Massage in Cornelius

Between her passion for massage and her gregarious personality, Kate Heriot has much to share in the way of healing. That’s why she founded MyMassage, where she kneads away knots and encourages her trained staff to expand their already considerable muscle-mending repertoires with new techniques. Ask Kate about the benefits of massage therapy and she will likely expound at length on its ability to ease tension from working long days at the office and heal muscles injured while carrying one’s boss to and from the bathroom.

Derek Ramsey's interest in kinesiology and anatomy—as well as his desire to help others find freedom from pain and stress—nudged him toward a career in massage therapy. After graduating from the Southeastern Institute of Neuromuscular Therapy, he opened Allay Massage, where he cossets muscles with Swedish and deep-tissue techniques amid lime-green and yellow walls. Upon arrival, clients sip on complimentary water and then spend 10 minutes talking with Derek, coming to an agreement about the goals for the session. When the massage concludes, Derek spends another 10 minutes reviewing the session and offering clients tips for better posture and health. Clients can also opt to become a member to help keep costs down, postures up, and unionized vertebrae happy.

Southern Touch NMT's licensed therapist, Donna Ridenhour, rids bodies of tension and pain, working from a belief that stress is the root of myriad maladies. During her signature neuromuscular massage, her nimble fingers work to unwind entrenched strain from specific trigger points within the body's network of muscles, tendons, and radio wires. During reflexology, she engages pressure points believed to affect internal organs to soothe them into finer fettle. Her forearms, elbows, thumbs, and knuckles glide over muscles as she carries out the long and deep strokes of Hawaiian lomilomi massage, making them more tender than meatloaf that journals about its feelings.

Donnelle Gaston is a woman with many titles and talents. Currently a massage therapist, Donnelle has also been a nutritional-science grad, Peace Corps health educator in Haiti, and, more recently, a mom. At Moonflower Massage, her past experiences inspire a holistic approach to massage and healing. Well versed in massage modalities such as Swedish, deep tissue, movement therapy, and reflexology, to name a few, Donnelle customizes massages to fulfill individual needs and relax her clients without spiking their water with a hearty amount of horse tranquilizers. She also specializes in prenatal massage and oncology massage. Tailored specifically to cancer patients, oncology therapy can ease pain, nausea, and anxiety, and even soften scar tissue after surgery.

A New You Massage Therapy’s certified massage therapists each have more than 500 training hours at an accredited massage school and at least three years of professional bodywork experience under their belts. Clients' muscles kick back, relax, and watch reruns of Gunsmoke as they're assuaged with various modalities, including Swedish, deep-tissue, chair, and prenatal massage. Clients can complement massage sessions with rejuvenating, spa-like treatments, such as the blue-peppermint foot scrub and the peppermint shea-butter body treatment.