Everything people ask before the first session

Fascia is the connective-tissue web that wraps everything in the body. When it binds after injury, surgery, or years of stress, it pulls on structures far from where you feel pain. Myofascial release is slow, sustained pressure held on those restrictions until the tissue reorganizes. The sore spot is the clue. The restriction is usually somewhere else. I usually fold in Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique as well, which uses the body's own positioning to let a muscle let go without force, so the fascial work goes deeper and holds better.

Deep tissue works the muscle with pressure and strokes, usually with oil, and it feels great for a few days. Myofascial release uses no oil. Hands sink in and hold, following the tissue as it lets go. It's slower, and the change lasts longer.

Intense in places, never forced. You set the depth the whole time. Most people feel lighter and looser afterward. Some feel a day or so of healing soreness, the kind you get after a good workout, and then the change settles in.

Light, comfortable clothing. Much of the work is done over clothes, without oil or lotion, so anything thin and stretchy is fine. No jeans or heavy fabrics. If you'd like skin access, shorts and a tank or sports bra work well. No compression clothing.

It depends on how long the pattern has been there. Many people feel a clear change in the first session. Long-standing pain usually takes a series, which is what the 3- and 6-session packages are for. The first session is often the biggest rush of relief, because we break through the strongest pattern. After that we get to the deeper layers, the ones that couldn't be reached in session one. That work is more subtle and more precise, and it is where the lasting change comes from. At the end of session one I'll tell you what I think you need, including "nothing more" if that's true.

Book 90 for a first session. The intake and the movement look take real time, and 90 leaves room for the hands-on work to go where the pattern actually lives. 60 minutes is for follow-ups, or one main area once we know what we're working with. If you're unsure, text me what's going on and I'll tell you which.

Yes, in the studio: Swedish, deep tissue, and a hiker's recovery session. Swedish is $150 for 60 minutes and $215 for 90. Deep tissue and hiker's recovery are $175 for 60 and $250 for 90. All with oil, all on the same table. If you're not sure which to book, text me what's going on.

Tipping is never expected. The price is the price, and it already pays for my time and attention. If you want to leave something, it is received with real thanks. If you would rather say thank you another way, a Google review or telling one friend who hurts does more for this practice than any tip could.

No. Sessions are paid directly, online at booking or at the studio. If you have an HSA or FSA, you're welcome to use it if your plan covers massage therapy. Check with them.

All sessions are non-refundable, whatever the reason and whenever you cancel. With 24 hours or more notice you can reschedule, and the new time depends on availability. With less than 24 hours notice the session is charged in full and cannot be moved. That goes for the studio, mobile visits, and packages alike.

The studio is at 6586 State Route 179, Suite B3, in Ranch House Square, Village of Oak Creek. 6586 State Route 179, Suite B3, Sedona, AZ 86351. Ranch House Square is the plaza with Firecreek Coffee, in the Village of Oak Creek, about seven miles south of uptown Sedona on Highway 179. By appointment only.

Park behind Firecreek Coffee and drive all the way to the back of the lot. You'll see a blue chair sitting near the door. That chair is yours: have a seat, and Nicole will come out for you the moment the room is ready.

Yes, and the reviews will tell you plenty of people do. Book early in your trip so you get the benefit for the rest of it. If you'd rather not leave your rental or resort, see mobile massage.

Yes. Nicole brings the table to your home, rental, hotel, or resort anywhere in Sedona. Mobile visits are a two-hour minimum, or 90 minutes each when two therapists come for two people. Travel is a flat $100 per visit anywhere in Sedona or the Village of Oak Creek, no matter how many of us come.

One-on-one sessions on GYROTONIC® equipment, the only studio in Northern Arizona with it, plus neurology-based movement training. It's the follow-through to hands-on work, booked as its own visit on a later day, not tacked onto a bodywork session: the body learns to hold the change. A single session is $120.

Yes, privately. Two or three days built around one person: daily bodywork, movement when the body is ready, and the time between for it to land. There's no booking button. It starts with a text, and you get a quote before you commit. Small groups work too, two to eight people, built around what the group wants.