I put vinyl stickers on my car the other day to get the word out on my new fantastic website.

They turned out well! Thanks, JJ.

If you’re here because you’ve seen me driving around the Buffalo area, make sure to say “Hi!” so I know they’re being seen. And take a look around massagebyjan.com! If you’re here because you’d like a massage, feel free to fill out a form, send me an e-mail or give me a call.

Last Saturday morning, I attended the graduation ceremony at The New York Institute of Massage to see my classmates graduate. As I listened to my professors speak, I remembered my graduation in January and thought about how far I’ve come.

I am no longer in school, as I have been for most of my life, and I’m working, attempting to make my way in Buffalo, NY.. practicing in a beautiful massage room and office, treating new clients. I’m learning more and more as the weeks go by.

It makes me feel good know that I have an effect on peoples’ lives. One of my clients said to me the other day, “If only everyone could make me feel as good as you do, Jan!” That made my week.

My 24th birthday was on the day of their graduation and I received some new decorations for my massage room that evening:

A look in this mirror after a relaxing massage will brighten anyone’s day.

They make for an extra comfortable massage table and a better massage experience. Sheets with low thread counts tend to be less soft, wrinkly, transparent and itchy.

I had a few massages on not-so-good sheets when I was in massage school, so I looked for quality when when I bought my sheet sets. I looked for the softest material with the most pleasing patterns and found some great ones at Linens & Things a few weeks ago.

Today at A.D.I.O., I had a new client who was referred to me by my uncle, who is an ob-gyn. She came up from the Southtowns (a 20-minute drive to my office in Cheektowaga) and was massaged on these:

Soft sheets on a heated massage table: heavenly.

She rescheduled, which is very exciting for me. Getting a new client who wants to come in regularly always a good thing for a massage therapist who is just starting out. I see the pages in my datebook starting to fill up with names and times for massages in the weeks ahead…

Many people have suggested that I take a second job while I’m establishing a clientele. I’ve said that I’d rather not. Why?

So that I may be available to my clients at any time of the day, any day of the week. I think that is one of the most important things to be when you’re first starting out as a massage therapist: available.

So when people ask, “When do you work?” I get to say, “Whenever you want a massage.”

And accessible.”How can I reach you?” Call my cell phone, e-mail me at jan.massage at gmail dot com. Fill out a form right here on this new website if you’d like! I’m 100% dedicated to my work at A.D.I.O. Wellness Center and will be sure to get back to you as soon as I receive your messages.

Today I gave one of my clients a 90-minute massage and I used a lot of deep pressure, as she requested. After the massage, which went really well, I reminded her to drink a lot of water throughout the rest of the day in order to stay hydrated. I learned in school that massage releases “toxins” from muscles and water flushes the body of these
substances. After a deep tissue massage, it’s especially important to remain hydrated and to drink enough water to allow your body to function properly.

Massage therapists recommend clients drink half their body weight in fluid ounces. Since many people find it difficult to drink that much water in a day, we recommend starting out with a extra glass or two and then gradually increasing to the appropriate water intake for your body.

Hydration is extremely important to a person’s health. I was in Rochester a couple of weeks ago, getting a massage from one of my favorite massage therapists, Jen Meigs, at the Mid-town Athletic Club and read an article on hydration from The American Massage Association, which explains why it’s so important to drink the appropriate amount of water every day:

“Water plays an extremely important role in our diet and bodily functions. Many parts of the brain draw much of their energy from water. Water must be taken in to the body in its pure, natural state. Optimally, it is recommended that you drink half your body weight in ounces daily.

Water is vital to energy production in the cells, overall metabolism and eurotransmission. Nerve transmission is heavily dependent upon water. Small waterways or microstreams run along the full length of nerves. These streams float the neurotransmitters along microtubules to the nerve endings. When the body is dehydrated, nerve transmission in compromised and brain function strongly diminished. Chronic nerve pain can simply be the end result of chronic dehydration. Other
chronic pain conditions, including arthritis, can often be reduced significantly after client rehydration.

Another important consideration is that water actually holds the cells of the body together. Water keeps the cell membrane together by forming hydronium ions, which make the water sticky and helps bond the cells. This gives the cells a higher viscosity that helps increase the efficiency of proteins and enzymes.

In a dehydrated cell, the metabolism is greatly impaired. Dehydration has a particularly dramatic effect on sugar metabolism, the immune system and detoxification. Dehydration profoundly effects the movement of lymph through the body and causes the lymph system to clog up and malfunction.

From a cellular point of view, the transmission of nutrients through the cell wall is conducted by water. Many deficiency conditions are often specific dehydration problems. Dehydration is a significant producer of free radicals in the body, and effective hydration removes free radicals fathers than most any other therapy. A fully hydrated body may reduce the need for antioxidant supplements.

Lung dehydration is considered a significant factor in respiratory diseases. Sometimes the most dramatic results can be obtained in asthma and chronic bronchitis with simple rehydration.

Dehydration is a major producer of stress in the body and alters the balance of amino acids. This can allow DNA errors during cell division that can lead to many diseases, such as cancer and other cell mutation problems.”

Very informative!