F.A.Q

Contact Amy Matthias at [email protected] or [email protected] or text or call 206-939-3024.

Please include a request for specific location & I will do my best to accommodate.  

Masks are not currently required for any services offered.

Per Washington State Secretary of State & Department of Health, massage is considered Healthcare & masks are currently optional in all Healthcare settings.

I respect your choice to wear a mask & can also mask for your comfort.

I will continue to monitor & abide by all current health & safety mandates.

I follow Public health standards & use a medical grade cleaner & disinfectant.

I thoroughly clean & disinfect all equipment after each client.

I abide by Washington state Licensed Massage Therapist protocol & professional hygiene standards.

Masking requirements:
Masks are currently not required for services. Per Washington state Secretary of State & Department of Health, Massage is considered Healthcare & masks are currently optional in Healthcare settings. I will continue to monitor & follow current protocol.

I partner with Pain Science Physical Therapy in Burien plus operate from 2 comfortable home based locations in Burien & on Vashon to offer massage, Pilates, personalized training, & combination therapies.  

Please note that appointments booked online will be at
Pain Science Physical Therapy in Burien:
15511 3rd Ave SW
Burien, WA 98166

Please contact me directly via email or phone to schedule additional appointments. I have some location flexibility to help meet your specific needs.

Pain Science Physical Therapy in Burien

• I am excited to partner with a collaborative team to offer stretch and motion plus therapeutic and relaxation massage therapy, Pilates, and personalized training that can compliment your physical therapy experience.  Open to clients of Pain Science and all others as a separate therapy or to continue your treatment, progression, and maintenance before, during, or after being released from physical therapy. 

Burien

• In Burien, I have an in home studio equipped with a Balanced Body Pilates Reformer & 2 Balanced Body Pilates Wall Tower Systems, in addition to a variety of equipment including weights, bands, balls, etc. for Pilates and personalized training, & a traditional Thai futon & massage table for stretch, movement, & massage therapy services.  

Vashon

• In a separate home studio on the north end of quiet & serene Vashon Island just a short ferry ride away from the hustle & bustle of city life, I offer personalized training, Pilates, stretch, & massage therapy services.

In Home or On Location

• I also offer in home & on location personalized training, massage, & small group services starting at an additional $25 travel fee added onto your choice of services. Please inquire for additional details.

I accept cash, check, & mobile credit card payments via Venmo, PayPal, Clover and Vagaro.  All fees include tax.  A 3% service fee is added for mobile payments.

I am committed to you, our time together, understand that life happens, but ask that you provide at least 24 hours notice for fee free appointment cancellations.  Appointments with less than 24 hours notice will be charged the full fee.

I do not currently accept insurance payments.  

I can provide a receipt of services for you to submit to your insurance company.  I cannot guarantee insurance reimbursement.  

I use high quality oils & oil blends as well as all natural lotions from local Olive Branch Natural Body Care, by Joan Johnson.  

Please let me know of any allergies &/or sensitivities to products. I am happy to accommodate.

About Olive Branch Natural Body Care:
Our finely hand-crafted natural skin care is proven to restore youthful skin - gently and effectively. Formulated with potent, non-irritating botanical active ingredients such as: collagen, peptides, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, retinol alternatives, AHA's, BHA's and more. Anti-Aging, Sensitive, Blemished, Red and Flushed, Eczema and Psoriasis. Made in small batches to retain freshness.

For more information or to order Olive Branch Natural Body Care products please visit:
https://www.olivebranchbodycare.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Body-Care

Pilates is considered a mind/ body exercise which is focused around the "powerhouse" or the "core" & moving from the center outward.  


The Basic Principles of Pilates include:

• Control 
• Breathwork  
• Flowing movement 
• Precision 
• Centering 
• Stability 
• Range of motion 
• Opposition 
• Body awareness

Background:
The founder of the method, Joseph Pilates, was a visionary who suffered from his own ailments & frailties. With a dad who was a gymnast & a mom who was a naturopath, he developed a series of principles & exercises that enabled him to develop core strength, body alignment, control, & precision for all he wanted to accomplish in life.

Originally called "Contrology", Pilates has been around since the early 20th century. Joseph used Pilates during WWI as a form of hospital bed rehab, with ceiling springs & creative contraptions that looked like medieval torture devices but eventually evolved into the Pilates equipment we know of today. Pilates has been & continues to be used as a mind body method & training rehab for dancers, athletes, the younger & older, & everyone in between.

My Philosophy:
Many variation of Pilates exists & much like Mr. Pilates himself, I often tap into my inner Joseph & offer a blending of styles meant to work for any individual & able to be adjusted for any given state of wellbeing.

I embrace the thought that there is no one 'right' method of movement, but rather a personal blending for your own body, one that is that is fluid & everchanging, such that we are constantly adjusting the components, adding variations, slightly modifying.

