Hi, I'm Jami
I specialize in working with women, trans and non-binary folks who are healing from Surgical Procedures including plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery.
I primarily use Manual Lymphatic Drainage to assist with swelling so that clients can get back on their feet, so to speak, more quickly. I also utilize other massage techniques to assist other clients dealing with post-surgical fibrosis.
I also address the following health concerns: breast health (discomfort/pain), post-mastectomy healing, massage during menopause, & working with issues associated with C-Section scars.
And I offer traditional massage therapy that is both nurturing, intuitive, and deeply grounding to clients coping with anxiety, depression, & trauma.
My ambition is that each of my clients leaves their session feeling more educated about, and more connected to their body, values, and authentic self.
I work with clients of all body types, from all walks of life, and all genders.
I am doing my best to learn, grow, and be an ally to folks in marginalized communities including, but not limited to LGBTIA+ folks and people of color. And I'm open to discussions and feedback on topics that further my knowledge and expansion in allyship and in helping ALL of my clients feel seen, heard, supported, & nurtured.
I have a particular passion for helping my clients cultivate a greater sense of self-worth and empowerment, by promoting self-care and body positivity.
My Why:
In 2015, I was led to create Blue Lotus as my own, personal massage practice, after having worked for 9 years in a large, bustling massage practice.
While I loved my work, my clients, and my talented coworkers, I wanted to have the freedom to create a schedule that would allow me the time and flexibility to truly focus my full attention on each client, from the moment they arrived until the moment they walked out the door.
My 5th year in business the COVID pandemic hit and I closed my doors for a few months; as the nature of my work requires me to be in close contact with clients for extended periods of time.
When I reopened I began to get more requests for Lymphatic Drainage, particularly from folks who'd had recent cosmetic surgery. I had some previous training but hadn't really focused on it for a few years.
Meanwhile, the pandemic gave folks the opportunity to consider cosmetic surgery procedures. Most were already working from home, so they opted to take the opportunity to pursue something they'd only thought about previously.
I knew the positive effects of Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) and I knew that if they were unable to find anyone else in the area to help them, their healing process would be much slower and have a greater likelihood of complications later on, like fibrosis.
To meet the demand I began taking more online courses, reading studies and texts on surgical recovery, and really diving into the post-op care realm. And finally, I extended my training to a more advanced Manual Lymphatic Drainage certification through the Academy of Lymphatic Studies - one of the 4 leading MLD training associations.
I never imagined I'd end up in the niche world of post-op care and massage, but as everything seemingly fell into place, I began to realize how much I enjoyed the work and how passionate I'd become about it. How the body heals itself is miraculous.
Coming in to have your body worked on, just after surgery can be a very vulnerable place. It's always an honor for me to know that someone is putting their trust in me to help them heal and feel better.
Helping answer your questions, putting your mind at ease, and giving you relief from discomfort and swelling are the most rewarding parts of my work. There's also a great sense of joy when you finally start to see the version of themselves that they'd long envisioned, and begins to feel the confidence they'd hoped for.
In my experience, the surgery is only a small piece of the puzzle. The hands-on work and the effort that clients put into their own care after surgery are the things that will give my clients the results they'd hoped for.
If the surgery is worth their investment in themselves, then so is the aftercare.
My approach to my work is that the time on my massage table is not only about addressing the physical body, it's about soothing the body's nervous system after the stress of surgery. Caring for one's body it is also a practice of honoring and loving oneself.
You are worthy of feeling good about yourself.
“Self-care is never a selfish act - it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others.
Anytime we can listen to true self and give the care it requires, we do it not only for ourselves but for the many others whose lives we touch.” - Parker J Palmer
My Backstory
(or how I found my way to massage & bodywork):
It is my nature to be gentle, nurturing, and empathetic. I grew up being the "overly sensitive" child, who could pick up on other people's emotional states and empathized with anyone and everyone. At times it was hard for me to tolerate large groups of people, particularly if there was discord or conflict present.
