular professional massage (hello again!) and taking a couples massage class are both helpful. YouTube is a fantastic source of tutorials for beginners. You can search for a style like Swedish Massage to get you started with some basic techniques. If you can give a caring, relaxing massage without hurting your partner or yourself, you’re way ahead of the curve on this one. Taking the time to gift your partner your time, massage, and sharing a time with them with the full intention of making them feel better with massage is a wonderful way to spend quality time together. Nurturing the wellbeing of your partner's mind, body, and spirit is a beautiful gift. Be Well, Cindy Owner/Founder/LMT PS: We're putting the final touches on our new Couples Massage room so if you would rather leave the massage work to us...we're always here for you!  We always like to think of ways to celebrate showing appreciation and love for all. One of our goals for 2021 was to find an organization that was personal to us and volunteer our time or donations.
We recently had a former employee, and a client of Bodyworks have premature babies. All are doing well, are healthy and making those gains! Their little ones both spent a good amount of time in the NICU at Sacred Heart Hospital. The love and strength these women and their spouses have shown is amazing. In celebration of LOVE, we would like to bring that with the items needed for patients in the NICU and parents. For your donation, you will receive 15% off any massage or facial service with us here at Bodyworks. We know with your support we can lift up and help those spending time in the NICU. Items needed for NICU For Patients: Rattles / Interactive Toys Black and White Cards Mirrors Mobiles Board Books Blankets Play Mats / Activity Mats Sound Machines Hand Mittens For Parents: Notebooks Pens Non-Perishable, individually wrapped food for family lounge (ex: granola bars, trail mix, mac & cheese, etc) All items must be brand new. We will be accepting donations at our studio until March 6th. Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference! Be Well, Cindy Owner/Founder/Licensed Massage Therapist  I love so many things about Eminence Organic Skin Care, and not just the product. Since their inception in 1958, they have been using sustainable farming and green practices to create natural, organic and Biodynamic® products.
They are constantly looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. With the use of wind energy and solar power energy in the making of their products and plant a tree for every product sold. At Bodyworks we’re already responsible for 250 trees being planted! All Eminence product boxes are recyclable, made from Forest Stewardship Council certified material and printed with vegetable inks. Eminence uses natural ingredient as well as their partners and farms produce natural, organic and Biodynamic® fruits and vegetables. All products are handmade without severe heating or hydrogenating processes that can affect the nutritional content and potency of natural ingredients. Vitamins are captured in their all-natural fresh base, and seeds, pulps and peels impart regenerative and healing powers that only nature can produce. Stone Crop (also known as sedum) is a popular household and outdoor plant which, in the past, was traditionally used by herbalists to heal and brighten the look of skin. Scientific studies also confirm that the plant is rich in antioxidants that reduce signs of aging skin. We use many products from the Stone Crop Eminence Collection for its healing, hydrating, and hyperpigmentation benefits. This leads me to ask, what do you normally do with your product jars when they're empty? Toss it in the trash I imagine. Here’s a great way to use your empty Eminence product jars and add some cute decor to your home or office, and it’s also a green way of reusing your jars. You don’t need a “green thumb” to grow these! GROW YOUR OWN STONE CROP PLANT IN AN EMINENCE JAR Materials Needed:
Instructions:
Enjoy your new stone crop plant! Be Well, Cindy Owner/Founder/Licensed Massage Therapist  Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. Reiki is a very specific form of energy healing, in which hands are placed just off the body or lightly touching the body, as in “laying on of hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. I know what some of you may be thinking…sounds like hocus pocus. Well I thought so too when I first got into massage therapy. I was all about the anatomy, and the functions of all the muscles. As a massage therapist and yoga teacher we always talk about the whole mind, body, spirit connection. Well, in the beginning I only had the body connection. It took many years to understand the entire connection with additional knowledge, and with personal experience. My friend who I always looked at as a mystical massage guru was also a Reiki Therapist with the best sense of humor. She never said much about it until my curiosity got me when we did a continuing education course in Top Sail Beach, NC. We were partners for our hands on training and she laid that Reiki Energy on me…lol It was a warm feeling and I remember feeling at peace. I remember feeling very uneasy at this particularly training due to some deeper discussions regarding connections and after she had worked on me for a brief moment…It felt like she infused me with good vibes and an open mind. That’s the best way I can describe it. Many, many, years