I often view Pilates as a form of moving meditation, a grounding, a re-centering.  It can be invigorating from the inner peace, control, & power felt from within, to the outwardly expressed function, strength, balance, alignment & posture .  It can challenge & improve your strength & flexibility.  It can add joy & fluidity to your movements.  It can be used alone or in conjunction with other bodywork methods.  The beauty of the work stems from within ourselves, deep within our core, our physical, mental, functional overall wellbeing.

Personalized training can assist in meeting your individual wellness goals based on your specific body needs.  

Personalized for you!
Training can be consistent & ongoing to keep you motivated, accountable, progressing & maintaining strength & functions, one time to develop a take home program that can be done on your own, or occasional to provide you with a program refresh, modifications, & variations to keep you progressing toward your goals.

Offerings include one on one private, individualized training sessions which focus solely on you, plus sessions for 2 or 3 people which allow for group motivation while still catering to individual needs. I offer specific body cues, variations, & feedback based on independent & small group goals.

Equipment & Exercise Variations
Equipment & exercises can entail weights, bands, Pilates Reformer & Tower based spring load resistances, stability & mini balls, BOSU, TRX, plus body resistance & a variety of positions, plus dance, martial arts, water, walking, running, & more. I incorporate breathwork, Pilates based core strength, balance, proprioception, & awareness into all we do.

How I differ
I also have the unique ability to incorporate assisted stretching & massage techniques based on your needs & interests.

Massage is an increasingly integral therapeutic component of holistic body healing that has been around since ancient times, has evolved over the years, & integrates many of our body systems.  

Benefits are many, some of which include:

• Reduces stress & increases relaxation
• Reduces pain, muscle soreness & tension
• Improves circulation, energy, & alertness
• Lowers heart rate & blood pressure
• Improves immune function

Techniques are many with some I like to incorporate described below:

• Therapeutic massage uses various techniques to treat soft tissue & musculoskeletal tension, injuries, or conditions in order to decrease pain, improve mobility, promote blood flow & healing while reducing stress & inducing relaxation.
• Sports massage is tailored to help prevent or treat injuries & is often performed clothed, pre, post, & in conjunction with events & training.
• Swedish massage can be a more gentle form that utilizes longer strokes, kneading, circular, vibration &/or tapotement to elicit energy & relaxation.
• Thai massage is often performed on a traditional Thai massage futon with the therapist utilizing their hands, feet, elbows, knees, & full body. It incorporates more movement, rocking, pushing (distraction), pulling (traction), & guided stretching, to promote flexibility, energy lines, and blood flow.
• Deep tissue is often slower, more direct & forceful & meant to target the deeper layers of muscle, connective, & scar tissues, treat musculoskeletal issues & chronic aches & pains.
• Pressure & trigger point massage focuses directly on those tight spots & binds that can form in your soft & muscle tissues that may be limiting factors to your movement & function.
• Myofascial Release is often performed with no oils or lubricants & can affect superficial & deep layers of fascia. Fascia exists in superficial (underneath the skin),deep (in & around individual muscle components) & visceral (organ) layers, wraps, intermixes, intertwines within your entire body, has direct & indirect lines, is highly sensory, has great mechanical strength/tensile force, can be become too loose, too stiff, loose its functioning ability & like a pinch in plastic wrap, cause far reaching effects but can be manipulated to regain functioning ability over time.
• Strain/Counterstrain techniques involve passive, sustained (often 90 second intervals) body positioning to treat tender points, muscle pain, spasms, joint pain & dysfunctions on a neuromuscular level.
• Self massage is an amazing tool that you can perform on yourself between sessions to aid in blood flow, circulation, stimulation, & healing.  I teach simple, doable techniques that enable you to reduce muscular tensions & elicit relaxation.   

We all know stretching is beneficial but why?

Stretching can:

• Increase blood flow & circulation to joints, muscles, & connective tissue
• Improve & restore flexibility, pain free joint range of motion, & mobility
• Illicit both an internal & external energy & relaxation response

Body Balance
There is a unique balance of mobility & stability that must exist within our bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, myofascial, & soft tissues for proper function. There are individuals all over the spectrum, those who are naturally both hypermobile (sometimes too much mobility) & hypomobile (sometimes too little mobility), & in different areas based on activity, lifestyle, & body structures. I work with you to discover a comfortable joint & body balance for you.

Physiological Responses
Stretching can cause microtrauma to muscles & connective tissues as a natural change in tissue structure & function response or as an accidental too far too fast response. This can cause temporary soreness, (similar to building strength and breaking down muscle tissue to build it back up) - which massage & hydrotherapy applications can naturally speed up your recovery from.

There are different physiological & protective responses that also happen within our bodies such as the stretch reflex (elicits a muscle reflex contraction & inhibits a stretch), golgi tendon organ stimulation (elicits a muscle relaxation, a giving out, & allows a stretch), & reciprocal inhibition (contracting the opposing muscle to inhibit contraction & allow a stretch to the focused muscle) that different stretch therapies & techniques can work neurologically, hand in hand with.

