What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 4:30am Tuesday 10am - 3:30pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Saturday 9:30am - 5am

Cecilia Barberis 'The Portal' Massage Therapy & Doula Support

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Australia
Melbourne, VIC
Cecilia Barberis 'The Portal' Massage Therapy & Doula Support

Massage therapy and Doula support services. I want to share my passions, knowledge and insights about massage, pregnancy and birth to the community.

I combine my knowledge and sensitivity in a wholesome and nourishing therapeutic massage treatment. I believe massage is an ancient healing form. It has an extraordinary way to heal the physical body, calm the mind and transcend spiritually into other dimensions. I completed the Diploma of Remedial Massage Therapy at The Melbourne Institute of Massage Therapy (MIMT) in 2010. In 2012 I studied Zen

Shiatsu at the Australian Shiatsu school in Melbourne and fell in love with Chinese medicine. Studying Shiatsu was a wonderful experience that led me to introduced eastern principles and philosophies into my treatments. In 2012, I have started my specialization in Pre and Postnatal care and High-risk pregnancy with Suzanne Yates who comes to Australia from the UK every couple of years especially to teach these courses. In 2014 I did the "Advanced Massage for Pregnancy" & in 2018 I have done it all again as part of a refresher course series towards my professional continuing education. In 2012 I also became a Certified Infant & Pediatric Massage Instructor through the IMIS at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. My ongoing passion and deep connection to birth lead me to do the Doula course (or Birth Attendant) with the wonderful and birth advocate Rhea Dempsey . Supporting people to birth respectfully and find their ‘voice’ through their pregnancy & birth is a strong call that I have been carrying for many years. In November 2016, I did a Master Class in Traditional East-West Cupping with Bruce Bentley which I really enjoyed and it broadened my knowledge of this very old healing art. In my pregnancy massage treatments I also incorporate ‘Spinning babies’ techniques (course done in sep 2017) & OMP - optimal maternal positioning- (course done in nov 2019) which consists of exercises, positions, stretches & MFR techniques for pelvic alignment, pelvic mobility & cardinal movements to enable labour to process. In 2017 I had the honor to become part of Birth for HumanKind volunteer Doula. I was part of a pilot program of ‘Bicultural Doulas’. This Doula course taught by Jane Fontain (Canada) from DONA international (Doulas of North America) was incredibly enriching. I’ve expanded my knowledge on how to best support people through their pregnancy & childbirth by sharing it with my fellow ‘bicultural doulas’ from Africa, the Middle East & Papua New Guinea. This inspiring non for profit organisation team of people, work very hard to offer maternity health support for people struggling in society {https://birthforhumankind.org/}
Social activism and Human Rights involvement it’s a flare that never ceases inside me.Please head to my website to learn more about me and my massage and doula offerings www.the-portal.com.au.

17/02/2025

Sometimes folks ask me if I get massages (((of course I do)) or if I have a masseur I like… yes I also do!
is one them 🙌🏼

Love doing swaps with you Alice!

16/02/2025

#2025

If you saw my last post, this year I’m studying a tafe certificate in so please note this year’s days and hours for at my home studio in Rezza:

🤲🏻 Every Monday
🤲🏻 Every second Tuesday nights (new)
🤲🏻 Every second Saturday

👉🏼 On Fridays I’m at

For bookings, gift vouchers and learn all about my work and how I can support you best head over to:

www.the-portal.com.au

See you there
🧡🧡🧡

Ceci

10/02/2025

It happened, I did it! 📣

Last week I started a in 💯

It’s been a long time thought sitting in the back burner and 2025 is the year for this undertaking! 🤹🏼‍♀️🧘🏼‍♂️🧗🏻‍♀️

Creating possibilities and new pathways as I age and grow here in this land 🙏🏼 something I don’t take for granted.

I’m still and offering but in a slightly smaller capacity.

I’m feeling the growing pains but I truely don’t know life any differently!

For bookings and enquiries and to learn about me, head over to 👇🏼

https://www.the-portal.com.au/

11/01/2025

I smile when this happens on the table. Not only because it’s the finest physiological design but also because the mother/person were able to calm their nervous system down and relaxing hormones kicked into gear. It took a long while but we’ve got there.

Also, gives the signal that baby’s awaiting their feed ☺️

Breast/chest feeding is meant to relax us and fall in love with our babies.

The is a raw phase and helps the way to deconstruct our belief systems so we can create a brand new one, our own.

Yep, is that powerful and trascendental.

30/12/2024

Closing my year of work and business in

So full and whole by this space of and that keeps offering me a ground to stand on. Sometimes shakey but the road of personal quest leads me back to it, 15 years later.

is something that until the day is shaped purely by the magic of connecting with that pregnant person that cultivates a huge amount of energy of . An open book of poetry.

🛎️ Next year I’m embarking on a tafe course! My vision is to blend my passions for healing and social work to come together. I’m exited and terrified at the same time

I’m still doing the whole lot here… so know that I’m available for support… probably a little bit less but I’m not leaving this sacred space.

Last Sunday a client mentioned to me the Japanese art called where they put broken pieces back together glued with gold.
This client felt like this after been touched closely by death and severe illness.