I didn't know what this feeling was, why I felt it, or why most other people didn't feel those things. For the majority of my life, this "sense" that I had, was not really welcomed by my world and this lead me to feel like there was something wrong with me. So I began to suppress it. And you can guess how that went. (...you're right if you guessed that it just kept popping back up!) Luckily for me, I would eventually find my calling.
Around the time I was 8 years old, I began experiencing tension headaches. Looking back, I can clearly see that part of the culprit was physical, but part of the culprit was also emotional trials that I was experiencing, in combination with the fact that I couldn't define or understand my neurodivergence & intuitive gifts.
These headaches continued and became debilitating as I completed my teenage years and moved into my early 20’s.
This was also coupled with bouts of severe depression, anxiety, and a heavy dose of crippling self-doubt and poor self-esteem. In my college years, these factors, along with a series of abusive relationships (mostly emotional, sometimes physical) led me to a place where it was difficult for me to see any light at the end of the tunnel.
However, I reached a turning point (yay!), and vowed to place my own needs and health above others for a while, and practically forced myself into healthy relationships, with stable partners. Even though this component of my health was transforming, I was still suffering from regular headaches, and sometimes unbearable neck and shoulder pain.
In my junior year of college, my mother made me go to the emergency room.
The reason? - I could barely walk because my neck was in so much pain. She was convinced I’d gotten meningitis. After lots of questions and tests, I was released and given 800mg of ibuprofen to take every 6 hours.
The prognosis? - Tension and Stress. My first thought was “You’re kidding me, right...?”
5 years later, my partner ended up driving to the emergency room in the middle of the night, because I woke up feeling like I was on fire. I had gotten out of bed to cool off, and within a matter of 30 seconds, I was freezing. The best way that I can describe it, is that I felt cold from the inside, and suddenly, I was shaking uncontrollably. I was delirious and terrified.
And again, after lots of questions and blood tests, the prognosis was panic attacks & “Generalized Anxiety Disorder.” And again, I thought “You’re kidding me, right?! But I haven’t felt anxious or stressed out. I’m working full time and going to school, but I’ve felt totally fine.”
But boy, my body was saying something else entirely!
My college education was in film and television. After graduating, and having worked for a local television station for about 2 years, I decided that I was going to look into holistic health and herbalism.
I’m not sure I can pinpoint the exact moment I decided to become a massage therapist.
In fact, I’d never even had a professional massage before. All I knew was that I firmly believed that we are given everything we need on this Earth to heal ourselves, we just have to look for and be open to solutions to our health issues. And I just knew that I had some sort of underlying gift that I want to use to “help people.
From that point forward, I became determined that this was the path for me. I started introducing myself to other people in the community who were massage therapists and/or involved in the healing arts, something I would have never done before. I just felt compelled and called to. At that point, it was as though everything just started falling into place.
It took me several years of receiving regular massage (from some amazing fellow therapists), regular chiropractic work, and learning what to do to take care of my body, but I reached a point where I stopped getting those awful headaches nearly every day. They came less and less. I felt stronger, and generally, more at ease.
Not only that, but becoming a massage therapist allowed me to feel proud and accomplished. I was able to embrace my gentleness and grow the intuitive gifts that had been underappreciated for the majority of my life.I felt that I’d finally found something I was good at!
I felt my confidence grow, and I found it easier and easier to connect with people and get to know them as clients. I felt like I had been this seed that had been growing so slowly for so long, and then suddenly, I bloomed and opened up to the world.
(Hence the name Blue Lotus.)
Bodywork and massage therapy literally turned my life around. And beyond pain relief, I believe it can have profound effects on how we connect with and perceive ourselves in the world.
At Blue Lotus, I welcome clients who are ready to grow into their best selves. Committing to bodywork serves to honor your body and all it does for you, and improve your quality of life.