Esalen Integrative Massage Therapy
Nik Kurtz
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Massage can significantly reduce pain, calm stress, improve range of motion, and help you move through emotions that have been stored in your body. Who you are and what you bring, is where each session will start. Nik brings a nurturing and meditative touch to bodywork that allows them to sink deep into the layers of the muscles and connective tissues. Whether you are coming in for relaxation or injury rehabilitation massage, Nik uses their heart, hands and ears to listen and meet the needs of clients. Combining deep tissue techniques with slow integrative strokes to relax your nervous system and create space for the body to do its own healing. Nik’s bodywork practice is greatly informed by their love of dance. Their intention is to leave you feeling connected and more embodied. Nik has extensive training with over 500 hours of
Esalen® Massage, Deep Bodywork®, Sports Injury Massage, Cranial Sacral, Cortical Field Reeducation, and Gestalt Awareness Practice. Find out more HERE... 
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Pricing:
Individual Session Rates:
Deep Tissue Esalen
60 minutes - $115 90 minutes - $150 120 minutes - $195 Slow Flow Esalen 60 minutes - $105 90 minutes - $140 |
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Give the Gift of Self Care!
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*By request, Adapted Need-Based pricing options may be available ~ Contact Nik*
*Priority given to BIPOC QT folks
*Priority given to BIPOC QT folks
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TOUCH
To be reminded of our aliveness. To soothe the tender and painful spaces. To find the edges and boundaries of our humanness. To feel emotions we have left unattended. To trust ourselves to receive. To create space for the wholeness that we are. ~Nik Kurtz |
Home Studio:
Located near the cross streets of Harmon & Sacramento
in Berkeley, CA Full address given upon booking. Please check your confirmation email for the address and all details regarding your session. •Please arrive as scent-free as possible to your session •See Accessibility info below. |
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Accessibility:
•1 step up from side walk and 1 flight of stairs/12 steps to front door
•Chemical/Scent free space (Please refrain from wearing perfumes/colognes/essential oils) FOR RESOURCES ~ CLICK HERE •Please notify Nik of any allergies you have to animals / nuts / fragrances / oils •1 mile from Ashby Bart •Near bus lines for San Pablo/Sacramento @ Alcatraz •Bike parking available |
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Testimonials:
"I've had body work done worldwide and never worked with someone quite like Nik. I wasn't familiar with an Esalen Massage before, but I do know that their style is intuitive, knowledgeable, and effective. The time was so much more than a simple massage. I felt myself drifting in and out of semi-awareness, almost in a meditative state, more than I've ever done before. It's like that rare precious state one can sometimes find during savasana, when the body and the mind release from their state of consciousness and just be. Nik makes every minute about you, and every effort to ensure your comfort during your time together. The massage space is peaceful and calming and Nik's passion and gift for touch is something I will certainly return to." ~Jamil S., Emeryville
"Nik is great! I came in with nerve impingement in my arms/chest, and after a number of sessions I already feel significantly better. Nik works efficiently and effectively, and also shared lots of good advice for a self-massage and stretching routine for me to do at home. Overall Nik was extremely helpful, caring, and knowledgeable about body work." ~T.S.
"As a massage therapist myself, I'm extremely picky about who works on me. Nik is truly amazing in their sensitivity, intuition, care and ease in their work. They work both subtly and deep, and I feel like they are very tuned in to me when I'm on their table. I leave every time feeling rejuvenated and deeply healed." ~Odessa V.P.
"I was dealing with a lot of stress just heading back to work after my first child. My body was a wreck from breastfeeding, pumping, wacky hormones still causing ligament looseness not to mention sitting at a desk for about 10 hours a day. I had knots up and down my back and was in serious pain. My chiropractor could only do so much. Nik provided such amazing relief. I couldn't believe what a difference Nik made in the two sessions we had. Very talented."
