Oncology Massage
in Santa Rosa.
What is offered is gentle, adapted bodywork, with your care team deciding whether massage suits you right now.
A gentle, nurturing style developed specifically for current and former cancer patients, whose unique needs must be addressed for massage to be safe and beneficial. Each person has a different story and different needs around treatment and after-effects; the session is built carefully around what gives that client the best possible experience.
What adapted massage means
What is offered is gentle, adapted work, planned around what your care team advises. The Society for Oncology Massage describes oncology massage as an approach to care involving "thorough assessment and adjustments made by the therapist to standard techniques." The adjustments that description typically covers are lighter pressure than a general massage, positioning adapted to the person, and staying clear of areas that treatment has made vulnerable.
People commonly come in for comfort. The Society for Oncology Massage lists improving quality of life, reducing anxiety, helping with the management of pain, improving sleep quality and reducing fatigue among the benefits it attributes to this work. Memorial Sloan Kettering describes massage as helping reduce muscle soreness, stiffness and spasms while promoting relaxation. Many people book for something simpler, which is time spent being touched in a way that does not hurt.
The research deserves a straight account. NCCIH, part of the National Institutes of Health, found the quality of the evidence on massage for cancer symptoms very low and the findings inconsistent, and says the evidence that it can relieve pain and anxiety is not strong. NCCIH also states that no complementary health approach has been shown to prevent or cure cancer, and advises against using unproven practices to replace or delay medical treatment. This work sits alongside your medical care and replaces no part of it.
What a session is like
It starts with questions. The American Massage Therapy Association describes the usual intake as covering medical history, lifestyle, stress levels, medications and areas of physical pain. The therapist then leaves the room while you undress to your comfort level, and you lie under a sheet that covers everything except the part being worked.
Pressure starts light and stays light unless you ask for more. If lying face down is uncomfortable, the position is adapted, so you might rest on your side with cushions, or stay propped up. I adjust pressure as we go.
Some areas are left alone. Memorial Sloan Kettering lists sites of tumor involvement, recent radiotherapy and surgery, and implanted devices such as an infusion pump among the places massage should avoid. Whether a particular site is ready to be worked near is a question for your care team rather than one to settle on the table. You can also ask to stop early or change position partway through.
Who commonly books this
- People in active treatment whose oncology team has said gentle massage is fine
- People months or years past treatment, still carrying scar tissue, stiffness or guarding
- Anyone who finds ordinary massage pressure too much at the moment
- People who want an appointment that is about comfort
- People who would rather say what is going on and have the session planned around it
Session lengths and rates
| Duration | Investment |
|---|---|
| 70 min | $165 |
| 90 min | $195 |
Packages are prepaid and shared across every massage style, so each session can be whatever your body needs that day. Three sessions save 15%, six save 20%, and twelve save 25%. Payment is settled in person, and cash payments earn 8% off.
Prenatal and oncology bookings should include a brief note at scheduling so the protocols and positioning can be adapted appropriately.
What to mention at booking
Ask your oncology team first. NCCIH advises consulting your health care provider before adding any complementary health product or practice to your treatment program, and Memorial Sloan Kettering gives the same advice. Then mention at scheduling where you are in treatment, any surgeries and roughly when, whether you have a port or another implanted device, where you have had radiation, and whether lymph nodes were removed. I ask about oncology bookings for exactly this reason.
If you have lymphedema or have been told you are at risk of it, manual lymphatic drainage is a separate specialty: the National Cancer Institute describes it as part of complete decongestive therapy, managed by a certified lymphedema therapist through your care team.
Common questions
Is it safe to have a massage during chemotherapy?
What certification do you hold?
Can I have a massage if I have a port or a recent surgical scar?
I finished treatment years ago. Do I still need to say something?
Where the sessions happen
The boutique is at 3914 Princeton Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95405, and every session is by appointment. Booking times vary week to week. The open times shown when you book are the current ones. To ask a question before you book, call (707) 596-3117.
Other ways to work with the body
Every session is tailored on the day, so if another style fits better once you are on the table, we change course.
Where the general information on this page comes from
- Society for Oncology Massage (S4OM) homepage
- S4OM, Benefits of Oncology Massage
- S4OM, Supporting Patients
- S4OM Preferred Practitioner Directory
- NCCIH, Massage Therapy: What You Need To Know
- NCCIH, Cancer and Complementary Health Approaches
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Massage Therapy
- National Cancer Institute, Lymphedema (PDQ)
- American Massage Therapy Association, "What to Expect at a Massage Session"
General information about the style of bodywork, offered so you know what to expect. It is not medical advice. For anything concerning a diagnosis, a medication or a pregnancy, please speak with your own clinician. As the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health puts it, do not use massage to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem.
Ready for a session?
Pick Oncology Massage when you book, see the current open times, and request the one that fits.
See open times →