Des Moines Massage + Yoga Co.

03/22/2026

Sundays are for slowing down

03/17/2026

Hi 👋 I'm Bridget Nicole Ryan owner and Licensed Massage Therapist with Rest Day Massage & Social Spa.

With 25 years of experience, I specialize in high quality, personalized bodywork designed to help athletes and everyday clients recover, perform and feel their absolute best.

Based in Iowa, Rest Day blends luxury service with a sense of community-offering premium an experience that's both results driven and accessible.

For me, Massage isn't just a career, it's a passion rooted in helping people move better, heal and live fully.

03/12/2026

09/05/2025

Finding Your Center

Life can, at times, be a whirlwind, pulling us in countless directions. I'm reminded of this always this time of year as the winds begin to pick up from new directions. In the midst of continuing to juggle work, family, social engagements and a never-ending to-do list, it's easy to lose touch with ourselves and let stress take over.

This month, I want to talk about the importance of finding your center;
that peaceful place within you that stays calm no matter what's happening on the outside.
In truth, your center just needs a moment.
We place so much in front of ourselves and Massage is a powerful tool for finding your center.
Well-being is more than just a luxury; it’s an essential practice.
Massage is one of the ways that by easing muscle tension and calming your nervous system, a massage can help quiet the mental chatter and bring you back to a state of balance.
Whether you're dealing with a specific ache or just feeling overwhelmed, taking the time to receive a massage can make a world of difference. It’s a opportunity to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the moment, your body and your mental health.

Massage hours of availability with Bridget for In-Home sessions
Monday
Friday
Saturdays

Currently on a waitlist until Oct 1 for most weeknights, some Saturday availability

November and December will be opening on September 21st for scheduling and would love to help you find your next Massage opening and your center again.

Warmly,
Bridget

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06/11/2025

the beginning

The intention behind mindful bodywork begins with a sense of openness, to discover inner peace.

With ease and stillness we’re able to explore and appreciate the idea of presence. And when we can do this together, there is an opportunity to listen and to be held

Experiences

As part of our custom approach to bodywork, we offer experiences unique to our practice that draw attention to particular areas and systems of the body.
Experiences are booked in advance, just like our regular session offerings.

Road to Recovery
Great for post-adventure aches and pains, this treatment is designed to improve mobility and release tension through cupping, scraping, myofascial and trigger point release techniques.

Calm
Focused craniosacral for compression relief in the head, neck, and back, normalizing the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the central nervous system.
Client is fully clothed, and face up for the duration of this session.

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05/14/2025

Our Offerings

We offer a wide range of practices and techniques that can be utilized during your session. When booking your session please keep in mind the 30-45 minute sessions address a specific area of the body that requires relief, 60-minute sessions are dedicated to full-body or area-focused relief, and 75-minute sessions (or more) will cover full-body relief.

to nurture, to tend to, the slow patience of love

please note : my prices will increase beginning June 1, 2025

Introducing a sliding scale as an option, no questions asked offering for all community members
Available for 60-90 minute sessions

gratuity is never expected but always appreciated

to save on visits please check out our new offering launching June 1
the season pass that offers 10% off 4 visits

Rest Day Wellbeing is committed to offering affordable self care options to the community

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05/12/2025

I believe that running a practice should be rewarding.

The path of a wellness practitioner is one of profound dedication, a sacred trust between healer and client.
Yet, the very devotion that fuels your calling can be tested by the intricate dance of nurturing a practice—from the sanctity of client care to the often unseen symphony of operational harmony.
It's a delicate balance, where the weight of manifold responsibilities can, at times, cloud the luminous spirit of your work.

From the heart of Rest Day, a new paradigm of support unfolds—conceived to resonate deeply with the artisan spirit of your profession, we present an inspired, tactile methodology designed to uplift not only the sophisticated architecture of your practice but, most essentially, the dedicated professional at its core: you.

This is a hands-on, creatively attuned approach to fortify both your practice and your personal equilibrium.

Imagine a collaborative space where your therapeutic artistry is honed to its keenest edge, where the foundational structures of your business are cultivated into seamless conduits for your unique gifts. Envision a resonant partnership, offering insightful counsel and a steadfast presence as you traverse the nuanced landscape of your professional journey.
This is the essence of our commitment.

We extend this dedicated mentorship and strategic counsel to esteemed massage therapists, discerning wellness professionals, and those courageously embarking on this noble path.
Our approach is one of intuitive, hands-on guidance—a gentle yet powerful current designed to clear your channels, allowing your energies to flow unimpeded towards the profound work you are called to do, fostering a deeper sense of equilibrium and purpose within your practice.

Should this resonate with your aspirations for a practice that not only thrives but also deeply nourishes your own spirit, I invite you to connect.
Reach out via direct message, or convey your interest to for a more detailed exploration.

We are here to illuminate your path forward.
Your evolution is our purpose.

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03/22/2025

Restorative Massage:

The Antidote for Stress

Three out of four workers experience burn-out at work.
Finding the right amount of downtime might mean playing around with the concept at first.
All things are good in moderation.
Just like too little rest is problematic, too much will perhaps decrease any amount of productivity. The found research is somewhat nuance on discretionary time (closely related to downtime) shows that too much downtime can hurt our well-being just as too little downtime does.
In line with research, a rule of thumb is about four hours’ rest a day. However, the exact time needed will depend on a person’s work activities, stress level, and other conditions. You need to figure out your optimal number of hours for rest. Just like the right number of sleeping hours, it will depend on each individual. Stress begins with a physiological response to what your body-mind perceives as life-threatening.