~Michelle C., San Francisco
"Super nourishing and gentle but still deep and impactful. Nik was incredibly supportive and intentional; at the beginning of our session, they asked me a couple of questions about my needs that I realized I'd never been asked before, in countless bodywork appointments. Recommend, and look forward to going back." ~G.M.
What is Esalen Massage?
“In the Esalen massage, four basic principles are operating:
1. The practitioner is working with, instead of on, the client.
2. The massage is a moving meditation; the practitioner is committed to being as fully present as possible for the entire massage session, bringing a full-hearted, meditative presence to the table.
3. The practitioner is aware that a client may be affected on physical, mental, emotional or even spiritual levels.
4. Long, flowing strokes, integrated throughout the massage give a sense of relaxation, connection and wholeness.
When looking at these principles more deeply, it is apparent how interrelated they are: When a practitioner is working with, instead of on, a client, the practitioner learns to listen and respond to what he/she/[they] is feeling both in the actual tissues and on an intuitive level. Consequently, the Esalen practitioner responds to the unique issues presented by the individual client, instead of imposing a particular protocol, from or set way of working as in some other forms of massage. In order to successfully feel and know what is appropriate for a particular client, the practitioner needs to develop a full-hearted presence, the ability to be truly present and focused with the client, and to listen with the whole being.
Often, bringing this full-hearted presence to the table enables a client to feel safe enough internally to relax and let go on very deep levels. Formerly unexpressed emotions, the holding of tissues that often follow with trapped emotions, or even held pain due to physical or emotional trauma-all have the opportunity to rise to the surface and clear from the bodymind, frequently affecting the client on more than a physical level.
The responsibility of the Esalen practitioner is to stay fully present and provide a safe space, thus supporting the release of the pain or emotion that was originally trapped in the tissue in the body.
The fourth principle, the long, flowing strokes in Esalen massage, not only relax and prepare clients for deeper touch, they also easily move the practitioner from one area to another are of the body, supporting the feelings of connection, integration and wholeness. The effectiveness of the long integrating strokes is becoming more apparent as evidenced by the number of other massage modalities have begun incorporating signature Esalen strokes.”
~Deborah Anne Medow – Massage Magazine April 2011
1. The practitioner is working with, instead of on, the client.
2. The massage is a moving meditation; the practitioner is committed to being as fully present as possible for the entire massage session, bringing a full-hearted, meditative presence to the table.
3. The practitioner is aware that a client may be affected on physical, mental, emotional or even spiritual levels.
4. Long, flowing strokes, integrated throughout the massage give a sense of relaxation, connection and wholeness.
When looking at these principles more deeply, it is apparent how interrelated they are: When a practitioner is working with, instead of on, a client, the practitioner learns to listen and respond to what he/she/[they] is feeling both in the actual tissues and on an intuitive level. Consequently, the Esalen practitioner responds to the unique issues presented by the individual client, instead of imposing a particular protocol, from or set way of working as in some other forms of massage. In order to successfully feel and know what is appropriate for a particular client, the practitioner needs to develop a full-hearted presence, the ability to be truly present and focused with the client, and to listen with the whole being.
Often, bringing this full-hearted presence to the table enables a client to feel safe enough internally to relax and let go on very deep levels. Formerly unexpressed emotions, the holding of tissues that often follow with trapped emotions, or even held pain due to physical or emotional trauma-all have the opportunity to rise to the surface and clear from the bodymind, frequently affecting the client on more than a physical level.
The responsibility of the Esalen practitioner is to stay fully present and provide a safe space, thus supporting the release of the pain or emotion that was originally trapped in the tissue in the body.
The fourth principle, the long, flowing strokes in Esalen massage, not only relax and prepare clients for deeper touch, they also easily move the practitioner from one area to another are of the body, supporting the feelings of connection, integration and wholeness. The effectiveness of the long integrating strokes is becoming more apparent as evidenced by the number of other massage modalities have begun incorporating signature Esalen strokes.”
~Deborah Anne Medow – Massage Magazine April 2011