Ben Fleisher Bodywork Remedies

Contact

• email: benasafleisher@gmail.com to book an appointment
• phone: 917.723.3616
• location: Lower East Side of Manhattan. Directions to come with scheduling

Modalities

Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is an age-old, intuitive process, evolved and ripened over eons of research and feedback. It is perhaps the oldest known method of treating the human body.

Massage therapy relieves pain, restores range of motion, and balances the nervous system. It is commonly used to treat disorders such as TMJ, neck and back pain, headaches, "BlackBerry thumb," jet lag, digestive problems, whiplash, insomnia, and sprains and strains. Massage therapy also can help to move lymph and treat edema, and relieve the discomfort and stress the body sustains during pregnancy.

1. Swedish Therapeutic Massage

Swedish therapeutic massage is the most universally known form of massage therapy. It is considered the parent of many Western bodywork modalities. Aimed to promote relaxation and to help maintain healthy tissues and muscles, Swedish massage works the muscles by using long, flowing strokes that relax and harmonize. By stimulating local circulation, oxygen and nourishment are brought to the more superficial layers of muscle, connective tissue and epidermis (skin).

My approach to Swedish massage involves deep and slow waves of pressure aimed at moving energy, lymph, and fluids through the fascia and muscles to deeply nourish and relax. Though deeper work occasionally finds its way into these treatments, the main focus is relaxation through touch.

2. Structural and Functional Re-alignment

Deep Tissue Massage Therapy

Deep tissue massage involves the use of increased pressure to release chronic areas of tension in the muscular and fascial layers of the body. Techniques used during these treatments include tuina, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, cross-fiber friction, and orthopedic joint mobilizations.

Tuina is a form of Chinese medical bodywork. Translated as "push-grasp" in Chinese, tuina incorporates a series of hand techniques such as pressing, kneading, rolling, and grasping to remove blockages along the body's meridians. The primary goal of tuina is to liberate energy and circulation, supporting proper alignment and function, and complimenting the body's natural immune responses.

When the body sustains trauma, postural imbalances or injury, the fascia, a thin connective tissue covering the entire body, becomes restricted, tightening the muscles and organs it cradles. Myofascial release corrects these imbalances, lengthening the fascia where it is bound, thereby facilitating efficient movement.

Trigger points are tightly bound nodules, or "knots," within muscle fibers, which are often tender under pressure and can cause referred pain patterns. Through direct and steady pressure, trigger points are de-activated and muscles are re-educated into their original pain-free patterns.

3. Zero Balancing

A leading edge body/mind therapy, Zero Balancing (ZB) is a hands-on bodywork system designed to unify the energetic body with its physical structure. This form of bodywork incorporates Eastern concepts of energy and healing with Western standards such as critical evaluation and skeletal alignment. ZB balances the energy in the body's densest tissues, creating clearer, stronger fields of energy in the body/mind. The intention of a Zero Balancing session is to relieve physical pain and re-organize vibratory fields. This supports one's ability to deal with life stresses and promotes a sense of wholeness and well-being.

4. Traditional Chinese Medicine

(coming soon!)

Details

Rates:

• In Office: $100/hour $140/90minutes $175/2 hours
• Outcalls*: $125/hour $175/90minutes $215/2 hours

*Outcall rates are negotiable, depending on factors such as client-owned table, distance, number of clients, etc. hours of treatment are tallied by individual sessions (e.g., two one-hour treatments are $250, one two-hour treatment is $215). On-site chair massage is available as well. Massage therapy is wonderful for special occasions, corporate settings, bridal parties, photo shoots, film sets, etc.

Contact

• email: benasafleisher@gmail.com to book an appointment
• phone: 917.723.3616
• location: Lower East Side of Manhattan. Directions to come with scheduling

Packages:

• Purchase 5 one-hour treatments, receive 1/2 complimentary: $500 ($91/hour)
• Purchase 10 one-hour treatments, receive 1.5 complimentary: $1,000 ($87/hour)
• Purchase 10 90-minute treatments, receive 1 complimentary: $1,400 ($85/hour)

GIFT CERTIFICATES are gladly available.

