Massage in Waggaman

Zoe A. Tritsis has been interested in healing others for as long as she can remember, but she discovered the therapeutic benefits of massage only after suffering a serious injury of her own. This injury would end up changing her life in unexpected ways. It inspired her to earn her license in massage therapy nearly two decades ago, and ever since then she has worked to soothe muscles with modalities that range from Swedish to neuromuscular therapy.

Throughout the years, Zoe’s base of clients has grown to encompass a number of musicians and staff members from the nearby House of Blues. She honors their patronage—as well as her studio’s location in historic uptown New Orleans—by giving her massages playful, blues-inspired names such as Blues Express and Bluesapallooza. Therapeutic oils, lotions, and mud from the banks of the Ole Mississippi accompany each of her treatments, which take place in a private room equipped with a bathroom and changing area.

Michael Tillman and the Nu Era Massage staff tend to clients' limbs and torsos in a comfortable and relaxing spa-like space. Using Swedish, deep-tissue, and neuromuscular modalities, Tillman helps to relieve pain, promote circulation, and usher clients toward a state of relaxation that's typically only felt by napping pet rocks.

Cody King understands muscles. Aside from graduating as the valedictorian of his class at MTC, the licensed massage therapist spent 10 years working as a certified fitness instructor, allowing him to bring a unique understanding of the body's need for recovery, relaxation, and frequent fist bumps to the massage table. Drawing on his expertise in musculoskeletal anatomy and physiology, he integrates multiple massage techniques––including Swedish, hot stone, and neuromuscular therapy––to customize treatments that address specific pain- or stress-related complaints. He also works in tandem with a licensed physician at Capitol Spine and Rehabilitation, where physical therapy and chiropractic medicine meet spa-like services, to help clients find relief from injury and get back on the leapfrog circuit as quickly as possible.

For the massage therapists at The Bailey Institute Of Muscular Therapy, touch equals medicine for the body and soul. Strokes, friction, and taps are the tools of their trade, useful for dislodging painful knots and giving customers an opportunity to share knock-knock jokes. The team tailors sessions to each client’s needs, fusing techniques such as deep-tissue therapy with medical massage to relax muscles and promote healing. Marathoners, triathletes, and New Orleans Saints team members flock to the facility for sports massages, which can boost flexibility, enhance performance, and help prevent injuries.

“No two bodies are exactly the same, therefore, no two massages will be exactly the same,” explains Melissa Brocato when she describes her practice's approach to bodywork. Thus, Brocato, who graduated with honors from the school of massage therapy at Delgado Community College, draws on a variety of traditions—including deep-tissue, sports, and prenatal massage—to address each client's particular needs and trouble spots, such as strains, tight areas, or feuding vertebrae. Along with this breadth of expertise, Brocato is certified through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and holds the position of Louisiana membership chairperson for the American Massage Therapy Association, which she has been a member of since 2009.

The highly trained hands of Inner Peace's licensed massage therapist, who is nationally trained and state certified, rejuvenate bodies using massage modalities ranging from Swedish to neuromuscular to prenatal. Before or after a session in one of the massage rooms, clients may relax outside by the courtyard's fishpond or use Inner Peace Therapeutic Massage's inversion table to stare into their own souls.