Rooftop Massage: we challenge you to Find Peace
…If only for an hour
massage.sauna.relax
Rooftop Massage
So, you want to try Acupuncture?
Congratulations on deciding to try Acupuncture!!
Or maybe you haven’t quite decided or made the appointment yet, but people keep
telling you that acupuncture can help with your pain, insomnia, allergies, headaches,
depression and even anxiety. Let’s face it, the thought of someone putting needles all
over your body makes you anxious!
Well, let me tell you why you should try acupuncture anyway.
First off, almost all of us had to get shots as a kid and let’s be honest with ourselves, it hurts!! There is
a reason why kids cry when they get shots…those needles hurt! The needles we
acupuncturists use are not injection needles. Our needles are superfine. You could
easily put 7 acupuncture needles into the tip of an injection needle. Acupuncture
needles are solid not hollow and so do not cut the skin. There is rarely any blood with
acupuncture.
Most people do not want to see the needles, again people do not like needles. No
problem. Most of the time when you get a treatment you are laying down on a massage
table and can’t see the needles unless you look.
Lets talk about what it feels like to get acupuncture.
The truth is there are a lot of possible sensations with acupuncture. The key word here is SENSATIONS. You are
supposed to feel something when you get acupuncture. I’m not talking about a lot of
pain, but sensations.
- You may be waiting for a needle to be put in and we already have three in…so no sensation at all.
- There may be a sensation of pressure as if someone is pushing against your skin but no pain.
- There may be a dull aching feeling.
- You may feel a sharp sensation that is very brief.
- There may be a zinging sensation, like a shock traveling from the point to the extremity, Again this is a brief sensation that passes.
- You may feel a warming or heat at the site of the insertion.
You could feel one of these or any combination of these sensations. Some points are
more sensitive then others, but not every time. The truth is that it really depends on
what is going on with your body. The same point may feel different every time you get
acupuncture…this is because every time you come in you are unique and need a unique
treatment. All of these sensations are ok if they pass quickly. It should be like you open
your mouth to say ‘”Hey, that feels…” and by the time you say feels…the feeling has quieted.
Always keep in mind that if something feels off or hurts, please tell your acupuncturist!
We are trying to help you, and acupuncture is not meant to hurt. Sit with the sensation,
but if it doesn’t quiet then tell your acupuncturist as treatment is a conversation between
your body and the acupuncturist. We want your feedback!
Acupuncture is often really relaxing. Most people fall asleep or drift in and out of sleep
after all the needles are placed. You may feel a floating sensation, bubbles or tingling in
your body, and a sensation of movement through your body is typical. You can expect
to feel deeply relaxed, energized or slightly spacey after treatment.
Every acupuncturist is different, just like with any Doctor, massage therapist, therapist,
etc, it is important to find someone you click with. Don’t try acupuncture once and
decide it isn’t for you if you didn’t click with your provider. Try a few locations and styles.
You will be happy you did!! Good luck and enjoy your visit to happy, floaty, relaxed aculand!
By Pamela Lovall, LAc
Book an appointment today with Pamela at Written on the Body by clicking here
Rooftop Infrared Sauna
Infrared Sauna
Far Infrared sauna: An infrared sauna uses infrared heaters to emit infrared light experienced as radiant heat which is absorbed by the surface of the skin. Traditional saunas heat the body primary by conduction and convection from the heated air and by radiation of the heated surfaces in the sauna room (Wikipedia). An infrared sauna detoxifies, improves circulation, promotes healing and so much more!
Here is a great article on infrared sauna benefits from the wellness hour: click here to read
learn what the Mayo clinic has to about infrared sauna sessions here
Infrared sauna: located on our beautiful rooftop deck!
refresh after your sauna session with a cool shower on our rooftop deck.
Appointments available beginning Mother’s day (Sunday May 11th)!
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$25 per half hour for 1-2 people- $20 when added to a massage or acupuncture appointment
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5 pack for $100 and 10 pack for $200
Mom’s-take 50% during the month of May *promo code “mom”!