Policies:

Massage therapy is contraindicated (not medically safe) for the following conditions:

• Anyone with limited cognitive awareness from the use of prescription and/or over-the-counter medications, alcohol, or other substances.
• Cancer patients currently undergoing chemotherapy (without explicit permission from a medical doctor).

And please tell me if any of the following apply to you:

• You are in your first trimester of pregnancy.
• You have a fever or contagious disease, or skin lesions of any kind.
• You are on medication that could be expected to weaken bone structure.
• You have edema due to chronic heart failure or kidney failure.
• You have decreased sensation (e.g., as associated with diabetes or ingestion of muscle relaxants).
• You have acute inflammation anywhere on your body.
• You have phlebitis and/or deep venous thrombosis
• You have had an acute trauma or recent surgery.
• You have any other medical conditions that would benefit from a massage therapist? doctor consultation.

Non-sexuality

All massage therapy treatments are strictly non-sexual, in accordance with the New York State laws and regulations regarding Licensed Massage Therapy. I will not tolerate any allusions to massage therapy treatments leading towards any kind of sexual experience. Physical signs of sexual arousal are completely natural due to the increase in circulation throughout the body. However, I have no tolerance for any sexual requests before, during or after a massage therapy treatment. I reserve the right to end any treatment immediately if this boundary is crossed, and will expect payment in full. I encourage you to hold me by the same standards. If you feel I have crossed a physical boundary that you are not comfortable with, please tell me immediately.

Non-discrimination

I will not turn away any client based on race, religion, gender, age, or physicality.

Lateness

New York City has its own timetable for all of us. Lateness happens. Please try to arrive at least a few minutes early so as to avoid these delays bumping into our treatment time. If you are late for a treatment, there are occasions when I can go over your appointment time by a few minutes, though this is not always possible. Please let me know if a few extra minutes in treatment presents a conflict for you. I reserve the right to end all treatments at the exact time that was scheduled. Thank you for your understanding.

Cancellations

Please allow 24 hours for cancellations. If you must miss a scheduled appointment, and we are able to re-schedule you for the same day, there is no additional fee. If the missed appointment can be re-scheduled within one week, there is a 50% re-scheduling fee. If the missed appointment is not re-scheduled within one week, I reserve the right to expect full payment for the late cancellation. Thank you for understanding.

NYS License # 27 018348

AMTA Member since 2002

Biography

I received my undergraduate degree from Hampshire College in western Massachusetts, with a self-designed major that examined the potential for an Integral Psychology (a la Ken Wilber), through the study of Developmental Psychology and Tibetan Buddhism. As part of these studies, I attended Naropa University in Boulder, CO, and traveled to Sarnath, India, where I attended The Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies to delve deeper into my Tibetan and Buddhist education. Unsatisfied with seeing Buddhism and personal growth through an academic lens, I looked to bodywork to give me the medium to channel my passion for the healing arts. Though I began in my college years with meditation, yoga and reiki, it was not until massage school that my learning began to come into form.

I attended the Boulder College of Massage Therapy in Boulder, Colorado, completing my studies in 2002. After a couple of years of excellent mentorship in Boulder, I returned to the east coast to continue my education while pursuing creative pursuits and being closer to my family. Moving to New York City in 2004, I began my practice here and have been deeply moved by diversity and motivation of this city. New York is a mecca of creativity, brilliance and inspiration from all over the globe, and I am so happy to be in the center of it.

I have completed trainings in New York City with bodywork pioneers such as Fritz Smith and Michael Oruch in Zero Balancing, Tom Bisio and Marshall Wood in Zheng Gu Tui Na, and Glenn Black in BodyTuning. I am currently studying Chinese Medicine at the Tri-State College of Acupuncture, and am a student in the Zero Balancing certification program.

For a slightly more personal biography, check out my blog at http://movingbetween.blogspot.com/

Contact

• email: benasafleisher@gmail.com to book an appointment
• phone: 917.723.3616
• location: Lower East Side of Manhattan. Directions to come with scheduling

Ben Fleisher Bodywork

(917)723-3616