Stretching Methods
Depending on your goals, some methods & combinations I work with include:

• Static      
• Active      
• Passive
• Dynamic      
• Assisted
• Thai-based 
• PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation)      
• MET (Muscle energy techniques)      
• Pandiculation (natural yawn & stretch /contract & stretch)

Somatic awareness is drawing attention to & acknowledging the often physical sensations felt within your body.  We use it as a way to the connect the mind, body, spirit; the biopsychosocial physical aspects of your wellbeing.  It helps create a better understanding of your body, your pain sensations, trauma, increases proprioception (where your body is at in space) & self-awareness to promote natural healing.

I incorporate somatic awareness through breathwork, body scans, posture consciousness, subtle movements, stretches, Pilates, touch, pressure point, & massage therapy plus attention to structural integration.

Structural integration includes expanding & combining the area specific work to help with overall movement patterning, efficiency, grace, fluidity, & function. We use it to take the subtle movements, manual therapy techniques, & somatic awareness to the next level to allow for more efficient & less stressful larger combinations of movement patterns as seen in Yoga, dance, as well as in general activities of daily living, walking, gardening, household & work chores, overall daily function.

In our work, it is also recognizing the interconnectedness of our myofascially complex bodies & that a specific area of pain or discomfort might be secondary & far reaching from the actual cause. I view & work with your body as a coordinated, connected, & functioning whole.

I focus on you as a whole person & work within your doctor & physical therapist prescribed & overall wellness goals to help increase, maintain, & manage functions.

I realize different things (movements, therapies, & modalities) work at different times (ages, stages of health & life) for different people (each a unique individual) & that there is no one methodology that is all encompassing.

I have the unique ability to intermix massage/ manual therapy in conjunction with movement, Pilates, & stretch sessions, as an addition after, or as a separate therapy.

Passive massage & stretch therapies are of course amazing, stimulating, relaxing, & greatly beneficial but as humans we are meant to move, & adding motion can help restore, reset, improve & reinforce neuromuscular (nerve & muscle) body patterning (brain & body connection) which is important in daily life.

I tailor movement methods & active & passive stretch & massage therapies to your specific body, muscle & soft tissue structures, pain free joint range of motions, to help improve your overall functioning capacities & wellbeing.

Additionally, components & combinations of movement, stretch, & massage can often help enhance neuromuscular ability, strength, flexibility, & function, reduce stress, pain, muscle soreness, & tension, lower heart rate & blood pressure, improve circulation, immune function, energy, alertness, & illicit relaxation & overall wellbeing.

I work with you to enhance what you already have in a way that is comfortable to you!

• Enhance: "Intensify, increase, or further improve the quality, value, or extent of."
• Wellbeing: "The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy."

Whether seeking movement, relaxation, or a combination of therapies, I cater to your individual body needs on any given day.

I specialize in:

• Reformer & Tower based Pilates
• Personalized Training Programs
• Stretch & Motion Massage Therapy
• Therapeutic & Relaxation Massage Therapy (comfortably clothed)
• Seated Massage Therapy (fully clothed)

*I can provide Individualized combinations of any of the above therapies for individuals or small groups.

Whether you want to feel good, work hard, enjoy physical & mental stimulation, perform life functions with more ease, be more in tune with your body & mind, heal more naturally & effectively, I am here to help Enhance Your Wellbeing!

Here are some of my favorite nonfiction & fiction books.  Some are deep & intense, some contain laugh out loud wry humor, & all I have drawn energy, information, hope, & ideas from, have read in completion several times, refer to when needed, or have started reading with the intent of going back to.  Thanks to all who have added to my own overall wellbeing!  Enjoy!

"Born to Walk: Myofascial Efficiency and the Body in Movement" By James Earls

"Anatomy Trains, Myofascial Meridians for Manual Therapists and Movement Professionals" By Thomas Myers

"Fascial Release for Structural Balance" By Thomas Myers and James Earls 

"Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain" By Dr David Hanscom

"Change Your Body, Change The World: Reflections on Health and the Human Predicament" By Frank Forencich

"Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress Related Diseases, and Coping" By Robert M. Sapolsky

"The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma" By Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D

"Ayurveda: Idiot's Guide" By Sahara Rose Ketabi

"Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End" By Atul Gawande

"Somatics: Reawakening the Mind's Control of Movement, Flexibility, and Health" By Thomas Hanna

"The Pain Relief Secret: How to Retrain Your Nervous System, Heal Your Body, and Overcome Chronic Pain" By Sarah Warren

"The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and organizing" By Marie Kondo

"Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus: The Classical Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex" By John Gray, PH.D.

"Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Roadmaps"  By Allen and Barbara Pease

"Dementia With Dignity: Living With Alzheimer's Or Dementia Using the DAWN Method" By Judy Cornish

"Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting" By Lisa Genova

"Still Alice" By Lisa Genova

"The Cure For Modern Life" By Lisa Tucker

"Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things" By Jenny Lawson

"Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)" By Jenny Lawson