I feel that not only my year is represented in this type or art but also the whole humanity too.

In the words of Louis John Cozolino , US trauma psychologist :

‘We are the not the survival of the fittest, we are the survival of the nurtured’.

May 2025 guide us deep into our hearts.

We’ve got a lot of pieces to glue back together with gold. The process has already started.

🧡 See you on the other side 🧡

Cecilia

16/11/2024

Last night was a stunner 🩶

Restarting and continuing through afresh ✏️

🪺 The remainder of my Saturdays are full

🪺I’ve got plenty of spaces during the week / make your bookings here, my dear little creatures 💫 https://www.the-portal.com.au/

☀️ available ☀️

Ceci x

03/11/2024

The cosmos in our tissues - https://mailchi.mp/433bb4196e9d/the-body-as-our-compass

17/10/2024

Since I’ve been back from my homeland, it’s been an extremely introspective time.

Going through it with the body as my compass.

Im back at my studio so head over to my website or send me a message 🤲🏼

https://www.the-portal.com.au/

/// See you at the cave ///

Ceci
💟

04/09/2024

As I farewell my land, give thanks and pour my grief onto them.

This tree have struck my eye sight in the magestic

El ‘árbol estrangulador’, one of its kind as it strangles an existing tree trunk and slowly ‘uses’ it as its own new structure to keep growing. Once the old tree dies , the new vessels become the new tree that will potentially live hundreds of years to come. Potentially.

I wish there’d be more of these trees and more existing but there isn’t. We are all a mixed mess, doing our part to heal and keep regenerating. Droughts, poverty and nature coexisting as one.

And so the cycle continues.

See you soon

Cecilia

20/07/2024

The Here're some simple tips :

🍃 During the day, creating a connexion to your mouth by softening your tongue. Let it rest away from the paladar...

🍃 It'll help the tension move away from the neck, throat, the face, the thoughts and even the abdomen, the pelvic floor & the abdomen.

🍃 If you're pregnant, I'll support the awareness to your womb in preparation for labour.

🐚 It's soothing to the so doing it often is key to our brain.

🐚 Practices like these, when we 'tune in' to the vibration of the body, it's serves as a grounding resource.

⭐ Cats aren't not only the best (((in my opinion!))) but also a great examples for this!

📷 Sophie Dale

16/07/2024

From & 28 hours of intense labour to 9 years later...

This kid, gave me the gift of trust, in all my gut feelings that ultimately guide me to take the decisions I needed for myself.

, & is a spiritual walk for me but rest assure, it's also a political act in the face of not fitting in the normative societal standards.

Raising my little human is THE challenge and feeling this & love is something to fight for.

May we keep on celebrating the mighty power of our best capabilities humans.

9 years later & I'm still reminiscing in the best hormonal cocktail of euphoria of birth when I met my love for the first time.

27/06/2024

Today I had a moment when I looked myself at the mirror and thought of the long history with my body. I snap myself back and I go once again : ‘love your love handles, love all of it, Cecilia’, this is who you truly are. Bueno, en realidad lo dije en español 💬

Then I went off to memory lane 📽 coz I had to learn to love my body once upon a time. Culture and expectations didn't help. This was THE work.

Overall, I’m ok with myself these days. I still have my moments but because I know that the true essence as humans is carried in our soul and spirit, the physical to me, transcends.

I don’t take for granted the fact that a person in my massage table, is on their bear skin. This act doesn’t come that simple to many. Let alone during birth. I know this my very self.

Everybody holds a story, each one of the bodies I get to work with, are unique, beautiful and sacred. All types, all sizes, all colours. With or without limbs.

The core of my work is to bring the best out of bodies as I witness the power of regeneration.

It's dark, it's beautiful and it is.

24/06/2024

Tomorrow I’m saying goodbye to a refuge where lots of women and kids are seeking escaping and whom I’ve been massaging for the past year.

No more fundings!

It’s not news in the news but one I can say here.

Being part of a super troop of wholehearted and hard working women turning up daily to be off service to others, have been life changing to me.

Ha! I’m not going missing, I’ll be still collaborating in a very small capacity until I prepare myself for the next phase.

This experience have giving me even more 🔥🔥🔥 to know where my skills and presence are needed.

12/10/2023

ball, is my best pick massage ball … by far⚡️

I’ve decided to share this now, because these are HARD times and might help sooth our systems a little bit 🐚

Many folks who come see me, knows this tool very well 🙂 it’s quite simple!

By massaging your feet, you’re:

🫴🏼Releasing tension on your feet, calves and hips
🫴🏼Help the spine drop /soften
🫴🏼Align your pelvis and back naturally
🫴🏼Alleviate soreness all over your body, yes trust me, it does.

If you wish, it can be use as a grounding tool. You could possibly blend it with your breath and mindfully release what ever your holding on that doesn’t serve the purpose at that particular time ⛈️

I usually say to my clients to massage their feet before they head to bed 😴 to let go the day, to check it with the body, to release, to focused, to reset…

It doesn’t have to be long. Just do you. 🪵 It’s like a spiritual shower before we head to our sleep, where the body repairs.