Learning to rest is at the heart of living well, but opening your life to include a regular and restorative practice is a challenge.
It may be difficult to find time in a busy schedule and sometimes the mind will protest when there is so much else to be done; if this is you, schedule your downtime and rest, make it routine, make it personal and if you need to, make it feel rewarding.
Consider your practice of rest an experiment that you carry out at the command of your body, breath and your mind; getting started is easier than you think.

Welcome to the practice.

Sincerely,

Bridget Ryan
L.M.T./Tutor, Teacher & Therapist

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01/22/2025

Massage Nerd Alert!

Hey fellow massage enthusiasts, fair warning, this newsletter has includes news of a passing, so if that is not for you, go ahead and close this tab and that's ok, I am happy to share the other information separately for you upon your request.

Get ready to geek out with this month's edition of the Massage Nerd Alert!

This month, we're diving deep into the fascinating world of fascial release techniques as an honorable-nod to the late Erik Dalton and I couldn't think of a more inspiring place to begin.
If you have been on the receiving end of a Deep Tissue Massage, Medical Massage treatment, Trigger Point Therapy or any version of an alignment massage treatment that has made a difference in the quality of your massage, physical therapy or healing journey, you have Erik Dalton to thank for passing along his passion, intellect and wisdom over decades of providing continuing education.
Erik Dalton, PhD, left an indelible mark on the massage therapy profession as a whole and little to no pun intended, he globally touched the lives of hundreds of thousands with his mastery of work within our professional field and beyond.
He passed away on Saturday, January 11th, 2025 at his home in Costa Rica.
Our community is profoundly grateful for Erik’s contributions; he was a dynamic presence at many conventions and chapter events, where he led continuing education sessions and contributed to the Massage Therapy Journal on a vast, yet specific allowance of with an immense range of knowledge on topics like spindle-stim techniques and musculoskeletal therapy within myofascial massage therapy over the years.

In light of his memory, I was inspired to revisit my manuals of training with him from years past Having just completed my SARGA silks training and certification that is based on Myofascial, I was intrigued to compare what I learned then to what I've learned and applied to this day. I pulled from my library and took a trip down my massage memory lane only to find that my lived experience has helped me integrate his information into my work I provide today.
Join me as I dive deeper into my library of techniques, plans and treatments from Erik Dalton in weeks to come.

At the beginning, let's start with what holds us together …Fascia

What is fascia?

Fascia is an intricate web of connective tissue that surrounds and interpenetrates every muscle, organ, and system in the body.

Anatomy and Physiology breakdown - Anatomy is the study of the structure of the body, including its organs, tissues, and cells, while physiology is the study of how those structures function and work together within the body; essentially, anatomy focuses on "what" the body parts are, and physiology focuses on "how" they work.

Why is it important for you as the client to understand the what and the how; I want to work with your specific dialog, your first-person communication and begin guiding your awareness to a clear path forward; that begins with subjective analysis, objective curiosity, observations, action, assessment and planning.

Now just hearing this as information, paying attention today and tomorrow to what fascia is feeling like within your body and that as it connects our organs, tissues and cells by way of connective tissue, that, any restrictions you feel within this field of awareness would be worth exploring on a 1-10 scale of sensation.
Any sensation that exceeds the range of a 5-7 for either an acute or chronic amount of time is considered problematic to patterns and ergonomics.
One movement we all perform, day in and day out, is bending at the hips, whether it is to sit down or lay down; the next time you perform a natural hip bend, take a moment to pay attention to how it feels and further ask yourself, what are you feeling and bring this up at our next session.

I'm having a bit of fun going through my storage of fun facts, videos and manuals to share with you and am inspired with every stone turned.

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09/25/2023

Next Steps!

Thank you all SO much for all the comments and messages about our move. September is the last month inside the studio in the East Village.

We are continuing to fill ALL the appointments thru the end of the month, as well as creating diverse ways you can support us thru direct investment and backing.

When we first posted about moving, it really made us feel loved to see so many of you wanting us to come to your neighborhood, it made the decision very hard!

Your support this last year and over the next few months will mean more to us than ever before as we work to pull together the finances we need to make this unexpected move possible.

We have the best clients and community ever and feel SO incredibly grateful to take next steps towards growth and opportunity to serve more massage and yoga to you in ways the space we are currently in cannot contain.

Thank you for all your love that you poured into my first shop at 319 East 5th street, the adventures in getting the space livable, the new found skills of back-in parking and the delightful ways the golden light poured into the space for evening massage sessions. Excited as ever to lead us towards new and open doors and begin again.

Sincerely and Warmly,

Bridget Nicole

Call to Action and Next Steps

3 Immediate ways to support this move

#1 Schedule an appointment for September
We have appointments available for scheduling, I’ve opened a few more days and times and the online schedule is a Pre-Payment as a way to avoid too much fluctuation and reschedules in the last month.

#2 We are looking to build relationships with the community.
We we LOVE to share our services with your office community as a wellness pop-up!
All suggestions and referrals are very much appreciated.

#3 Your dedication to the move has been nothing short from inspiring and it is with great excitement what I share an exclusive opportunity for you to further contribute to our efforts. We are currently seeking financial investments ranging from $300 to $1,200, as we firmly believe that every dollar invested brings the move and the first year closer to an easier transition. It is important to note that your investment is not simply a financial contribution but a statement of trust in the mission.
Click below to view the investment options and once again I extend my deepest appreciation for your support and am humbled by your generosity.

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