Nervous about trying massage, or not sure what to do when you're on the table?  I found this article in Massage & Bodywork by Laurie Chance Smith, which has some helpful hints for your massage session.  Click the link to take a look - 
Massage Etiquette

Although I have some nice things for Mother's Day gifts (like all natural soy candles, relaxing music cd's, etc), what many Moms love best is time with their daughters.  All grown up and very busy, we sometimes spend too much time away from Mom.  Once great way to spend a relaxing day together is a spa day in the same room.  My ever-popular Shared Moments Package features side-by-side tables, a selection of herbal teas, sparkling cider, fine chocolates and organic fruit. You'll each receive a Warm Stone Back Massage, Seasonal Organic Facial, and Organic Sugar Foot Scrub.  You'll be spending 3 hours together with me, while enjoying your treatments, relaxation time, and refreshments.  Its a time to share, talk, laugh, relax and reconnect.  Join me in celebrating Mom.
(Note: you can opt for individual treatments instead of the package, too, ie., facials for 2, massage for 2, etc.)

Wedding season is here again, and I've pulled out all the stops when it comes to beauty treatments ensuring picture-perfect skin for brides, their Moms, and the bridal party.  

Star Power Facial - An organic "red carpet" style microcurrent facial that provides a visible lift and glow for when you need to look your best.  This non-invasive treatment includes Organic Flower Grain Microdermabrasion and LED Light Therapy to clear pores, smooth texture, and firm skin, plus Micro-Current sculpting for a more defined jawline and cheekbones, bright, open eyes, and visible lift and glow to skin.  

Full Body Skincare - Does your gown expose your neck, decollete, arms or back?  For velvety smooth, even toned skin, consider;

• Arm Smooth & Tone - for the bumps on the back of your arms, provides smooth arms and hands.  
  
• Elbow Treatment - lighten elbows that appear darker than the rest of the arms.  Can also be done for knees or underarms.
• Sleek Back Exfoliation - smooths the back's texture and evens tone.  Add on to any massage or facial.
  
• Purifying Back Facial - for back acne and bumps on the back of arms.  One hour of intense pore cleansing.
  
• Tattoo Brightener - dead skin over your tattoo can make it look drab.  Add this on to any facial or massage, and I'll brighten it up without disturbing the artwork.
• Neck & Decollete Treatment - a scrub and hydrating treatment for the area that tends to age fast.  Add on to any facial.
  
• Organic Sugar Body Scrub & Hydration Treatment - great prep for a tan, allowing for even coverage.  Smooth skin allover for the honeymoon.  a stand alone treatment, or combine with any other treatment.

Natural Looking Makeup - The trend is to let your natural beauty shine.  I carry  a line of organic tinted moisturizers, mineral foundations, mineral illuminators (for blush, highlighting and contouring), and organic sheer lip glosses.  Just ask for a complementary application at your next appointment.  

Bridal Beauty Special for 2013 - Its always a great pleasure for me to help women get ready for their wedding, so I'm offering this special package.  Book the Star Power Facial and receive a Sleek Back Exfoliation plus the Arm Smooth & Tone Treatment as my gift.  Call 917. 596. 9535 or email to book your appointment.

Its not always easy to get a good night's sleep when you're in your second and third trimester.  Here's a few easy tips that I use to position women during prenatal massage that will help you feel more comfortable in bed;
1.  Support your head and neck - Use 1 or 2 pillows under your head.  The side of your head should be parallel to the bed with your neck straight, not bent toward the bed or away from the bed.  Move the pillow(s) into a position where they support the neck.
2.  Support the belly - in later stages of pregnancy, its helpful to have a folded towel under your belly to prevent it from pulling your lower back and hip.
3.  Proper knee and foot placement - Although we're all familiar with putting a pillow between the knees, this is usually not enough.  You will need 2 - 3 pillows, depending on the loft and firmness, and how wide your hips are currently (they get bigger for most women as the weeks go on).  You want enough pillows to bring the knee and foot even with the height of the hip.  Any less pulls on the hip and lower back; failing to support the whole foot can cause lower leg and foot cramps.

Many of my prenatal massage clients fall asleep while on my table in this position, so give it a try!  You'll sleep better tonight.

Spring prompts us to clean.  Its almost like we're biological wired so that when the first nice days appear, we have the urge to make everything clean.  Remember to clean your makeup drawer!