I use it a lot! When I’m on my feet all day massaging, I can feel my feet puffy at the end of the day + the parenting on top = 🫠

If you’re pregnant, you can do it too. Just keep an eye on the K1 accu point by not over stimulating it , unless your over 38 weeks and you’re ready for labour! Go for it! 🪺🪺🪺

14/09/2023

Tomorrow is a big day here

I’m embarking on a 200hrs Trauma- informed , accesible & embodied yoga training with

It’s the only one of its kind offering a comprehensive foundational certification grounded entirely in trauma-informed and embodied practice, including First Nations Cultural training for Yoga & Wellness 💛🖤❤️

This is full cycle on a personal note as yoga has been my first refuge in discovering body connection and healing when I was 21 years old.

In my then transient and turbulent life, yoga gave me a space to ground and rediscover myself in a healthier way. The power of the breath! These were the very beginnings.

I’m doing this course because I want to depend my knowledge in movement within the trauma-informed space with the vision on helping others to do the same.

I heal 🌱💜 🌱 We heal

with passions

03/09/2023

My fuel ❤️‍🔥

23/08/2023

The feet.

I care about feet in my treatments. They take me to energetic places. These strong, wise standing structures , vehicles and vessels, they are some-thing.

Today, at the refuge, knowing a bit of these feet personal story, they transported me to the time was in labour 8 years ago: After 23 hrs of a long and cold winter night with excruciating back pain, I finally stood up and went to have a shower. This was a one big decision because it was hard to move and with the help of my midwives, I got there.
/ This wild card story is in Beyond the birth plan - that Cecilia, it’s me. /

This walk to the bathroom felt more like a pilgrimage and when I was finally under the water, I looked down my feet and a vision of a labouring woman came to me: She was on bare feet walking, walking, walking and walking.
I then felt all these women spirits around me, labouring, working hard to reach safety to birth their babe.

So when I was having my own contractions within my life story at that point in time, I felt the grace of the running water through my body. That contraction ceased and then I came back to my body with a looong exhale, I looked down my own feet, there were on a cool surface and surrounded by people that cared about me.

I don’t take this lightly. It was my labour treasurer.

This vision was extremely impactful to me and today these feet of this woman inspired me to envision a big dream project …

But this, is another story for another time.

08/08/2023

My for

Address

Arbor Avenue
Melbourne, VIC
3073

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4:30am
Tuesday	10am - 3:30pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	9:30am - 5am

Website

http://www.the-portal.com.au/

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Our Story

I completed the Diploma of Remedial Massage Therapy at The Melbourne Institute of Massage Therapy (MIMT) in 2010. In 2012 I studied Zen Shiatsu at the Australian Shiatsu school in Melbourne and fell in love with Chinese medicine. Studying Shiatsu was a wonderful experience that led me to introduced eastern principles and philosophies into my treatments.

In 2012, I have started my specialisation in Pre and Postnatal care and High-risk pregnancies with Suzanne Yates who comes to Australia from the UK every couple of years especially to teach these courses. In 2014 I did the "Advanced Massage for Pregnancy" & in 2018 I have done it all again as part of a refresher course series towards my professional continuing education. In 2012 I also became a Certified Infant & Paediatric Massage Instructor through the IMIS at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne.

My ongoing passion and deep connection to birth lead me to do the Doula course (or Birth Attendant) with the wonderful and birth advocate Rhea Dempsey . Supporting people to birth respectfully and find their ‘voice’ through their pregnancy & birth is a strong call that I have been carrying for many years.

My mission as a doula is to claim the sacredness in birth & to bring the balance within the medical system. To support people to find their’ voice’ & to normalise physiological pregnancy and birth in our society (& in the world).

In November 2016, I’ve undertaken a Master Class in Traditional East-West Cupping with Bruce Bentley which I really enjoyed and it broadened my knowledge of this very old healing art.

In my pregnancy massage treatments I also incorporate ‘Spinning babies’ techniques (course done in sep 2017) & OMP - optimal maternal positioning- (course done in nov 2019) which consists of exercises, positions, stretches & MFR techniques for pelvic alignment, pelvic mobility & cardinal movements to enable labour to process.

In 2017 I had the honour to become part of Birth for HumanKind volunteer Doula. I was part of a pilot program of ‘Bicultural Doulas’. This Doula course taught by Jane Fountain (Canada) from DONA international (Doulas of North America) was incredibly enriching adding new knowledge & skills & by sharing it with my fellow Birth for HumanKind ‘bicultural doulas’ from the Middle east, Africa, Papa New Guinea & myself (Argentina). Absolutely mind blowing! Since then I have unintentionally become a ‘bicultural doula’ which I feel suits me very well.

This inspiring non for profit organisation team of people, work very hard to offer maternity health support for people struggling in society. I am indeed, a proud Birth for Human Kind volunteer Doula.

Social activism and Human Rights involvement it’s a flare that never ceases inside me. In February 2020 I’m taking the Lamaze childbirth education course & I’m so looking forward to this experience and keep on expanding my offerings to pregnant people.

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