Mom admirer’s take 20% off during the month of May *promo code !
Click here to book
*times are limited but we can accommodate some requests, please email or call if you would like to book a sauna session outside of the online hours or in conjunction with a massage or acupuncture appointment.
Structural integration with Bethany Carder, LMT
Welcome Bethany Carder to the team!
Our newest massage therapist Bethany Carder’s signature therapy blends the healing benefits of aromatherapy, structural integration, stretching, and reflexology creating a massage session that eases tension in muscle tissue, while calming the mind and bringing the body back into balance. Her work tends to draw clients focused on work in their upper body, hips and feet. Though she will tailor each session to each individual clients needs.
All About Bethany:
Bethany originally came from central Arkansas and grew up traveling the country with her family and
friends. She attended Nevada School of Massage Therapy in Las Vegas in 2008. Bethany has a passion
for learning and adores sharing the journey of healing with her clients, helping bring awareness
to their bodies and seeing them find ease and comfort through times of great pain is rewarding
beyond words. Her methods include a blend of structural integration with a blend of more gentle
modalities such as craniosacral therapy. These methods allow access to deeper tissue with as
little pain as possible. Bethany prefers working with breathing and aromatherapy techniques to aid in
calming the nervous system to reach a deeper level of relaxation. She is currently studying botany
and has a fascination with the medicinal uses of plants her my practice. In her “free” time, she enjoy’s
playing experimental electronic music with her husband, Abram, hanging out with her cats, doing
yoga and hiking around the beautiful state of Oregon.
Please welcome Bethany to the team and click here book your appointment with her today!
Acupuncture at Written on the Body
We have a new Acupuncturist on the team!
Joy Earl License number: AC164926 schedule Tuesdays 9am-7pm and Thursdays 9am-3pm
Joy offers acupuncture, tuina massage, foot reflexology, cupping, gua sha, aromatherapy and more!
Joy Earl, LAc
All about Joy:
Before earning my Masters Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, my career began as a Tour Manager in the Music Business. I eventually realized I could not sustain the mental, emotional and physical demand for the rest of my life without sacrificing my health in the process. I needed balance and soon discovered the vast benefits of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine. I decided to follow my nurturing quality in taking care of others and learn a new skill that would allow me to help people, as well as myself. Always having an interest in Medicine, I decided to leave Manhattan and move to Portland and dive deep into learning about the benefits of Chinese Medicine and the many modalities it encompasses. Originally from Houston, I have lived in Austin, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City before calling Portland home. I have travelled extensively overseas on tour as well as throughout the US. I have a passion for traveling and it is my hope to share my knowledge of what I have learned in the healing arts with others. I recently volunteered in rural Nepal for two months treating those who had no access to healthcare. My invaluable experience there has allowed me to observe and treat a high volume of patients with a wide variation of conditions. When I am not treating patients, I enjoy running, yoga, painting, writing, piano, exploring the beauty of the Northwest by hiking, camping and backpacking, tango and learning German. I have always believed in pushing ones self to continually attain knowledge and understanding of the world around us, its inhabitants and the possibilities we each possess within. My desire is to help you reach your goals on your journey for balance and health, and to provide you with comfort physically, mentally and emotionally. I look forward to meeting you!
Joy will be offering two specialized services in addition to private acupuncture appointments:
1. mini bliss session: auricular acupuncture, foot reflexology and essential oils
2. active lifestyle session: Tuina with cupping and/or Gua sha
*30 minutes each/$45 each
Sliding scale massage opportunites
Do you need a massage but can’t figure out how to fit it into your budget?
Check out our new sliding scale massage opportunities for an affordable option to get the relief your body and mind are longing for. These opportunities are limited and will be given on a qualified and first come/first served basis so don’t wait, Apply today!