later she told me that although at that time I had not yet made the whole mind, body, spirit connection she knew I would…and it has been a beautiful thing to watch me find it. I feel so much gratitude for someone like her helping my find my way to interconnecting the mind and spirit connection. Thank you RM. I truly believe finding the mind, body, spirit balance in my practice of bodywork has helped me grow as a massage therapist and has helped me perform the best bodywork for clients. I believe Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. What is a Reiki Healer? Professional Reiki Healers must complete a series of courses, beginning with Reiki Level 1, often continuing through Reiki Level 2, then onto the Reiki Master Course and practicum. Some Reiki Healers choose to continue their education to become Reiki Master Teachers, where they can empower others with healing through Reiki. In the state of Florida it's required for a Reiki Therapist to have a current massage therapy Florida license in order to perform Reiki. How is Reiki done? You will sit in a comfortable chair or lie on a table, fully clothed unless you’re also receiving a massage with your session. The Reiki Therapist places their hands lightly on or over specific areas of the head, limbs, and torso. While the therapist holds their hands lightly on or over the body, the transfer of energy takes place. During this time, the therapist hands may be warm and tingling. Each hand position is held until the practitioner senses that the energy has stopped flowing. When the therapist feels that the heat, or energy, in their hands has decreased, they will remove their hands and may place them over a different area of the body. You shouldn’t feel any pressure or discomfort. During a session, some people get very relaxed and even fall asleep. You may feel gentle pulsing where the practitioner places their hands. Or you may not notice anything. What are the benefits of Reiki Healing?
Reiki is not an alternative treatment for medical issues but an adjunctive therapy that can help support healing and increase a feeling of well being. We not only offer Reiki Energy Therapy but we thought incorporating the best of both worlds in a Reiki session would be the ultimate way to heal and zen out. We offer what we call Reiki-ssage It will improve the flow of energy around your body with a blend of intensely relaxing therapeutic massage infused with Reiki energy healing. This powerful vibrational energy technique can assist in producing deep relaxation and a general feeling of well-being. Reiki energy harmonizes extremely well with traditional massage making it an energetic bodywork experience promoting mind, emotional, body and spiritual healing. If you've always been curious about Reiki, we invite you to come give it a try. You're guaranteed to leave feeling light and re-energized. Be well, Cindy Owner/Founder/Licensed Massage Therapist  YES! YES! YES!
All ages are welcome to experience the benefits of massage therapy. From babies through to our senior citizen population, massage can be beneficial for anyone. Massage Therapy might especially be positive for our children with the higher demand of virtual learning and the use of more frequent electronic devices. This can lead to issues such as Tech Neck, an overuse syndrome involving the head, neck, and shoulders, usually resulting from excessive strain on the spine from looking in a forward and downward position at any handheld mobile device. This can lead to pain and discomfort such as:
This can cause damage to the structures in the neck and spine. Something I’ve heard from many of our clients whom have children is that their weeks are very hectic. Many children have the stress of school, whether it be in the class room or virtually from home, competitive sports, helping around the house, and so much more. I feel like I’m speaking from personal experience. My daughter and I have a busy schedule. She has been getting massages since she was a baby. Recently she has started requesting them with a list of areas she wants me to work on. Just recently she told me she understood why so many people come to Bodyworks to receive massage is because they feel so good and because I’m really good at what I do…LOL, I think she wanted extra massage time. Our children have aches and pains just like we do. I think we just feel ours more and are more aware of it. They can receive the same benefits from massage as we do, such as:
Regular massage can also help to reduce and relieve childhood and adolescent growing pains. Massage is a stress-buster for children. Often we think of stress as just an adult condition, but even children have stress. Starting a new school, family illness, divorce, and even our hectic lifestyles of “BUSY” can cause stress. Massage therapy is a simple way to slow down, stop, and give them a chance to find some peaceful calm. We do require anyone under 18 to be accompanied by and have the consent of a parent or guardian. The parent must be in the treatment room the entire time. We create a supportive relationship with both parent and child and give them a safe space away from the worries of a big world. Be Well, Cindy Owner/Founder/Licensed Massage Therapist You grow and learn new things every time something changes. Change is inevitable in both your personal life and business life. Change and growth...that's where the funs at! Sometimes it just takes a moment to see it.
