About MJ
Now accepting new massage therapy clients.
My history in the field—
Hi 👋 I’m Monica Jane, but you can call me MJ. I’m a certified massage therapist and health educator since 2002, passionate about the healing arts. 💆🧖🏿♂️🧘 In the field, I am considered a “Tier 1” massage therapist, by sheer virtue of how long I have had skin in the game and how many skills I have picked up along the way.
I started out in this field in the San Francisco Bay Area (Shout out to National Holistic Institute’s “Group 12, Halloween graduates” from Emeryville, CA!). However, I have since resettled in the beautiful foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, on the western slope of South Lake Tahoe.
I’ve worked at wellness centers, corporate massage chains, a Finnish bath house, and on private clients over the years. At each, I engaged in some level of continuing education and/or professional development. These on-the-job experiences have really helped cultivate the mix of modalities I use to restore clients today. Feel free to ask me all about it!
How to book a session—
Currently, I’m working at Urban Baths Folsom and loving it! I’m also developing a mobile operation for my clients, mostly by referral, who prefer holding session space in their home or work space. You can book a session at the bathhouse by visiting:
urbanbathsfolsom.com.
Or, you can contact my mobile business via my contact page on this site.
What I bring to the table—
I know my clients work hard and it takes some level of dedication to cut time out for oneself. So, I like to work with each one individually to find ways to sometimes kickstart and always work to facilitate their healing journey through the hands on use of proven massage techniques, and by incorporating and encouraging health and nutrition education. I hope to write more on these topics in the future too, as my children grow, inherently need me less, and I experience more “time freedom”.
What’s more—
I am also passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion, social and economic justice, not afraid to work with clients affected by sight or hearing impairments, or moderate language barriers.
Additionally, I’m pretty informed on matters of trauma, personally—so you may feel the healing I have done within myself, reflected as a deep sense of empathy and compassion. Rest assured, you are in good hands and a safe space—it’s what I strive to create daily. It’s often what connects me with clients the most and can be a powerful force for good, by allowing them the thought exercises to act on what they need and want in their own lives, for themselves. One of my favorite mottos is, “primum cura te ipsum”—it’s Latin, for: “First, cure thyself.” But the story doesn’t end there! “Deinde cura mundum”: “Next, cure the world.”
Where I’m going with this—
Annndd, I like to talk about it—massage—but session time isn’t usually the best place for it. I get a lot of interesting questions and insights from working with clients and conversing with fellow therapists, so I’m creating a space here too—to explore these inquiries and inspirations and to hopefully, inspire a visit to the Urban Baths Folsom for a massage. Or, inspire a visit to your own local, favorite massage therapist, or bath house. (In the spirit of JFK Jr., may all boats rise with the tide! ⛵️⛴️🚤🛥️🛶🚢 )
My Approach and Philosophy—
I am of the philosophy that massage shouldn’t hurt—even when receiving a deep tissue massage. I find that slowing down, and properly warming skin, muscle, and connective tissue can do wonders for achieving higher magnitude pain relief. Receiving massage therapy also pays dividends for one’s mental wellbeing because it allows an intensive reset within the nervous system from the demands of life. Further, it promotes greater overall relaxation, even post-session, in part by tapping into the body’s best feel good hormones: dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. And with that, we begin.
So come explore with me as we traverse the expanse of an already dynamic industry. You just might learn something new. I know I will! 😉