1.  Natural cleaners - If you have a preference for natural cleaners, try mixing rosemary, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus and lemon essential oils, mix them with a little epsom salts, and put in a spray bottle with distilled water.  Colloidal silver is also an old remedy for killing bacteria.
2.  Thoroughly clean - Empty your makeup drawer, wipe it down with your choice of cleaner.  Don't replace the makeup yet, though.  See Step 3.
3.  Throw out old makeup - Old makeup is a breeding ground for bacteria. This is because you touch the makeup when you apply it, whether its with your fingers or directly to skin or eyes.  Throw out any makeup following these guidelines;
*liquid foundation - older than 1 year
*powered items (foundation, eyeshadow, blush) - older than 2 years
*liquid eyeliner and mascara -  older than 6 months.  
*lipstick or gloss - older than 1 year
4.  Clean accessories - Clean out loose shavings and disinfect your pencil sharpener, dry the sharpener, then sharpen all the makeup pencils for a clean new edge.  shine mirrors with some white vinegar mixed with water.  Put any metal tools like tweezers into the dishwasher.  Throw out old sponges.  Get replacement foam applicators for eyeshadows, or better yet, clean your make up brushes (see below) and use these instead of foam.
5.  How to clean your makeup brushes -  This should be done frequently for those of you with acne, but for spring cleaning purposes, start now.  Wet the brushes with warm water.  Put a little antibacterial soap in your palm and work the brush into it, working up a good lather.  You'll see colors coming out.  Rinse well and repeat until there are is no more color coming out.  Blot dry and lay flat to dry on a clean towel.

Looking for a new look - let me know when you schedule and I'll give you a beautiful free makeover with some healthier cosmetics!  Book you appointment by phone (917. 596. 9535) or online by clicking here.

What is the best time of day for your massage?  It depends on what you hope to accomplish.  Some massage aficionados prefer morning appointments that energize them, help them think clearly, or ease pain, helping them be their best for demanding jobs and other responsibilities. Others discover an evening massage dissolves the day's stress or helps them to sleep more soundly.

Your massage can be performed in a way that suits your needs.  Different massage techniques, temperatures and aromatherapy scents make this possible.  Ask for more vigorous types of massage, energizing acupressure points, cool stones or uplifting aromatherapy when you're looking to begin your day feeling your best.  In the evening, slow strokes, meditative aromatherapy and warmth (stones, hot blankets, etc) are best.  

I offer a wide variety of times to accommodate your preferences, starting as early as 7am on weekdays; evening appointments are also available.  Click here to book your massage online, or call 917. 596. 9535 for your customized massage.

Many of my clients suffer from sinus pain, which is caused by viruses, or allergies to dust, dander, mold, household and cosmetic chemicals.  Further aggravation is at this time of year when we are indoors and the air is dry from how we heat our homes.  While you do what you can to avoid these triggers, a few key acupressure points, along with some other helpful tips, can ease the pain when it occurs.

Acupressure Points for Sinus Pain
Apply firm pressure and hold each for 3 - 4 minutes with fingers at a 90 degree angle in relation to the face or head;
1. each side of the nostrils 
2.  the indentation at the inner eye next to where the bridge of the nose meets the eyebrows. 
3.  the area below the center of the nose above the lip
4.  Apply firm pressure at the center of the back of the head in the large hollow right under the base of the skull. 

Other helpful tips
1.  Use an ice pack (or make one wrapping an ice cube in a damp washcloth) and apply to painful areas and the acupressure points listed above.
2.  Try a neti pot, sold in drug stores or online.  It irrigates the tissues.
3.  Drink adequate water throughout your day.  Generally, I aim for half my body weight in ounces.
4.  Steam - boil water in a pot, turn off the flame, add some rosemary leaves or a few drops of organic eucalyptus or tea tree essential oil.  Then put a towel over your head, and put your face over the pot to breathe in the steam for several minutes.  Do not get too close to the water, as you want to avoid burns or feeling suffocated.
5.  Essential oil inhalations - besides the steam method listed above, I always found it helpful to set up a crock pot in a place I spend a few hours, adding a few drops of the organic essential oils (eucalyptus, tea tree, or rosemary).  It works best in a smaller room.  Mine is in my bedroom or office.   The essential oil permeates the air, allowing you to breathe it in and receive the benefits over several hours, helping the sinus passages clear.
6.  See your doctor for pain that lasts more than 5 days and/or you have green or yellow thick mucus, as this may be a sign of infection.

Clients enjoy the Sinus Relief Massage that I offer because it features techniques that soothe sinus pain, and it feels great.  This massage can be done as part of your full body massage, or the whole hour can be spent on the face, neck and head, or as a 15 minute add-on to any massage or facial.  Appointments can be booked online by clicking here or by calling me at 917. 596. 9535.

