Restorative Bodyworks

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Restorative Bodyworks

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Restorative Bodyworks, Massage Therapist, Flagstaff, AZ.

Licensed Massage Therapist
Certified Personal Trainer
Human Movement Specialist (corrective exercise)
Swedish - Deep Tissue - Myofascial Release - Cupping - Stretching - Thai Massage - Movement Assessments and Optimization - Fitness Programming

11/24/2025

If you get clicking or grinding around your shoulder blade or pain/tension in the elbow/wrist, this is for you! Our regular daily usage of these joints are often within a very limited range of motion in comparison to what they’re capable of. Big rotational movements are just not utilized all that much and as the saying goes “use it or lose it”.
All of the overlapping layers of tissue that make complex movements possible, can also form adhesions when they’re not in regular use. Stretching can be helpful but it doesn’t usually fully resolve these mobility issues. Yes, I know a bunch of very specific exercises to isolate different muscles, but in the interest of time, sometimes just swinging this hammer around works just as well or better. Honestly, this little 4lb hammer is probably the best mobility tool I have! And the weight here can be deceptive. If you’re new to these kind of movements, 4lbs is HEAVY! You can start with a smaller hammer or simply hold the hammer closer to the head. The further your hand is from the head of the hammer, the heavier it’s going to feel.

11/23/2025

Just trying to entice you to take an hour (or two) for yourself. Let go of all those responsibilities, for a little while. They’ll still be there when we’re done, but you’ll be able to handle whatever life throws at you with more ease after a little self care.

11/21/2025

Full disclosure sent me this scraping tool for free and asked me to try it out. After having used it for several months now I can honestly say it’s my favorite bodywork tool. The heat and vibration feels amazing, it’s durable, ergonomic, and has a surprisingly long battery life. I definitely need the bigger piece they make as well! For massage therapists, your clients will love it and so will you, as a self care tool to keep you loose and pain free while you work your magic!
10/10

11/19/2025

The foam roller can be a great tool for relieving tension and correcting posture. It’s definitely worth taking the time to learn how to use it properly because just rolling back n forth is only going to take you so far. This video is specifically for releasing upper neck tension that contributes to migraines and poor posture. Let me know in the comments what area of the body you’d like help with releasing next! What’s your “trouble” spot?!

11/18/2025

Rainy days ⛈️ are the perfect days for a massage! It’s even more magical if it’s a hot stone massage. Looks like we’ve got some steady rain (and maybe snow) on the forecast. My next opening is on Thursday and you can book online at the link in my bio! Look forward to seeing ya!! ❤️

11/17/2025

Another Monday rolls on through… Can you make time for some self care this week, or you just going to keep carrying all that tension around with you?

11/13/2025

This was advice for a massage therapy student but honestly the same principles will apply to just about any career. If you want longevity and you want to prevent injuries you need to:
Strength Train- and don’t forget to diversify your training. Weight lifting, isometrics, plyometrics, mobility work, yoga… all build different components of strength. You need them all!
Take Breaks- Obviously this is harder when you’re working for the man, but all the more reason to work on building your own practice. You don’t have to work for Massage Envy forever. Some employers are better than others as far as giving their therapists a break between sessions too. For me, in my practice, I schedule AT LEAST 30 minutes in between sessions. This is time to take payment, answer questions, reset the room, drink water, have a snack, etc… and a lot of the time, 30 minutes is still not enough time to actually REST before the next client comes in, so if it’s a really full day I’ll make some of those transitions up to an hour so I can sit there and do nothing and let my body recover. You’ll feel better at the end of the day and you’ll give better bodywork too.
Body Mechanics- You should have learned this in massage school. There’s a whole set of skills that you can learn that will allow you to apply maximal force with minimal effort. The better you implement these principles, the better off your own joints will be.
Notice what I didn’t include?
Getting massages yourself?
Yes, getting massage is helpful, but no amount of bodywork is going to save you if you move like 💩, rest like 💩, and train like 💩
I’ve gone easily a year at a time in between massages and been just fine because I do all the other things to take care of myself.

11/11/2025

On Halloween we did some squats in our costumes just for fun but I noticed something… As my wifey descends into her squat, there’s a slight weight shift to the right, and the right foot turns outward. The asymmetric weight shift is one of the more complex squat issues to correct, but I took this as a good opportunity to show you all how a human movement specialist works.
Yes, I do a lot of “regular” deep tissue/myofascial bodywork, but I REALLY love it when I get the chance to use these very specific strategies to correct movement dysfunction. We didn’t get to 100% perfect form in one session and that’s not to be expected. But as you can see, there was much improvement. The releases will need to be done again, and we need to practice the corrective exercises consistently. Over time, these kinds of imbalances can lead to increased injury risk for the knees and low back so it’s important to get help correcting them before the pain begins.

11/09/2025

I’ve heard that some folks don’t like it when the massage therapist use elbows and forearms. I haven’t experienced this, but I can only assume that it’s because so many therapists use their elbows/forearms as a means to use excessive pressure. Used properly, the forearms/elbows are an excellent tool for providing longer, deeper strokes. They don’t need to be used with crushing force. As far as pressure goes these are broader tools than say fingertips which concentrate all that force in a much smaller footprint.

11/07/2025

It’s been a great week at the gym! I saw some significant gains on both my squat and bench press, and I’m 🤏🏼 close to getting my first ever muscle-up.
Yes, strength training builds muscle but more importantly imo are the neuromuscular adaptations yielding better muscle recruitment and functional training that links different muscle groups to increase full body power output.
Specific corrective exercises such as those that activate the rotator cuff or glutes as well as functional exercises such as Foundation training (this video) helped me the most to make this progress. Gonna eat a fat steak 🥩 tonight! 😂

11/06/2025

Who wants to be “normal”?!
Let’s strive for “exceptional”!!

11/05/2025

Hip mobility is a big contributor to low back pain and injury. Most people only move their hips back and forth and get very little lateral motion and even less rotation. But even if all you do is walk, you still need multidirectional capacity. Table Thai is a great modality for loosening restrictions in the hips and cultivating body awareness. And the rhythmic motion is sooo relaxing! ☺️
Wanna give it a try?! As always, new clients get $20 off their first session!

Address

Flagstaff, AZ

Website

https://www.matthewtcmt.com/, https://www.acaciafruitwellness.com/schedule

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