To qualify please use the following worksheet guidelines (you may email us for a copy of the worksheet to download if you prefer at wonthebody@gmail.com): 
once you have determined the category you qualify for you may be offered the following pricing options for sliding scale massage:
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A. $40 per one hour Peace Massage
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B. $45 per one hour Peace Massage
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C. $55 per one hour Peace Massage
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D. $60 per one hour Peace Massage
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E. Full Price
*These sliding scale massage appointments are limited and are given on a first come first serve basis. Please send the completed sliding scale form and supporting income documents to wonthebody@gmail.com. We will notify you within 7 business days if you have been approved and the timeline/therapist available for you to book within. We retain full rights to ask you for updated information and to alter your fee and booking/therapist schedule at any time. If we choose to do so we will notify you via email. Our regular cancellation policy applies to all sliding scale appointments.
If you don’t qualify for our sliding scale massage opportunities we have many other ways to get regular massage on a budget! Check out our VIP Membership starting as low as $55 per month or our Buy 3 get 1 Free Packages Here.
Whichever way you go we hope to see you soon! Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
Spring
How does spring make you feel?
Are you worn down from the long winter or excited by the new life bursting out all around you?
If you are like me you are a mixture of both, Summer is hands down my favorite time of year but spring is a runner up. Number one my birthday is in a few days and being a true Aries it is obviously one of my favorite holidays:) I also love the freshness of spring and it may be the only time of year that I welcome the rain (as long as it goes away when summer comes!). I enjoy watching the landscape change and grow and the feeling of everything waking up from a long sleepy darkness. Whichever way you roll there is no denying that Spring is here and it’s time to celebrate the return of color and energy to our great city! In honor of this lovely season I thought it would be a great time to share some of my favorite quotes and pictures on Spring, renewal and living life to the fullest:
If you haven’t noticed I love Pablo Neruda:)
“To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.”– William Blake (extract from Auguries of Innocence)
“The most important thing is to enjoy your life-to be happy-it’s all that matters.” -Audrey Hepburn
Portland’s waterfront in the Spring-so pretty!
I would love to hear from you! What are your favorite things about the season?
Seasonal allergies and essential oils
Seasonal allergies can really put a damper on the beauty of spring. Runny nose, red eyes, painful sinuses the list goes on and on…
Have you ever wondered if essential oils can aide in allergy relief? Check out this great information to see if this treatment is right for you:
Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint oils can be a great way to fight seasonal allergies! You can use your favorite brand of oils, just make sure they are high quality!
You can also always try out our favorite: Umay’s Take Me to the River blend:
Take Me to the River ~
“Take me to the river and dunk me in the water.” Experience a “Calgon-take-me-away” moment with this synergistic clearing blend of emotionally and physically cleansing essential oils of juniper, ho wood, cedar, lemon, cinnamon, and eucalyptus. Perfect for flu and cold season or whenever you just need to shake off the day.
Whatever you decide about essential oils and seasonal allergies we hope that you find relief and are able to enjoy the loveliness of the trees and flowers in bloom!
Written on the Body is turning 4 years old!
It’s spring and you know what that means: We just turned 4 years old and we are as happy as pigs in a peach orchard! It has been a wild and beautiful ride full of community building, fun having, dream making, abundance and all sorts of sometimes difficult and always incredible changes.
Thinking about the last four years I can only smile and be amazed at the fact that this passion of mine has become something beyond my imaginings, something so great that it has morphed into a living entity.
A true community of the crem de la crem, people who know that they are the kings and queens of their own making, deciding exactly what life and health look like for them. I am always inspired, always feeling loved and renewed by my part in this wonderful place of healing and creativity. Forever learning from the clients, co-workers and neighbors of Written on the Body that fill my days. My wish is that we offer you these same opportunities when you enter the doors of Written on the Body through our honest love for our trades: massage, acupuncture, Feldenkrais, art, plant life, products and so many other creative adventures. My goal has always been and will always be to create a space in this crazy busy life that is just for you: for you to get exactly what you need for peace, wholeness and optimal health in any given moment. Thank you for allowing all of us at Written on the Body to be part of your world and for making us so much better along the way:) Speaking of: Why not take our short 3 question survey and help shape our future!