Properly shaped and shaded brows can enhance your features, providing a lifted look to your face.  All too often, women come to me concerned that their brows are too thin.  Causes of this include over- plucking/waxing/threading; thinning as we age; or medical conditions such as hypothyroidism or alopecia.  Here are some helpful tips;

Let it grow - The first step is to allow the brows to grow in where possible.  Remove excess hair only once every 2 weeks to allow hairs to fill in the spaces within and under the brow you have.  Never remove hair above the brow - your plucking should be in between brows and on the brow bone.
Encourage growth - Exfoliation and massage help with regrowth.  While you exfoliate your face, remember to also exfoliate the skin under brows.  Rinse well, then massage with organic castor oil.  Be gentle, as tugging at the hair will not be helpful.
Aim for the proper shape - see the photo above for guidelines.  Use a pencil or other straight edge, lined up with the lower corner of your nose as your guide.
Choose the correct brow pencil/powder color - Use one shade lighter than your hair color, unless you're blonde.  Blondes do well with one shade darker.
Fill in where the hair is too sparse - Use a soft eyebrow pencil, or an eyebrow brush with a brow powder.  Use light, feathery strokes in the direction of the outside corner of the eye.  Adeline Chung-Feder, stylist and makeup artist at Bodhi Salon in Brooklyn, showed me a great trick using a brown water-proof mascara on the top part of the sparse brow to color fine hairs, while using the pencil on the lower portion of the brow.

With a little patience and some new skills, your brows will be gorgeous in no time.  If you need help, I'm always here for you, so contact me at 917. 596. 9535 or info@calm-massage.com  I can help you with the shape, coloring, or careful hair removal with French hard wax or organic sugar.

Delivering a baby is no easy feat, and may have left you feeling exhausted, sore, or emotionally stressed. 

You'll need to recover your energy, relieve muscle soreness and strain from the birthing process, and manage stress.  Post-partum massage, performed by a licensed massage therapist trained in this specialty, contributes to efficient recovery, including structural and abdominal restoration, healing from Cesarean birth, and relief of muscle strain from labor and childcare activities.  

I've designed the Post-Natal Re-Alignment Massage to address the common complaints of the new Mom.  This massage uses any combination of warm stones, gentle Swedish, deep tissue and/or reflexology to reduce muscle strain, correct postural imbalances, relieve constipation and hemorrhoids or bladder disorders, enhance lymphatic drainage for efficient removal of excess fluids and wastes, relieve stress, and generally get reacquainted with your pre-pregnancy body.  If you're medically cleared, I can also work on softening Cesarean scars.

If you've had a Cesarean birth or maternal complications, you can have still have post-natal massage with your doctor or midwife's approval, and only with someone trained to handle this situation.  However, there can be no massage of the legs or abdominal area until you're medically cleared, usually 6 weeks post-partum.  

The Post-Natal Re-Alignment Massage can be done in the normal massage position, with specially-designed bolsters for nursing mothers lying face down, or using the prenatal side-lying position for those with newer Cesarean scars or other discomfort lying face down.  The massage is longer (75 minutes) which accommodates the need to address the pervasive soreness, areas of specific concern (scars, pain, constipation, etc) as well as the nurturing you need and deserve.  

You are certainly welcome to bring your baby with you to the Calm Studio, but I encourage you to leave your child with a sitter so that you can have the uninterrupted care you need to be your best when you return home.  If you decide to bring your baby, just contact me at 917-596-9535 or info@calm-massage.com so I can have the appropriate items ready for the baby's comfort.

For some of you, this has not been a joyous time for any number of reasons.  You may be dealing with stillbirth, adoption, or other loss; depression, guilt or other confusing emotions.  When making your appointment, please let me know, so I may provide you with the support you require.  No matter what, your situation is always held in confidence, and I am here for you.

Have you properly prepared for your new tattoo?  You've come up with the perfect tattoo design, the best placement, and found a talented tattoo artist to create your dream body art. But is your skin ready?

Before you invest in a tattoo, your skin should be in the most healthful state possible.  Tattoos adhere best to clean, smooth, hydrated skin.  Here are some skincare tips to get your skin properly prepared for the big day;

1.  A few weeks before your tattoo is applied, use an organic or all-natural scrub weekly to remove dead skin cells.  
2.  Every day before the application of the tattoo, apply an organic or all-natural body lotion to damp skin.  This seals in water which is skin's true hydrator.
3.  Drink enough water.  Dehydrated skin is difficult to work on, so drink half of your body weight in ounces each day.  Stay away from alcohol and coffee during this time, and do not drink alcohol to kill the pain on the day of your tattoo.

For those with dehydrated or neglected skin or plans to put a tattoo in a hard to reach place, consider my Body Art Prep add-on service, which includes a deep cleansing, organic scrub and enzyme peel, ultrasonic treatment to remove dead skin cells thoroughly, followed by a hydrating and brightening masque and moisturizer with spf.  Schedule by calling 917. 596. 9535 or email me at info@calm-massage.com