Our cozy yoga space Pre-Covid once held 6 students for yoga. Post-Covid with distancing and many other factors I felt our yoga space was no longer a usable space for classes. I've learned from personal experience when change hits you hard, look at the bright side. Turn it into an opportunity to do something different or new and make the most of the opportunity. It took me a moment to move forward with this change because I had put a lot of time and love into the training/yoga space. I started looking at this as a better way to serve our guests with one thing we get calls for everyday...Couples Massage. Even more so recently. Since March of 2020 we have been encouraged to steer clear of one another, keep our distance, hide our smiles behind a mask, refrain from hugs, and change our way of socializing. I have to be honest, When this all started I really didn't know what would happen to my type of business. Would people come back? And when they did, how long would it take them to come back and feel comfortable? To my surprise, we have been busier than the years past. The power of touch is a powerful thing, and our guests have proved not a luxury. The benefits of physical touch, and the biological stimulation that comes with it, go beyond social bonding and can manifest positively in your mental and physical health. We always talk about the benefits of massage and those benefits are needed more then ever. Did you know a simple hug, yes a big ole HUG can increase your happiness. -Inspire positive thinking and expand trust -Reduce social anxiety and stress -Boost immune system and lower blood pressure Multiply these wonderful benefits by 1,000. That's massage...so many benefits mentally, physically, emotionally. Building this couples room is to bring you, your loved ones, family, and friends back together in a safe space to escape all the chatter and stressors going on outside our walls. This space is for us to bring you more calming vibes that are good for your soul. We can't wait to share it with you soon! Be Well, Cindy Owner, Founder, LMT  During the holidays we had extended hours, Monday - Thursday to help accommodate those who needed later appointment times. GREAT NEWS! We decided to permanently keep Wednesday extended hours. Every Wednesday our hours are 9:30 am - 7:00 pm. We hope this makes it possible for more of you after 5’ers to have some time for you! Need a late appointment? We definitely got your back!
I know sometimes it’s hard to do things for ourselves especially when we have so many responsibilities. So when you start talking yourself out of taking care of yourself, Here’s 25 reasons why you should get a massage this Wednesday or any day of the week.
Now I can’t think of 25 reasons why you shouldn’t practice self care. Take this time for yourself. With 168 hours in a week, taking only 1 hour dedicated just to you will give you many benefits. Massage will boosts and release endorphins, which increases the levels of both serotonin and dopamine in the body. As Elle Woods of Legally Blonde would say, “Endorphins make you happy”. The sudden boost of hormones promotes healing, feelings of euphoria, helps calm the nerves as well as pain management. Be Well, Cindy Owner/Founder/LMT  Happy New Year! What wonderful words to finally say and hear. We can FINALLY lay 2020 to rest.
As 2020 becomes a distant memory I would like to take this one last time to reflect on the positives and send thanks. I learned a lot over the past 9 months. I learned a lot about myself, my business, and I learned how to gracefully pivot when things such as a worldwide pandemic shut your business down. Even with all the craziness of the past year, Bodyworks grew stronger and continued to grow. Slow and steady has taken myself and my core team to a place that we are truly proud of. It gives me great confidence and hope for our future. Thank you to my wonderful team for stepping up and working through the ups and downs of extraordinary circumstances. Your willingness to face the challenges of working in our profession could only be described as courageous. Thank you for the outpouring of support from the Perdido community, and those who love Bodyworks of Perdido Key, for trusting us to care for you in a safe manner and continue to provide our services during a difficult time. As hard as 2020 was it also had many blessings. We move forward with visions of success. Bodyworks has a lot of exciting upcoming news which we’ll be announcing very soon. I’ll give you a little hint though…a little construction for the togetherness of the experience. My hope for us all in 2021 is to focus on the positives this year and focus on taking care of ourselves, through de-stressing and focusing more on our well-being. Let's all make the decision to relax, rejuvenate, and reconnect with ourselves this New Year. Be Well, Cindy Owner/Founder/LMT  Whew...we made it! What a year it's been. Sometimes it's been hard to see it in the moment, but 2020 has been a huge gift for us at Bodyworks of PK.
I feel like this year I learned more about myself, my business, and how important community support is than ever before in my life. We rolled through some tough changes didn’t we! We have felt so much love and support this year, through the opening and closing (and then reopening) of our doors, and adjusting to a new way of life. But through it all, you folks, our incredible community of clients, friends, neighbors, and supporters, have made this year unforgettable - in the best way! We could never express just how thankful we are in words that will do the feeling justice, but we hope you know that when you're not around, we miss you. And when you come in for a visit, we are quickly reminded of why we do this. It's all for you! We hope 2021 finds you in good health, happy, and with a heart full of love. Happy New Years! Cindy Owner/Founder/LMT |
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