Join us for our 4 year birthday celebration on April 24th at 6pm! Get the deets by joining our Facebook event or just keep an eye on your email. Hope to see you there:)
Now for the fun part-A little stroll down memory lane:
We opened in March of 2010 at a smaller location on 29th and Alberta
You may remember our first location if you have been with us for a while!
We even had outdoor massage on our patio at our old location-obviously we love massage out doors:)
We also love Last Thursday (2011) and Katie’s plants of course
In May of 2012 we moved to our new location on NE 13th and Alberta Streets!
We had an incredible time at the Alberta Street Fair offering free massage to our community in these last two years at our new location:)
we made a lot of fun changes over the past two years including updating our interior, rooftop beautification and we even tried on a SAD Light Therapy Bar!:
And a new logo and website!
All said and done, life has been great to us and every person who has walked through our doors therapist and client alike, have contributed to the growth and loveliness of Written on the Body! Cheers to many more years to come:)
Thank you for your support and have a wonderful day! P.S. if you have any great pics, stories or anecdotes about your visits with us we would be so happy to hear from you! Share in the comments below:)
Avoid daylight savings induced zombification
Saturday night I had the pleasure of hosting an incredibly fun 16 year old’s birthday party that included a super cool game called “essence” where one person internally chooses another person in the room and everyone else has to ask questions about the mystery persons essence to find out who it is ie. “If this person were a flower what type of flower would they be?”. After several rounds of essence, snacks, two delicious types of cake and much fun and laughter we had a fabulous time beating the crap out of a homemade piñata!
How is it that teen parties can be so much more fun than many adult birthday parties?
This party would have normally ended at the reasonable hour of midnight but of course with daylight savings robbing us of our precious hour we were still cleaning up around 1am. Needless to say I was shocked when I finally met the pillow a little after two and didn’t wake up until almost noon the next day! I never sleep that late! I don’t know about you but the week after we spring forward is one of the most difficult weeks of the year for me. I tend to spend the week in various stages of sleep deprived zombification, so if you interact with me this week please know that my brain is only half alive.
With that said my intention was to write a few tips and tricks on how to survive the insanity of regaining our evening sunlight, however, someone beat me to it. Massage Book wrote an excellent blog post with great tips on a few ways you can avoid becoming one of The Walking Dead. Instead of re-writing what has already been done very well I thought I would share:
Don’t let Daylight Savings take away your sleep!
-excerpt of blog post by Massage Book original post 3/5/14
Nap the right way
Taking a nap during the day can be great for productivity and fabulous for health, but you’ve got to do it right. Aim to nap for 20 to 25 minutes; any longer than that and you’ll feel groggy when you wake up and you risk not being able to fall asleep when it’s bedtime. (If you really want to get good at power naps, there’s a whole kit to help you get it right.)
Be mindful of the temperature.
Take a warm (not hot) shower or bath about an hour before bedtime, and keep your room cool at night. The drop in body temperature signals your body to calm so you’ll fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply.
Turn off the electronics.
OK, so you’ve heard this one. But it’s the most important and the least followed piece of advice.
Get an old-fashioned alarm clock, so you don’t need to use your phone. Turn your phone, iPad, Kindle, or whatever you’ve got off, and put the devices in another room. Yes, a completely different room.
You may think a phone on silent, hanging out on your nightstand, won’t disturb your rest, but it will. Just knowing it’s there puts your body on alert. It’s far too tempting to reach over and “just check a few emails” if you do wake up in the middle of the night. Save yourself. Break this habit.
Get a massage
Yup. Massage can help with sleep issues. There have been several studies demonstrating the efficacy of massage in people with sleep problems, especially when treating secondary issues that may impair sleep, like back pain, pregnancy and migraines.
For more tips check out Massage Book’s full original article here: http://blog.2book.com/2014/03/dont-let-daylight-savings-take-away-your-sleep/
It’s time to get some sleep