As one can imagine many of our clients are busy with work and children and therefore they experience a certain amount of stress in their daily lives. As organizers, we can help them take back control of their space, but we look to experts with different backgrounds for other kinds of relief. We spoke with Lourdez Castro, HHC, LMT with LEC Massage & Wellness about other ways to reduce stress.
How did you get started as a massage therapist; what is your background?
My first real experience with massage was back in 2004. I've gotten massage before that but only a few times and it was years in between each until 2004 when I was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. The cancer center I went to had an integrated program that offered massage and reflexology. I had a few sessions during treatments and it made a difference for me. I was less stressed about my treatments. When I was diagnosed again in 2007, I took full advantage of the program and had weekly massages during treatments and noticed that I was able to tolerate chemo sessions better and I was more relaxed and less tense. I realized that massage therapy was an organic, natural way to feel better. It wasn't till 3 1/2 years later that I realized I wanted to help people feel better and enrolled in massage school, while still working full time. I graduated and was licensed in 2013. I finally quit my corporate job in 2014 to dedicate my time to massage therapy full time. I started my own private practice in the middle of 2014 not really knowing much about starting a business but I wanted to massage as many people as I can. I eventually started at a new spa, Ciel Eau, in New Canaan in 2015 as a massage therapist. I still have my private business that I am growing (for now it's a mobile business) and future plans to open an office space in the Norwalk/Rowayton area.
What types of massages do you offer and why?
I offer different modalities, such as Swedish Massage (for relaxation), Deep Tissue Massage (relieve muscle tension & pain), Sports Massage (stretching & flexibility), Integrated Massage (specifically designed for you), Chair Massage (Corporate and Individual), Prenatal (relieve tension and relaxation for mom and baby) and Oncology Massage (soothing touch before, during and after cancer treatments). All these modalities help you relax, relieve tension, help reduce pain, and helps bring your body back to balance.
Do you have a location or do you travel?
For now, I travel to my clients within lower Fairfield county. I do plan on opening an office space in the near future.
You must see people with a lot of stress, what is that like?
Most of my clients are people who work in front of a computer and busy parents with kids. That is a lot of stress on a daily basis. Technology has provided us with applications that make our lives easier but it also has provided bad habits that take its toll on our body, such as "tech neck", forward head posture from looking down on our phones all the time, which causes neck and shoulder pain to rounded shoulders and strain on our low backs from our monitors not being at eye level and slouching in our chair in front of our computers and sitting for longer periods of time. New parents also deal with low back pain from picking up the kids the wrong way and carrying heavy car seats and strollers. These are the major stress complaints I see in my clients. I love working on them and relieving most if not all of their stress after a few sessions and educating them on ways to keep the stress away.
What are some things people can do to take care of themselves in between massages?
Being more aware of your posture during the day can help lessen muscle-tension build up. This way you can adjust yourself and align your spine, take a deep breathe and release tension. Stretching your body, especially neck and extremities, helps keep you loose and flexible in between massage sessions. Having a clean healthy diet can regulate your blood sugar, fuel your muscles properly and give you more energy. Exercise helps build muscles and burn fat and keeps you lean. Of course, the best compliment to all this is scheduling regular massage sessions with me.
