In
the latest edition of the Spotlight we will be looking to better our
bodies and minds with Sarah Van Deren.
I
have known Sarah for about as long as I have been Tattooing,
she
is both funny and versatile in all sorts of situations. Whether there
is late night hard boiled tom foolery afoot, fence hopping hip
bruising going about, or just a Sunday BBQ in the making; Sarah
slides onto the scene smoother than John Candy in Cool Runnings!!
The
first time I had tattooed her was also the first time I heard her use
a certain expletive word to express her inner anguish, a good day for
everyone. Needless to say she sat like a champ and my friendship with
Sarah and her family (Hey Bryon!) was solidified.
I
can easily tell you all that Sarah is a dependable and hard working
young woman, but what really stands out to me is that she cares not
only for her profession BUT for her clients as well. She is the type
of person that is going to put in the long hours to ensure
perfection, provide customers with quality over quantity, and above
all Sarah will continuously strive for improvement within her craft
to better the experience and service for others.I am happy to know
her and I look forward to whats to develop with Magnificent Massage
and Bodywork
Q
and A with Sarah:
Q:
So tell us your name and what it is you do?
A:
I'm Sarah Van Deren, and I am a Licensed Massage Practitioner, and
business owner. I absolutely love doing massage,
business management not so much but it is worth it to
work for myself, and work with other LMP's who love
what we do.
Q: Could you give us a description of what exactly massage is?
A:
Massage is working with the body, specifically soft
tissue like muscles, fascia, tendons and
ligaments, to relax your body and mind. Massage can be nice and
relaxing, or it can be deep and intense to help with serious muscle
tension and injuries that cause pain and discomfort.
Q: How did you get started in that industry? What was it that
peaked
your interest?
A:
I got started going to massage school when I turned 18, I
quit high school because I wanted to be in college and actually
do something with my life rather than waste my time with high
school drama, looking back it wasn't that smart but the only
thing not getting my high school diploma stopped me from
doing was getting a job at petsmart while I was in massage
school. I was actually doing my senior project on Massage
Therapy, and became extremely interested in massage through
researching and talking to massage practitioners in the field.
My whole family supported my decision, because who doesn't want a
massage therapist in the family.
Q: Do you feel that massage can be beneficial to a persons life?
A:
Massage can be beneficial to everyone. Massage is so simple and
yet complex it can be adjusted to fit any one with almost any
condition. Generally massage relaxes and soothes stress. But it can
also help recovery from healed injuries and surgeries. Muscles and
joints need to be moved and stretched to stay healthy, Massage does
that. Most people today work at computers and have constant
tension in their muscle from being in one position for long amounts
of time, what do you do when you get up from the computer? Move,
stretch and roll your shoulders to get rid of that cramped feeling
right? Massage lets your muscles relax while stretching and moving
them around to increase flexibility and circulation. If you don't do
the right amount of physical activity and stretching daily, you
muscles aren't moving enough to be at peak performance.
Q: What are some of your favorite types of massage to do and why?
A:
I would say Swedish massage is my favorite modality just
because of the versatility, I can do a soft, flowing massage
with the same strokes I can use to do a deep tissue/ injury relief
massage treatment.
Q: Tell us about your business Magnificent Massage. How did it get started and how has it been so far?
A:
I have been planning on opening my own business since I finished
Massage school. I started in 2010 independently contracting with
chiropractic offices and day spas, then moved into mobile massage to
start building up my own clientele and services. Then
out of the blue one of my clients, Barry, who was a business owner
already, decided he wants to help me and another LMP, Aja, get
together and start a business. How could I say no? Two
months later we had our grand opening in August 2013. It
was a rough start but thanks to help from family and friends we got
going. Opening day we had just barely finished setting up before
our first clients walked in the door. Unfortunately in
September, Aja decided to pursue other career options and left me to
run the business by myself. But now 6 months in it is
going great, we are steadily building clientele, I have hired 3
other LMP's to work here in the Spa and one to do chair massage
in some businesses we are contracted with.
Q: Do you enjoy the area and clientele which you service?
A:
I enjoy working in Puyallup, it’s close to home. I do
enjoy working with the clientele here, who are all
people who love massage and the benefits that follow.
Q: What are some of the things which your company offers that you are excited about?
A:
Well we offer massage, which is our main service, but we have
recently added spa treatments to our menu, which I love! We
do Facials, Waxing, Body Scrubs, and Body wraps now to
complement massage. Soon I hope to add mobile massage to our offered
services, I believe getting a massage in your own home is
the most beneficial way to go, not only are you comfortable
surrounded with whatever you want, you don't have to get up and
drive home. I don't have to worry about my clients getting
up off the table in a relaxed state, a bit dazed, or sleepy to
go drive home. On top of that, traffic causes stress and puts
the tension back in your body, ruining all my hard work.
Q: Do you plan to be there a while?
Q: Do you plan to be there a while?
A:
Well the lease is for 5 years so yes I plan on being here for at
least 5 years.
Q: As a Tattoo Artist I have been interested in massage, could you tell me some of the reasons why I should consider it?
Q: As a Tattoo Artist I have been interested in massage, could you tell me some of the reasons why I should consider it?
A:
Ha! You should consider massage!
As
a Tattoo artist you should definitely consider massage. I
have met quite a few tattoo artists that don't think
massage is worth it at a professional level. I believe the
reason is because you are used to permanency i.e tattoos, and a
massage doesn't last forever. Your muscles don't stay relaxed after a
massage permanently, like brushing your teeth, if you only do it once
or when it gets really bad, it only helps temporarily until you
change your habits.
I
have seen that way most artists hunch over drawing or tattooing
skin for hours on end, having bad posture for long
periods of time will stress your muscles and cause tension which in
turn causes painful sore muscles. You may not feel it as
much now since your young, your muscles heal faster, and you can
ignore it easier. But as you get older it compounds on its
self through the years and your muscles get set in their ways
and all of the stress and tension becomes a normal state of
being, making injuries more likely to happen and easier to evolve
into serious issues.
Q: Have you yourself benefited from receiving massage?
A:
Oh definitely. Since starting massage school, I have been more
aware of my body and muscle tension. For the first few
years of practicing, I was not very good at getting a regular
massage. but as the years go on and I notice more and more how stress
and bad posture affect me, I now get a massage at least
once a month if not 2-3 times.
Q:
What are some common misconceptions about massage? Can you clear
those up for us?
A:
Well there are many, but there are a few main ones:
First
off, female LMP's can do deep tissue massage just as well as male
LMP's can. Strength or body size has little impact on deep
tissue massage, it’s more leverage than strength, and knowing how
to work and react to the muscles.
"No
Pain No Gain" or the "Deeper the Better" is not
true. If it hurts too much you can be causing serious injury as well
as completely defeating the point of "relaxing" your
muscles. Yes in some cases more pressure may help release the
muscles better, and it may be a bit painful, but it all depends on
your pain tolerance, and the way you body reacts to it.
Women
don't have to apologize for not shaving their legs, we work on mens
legs and they never shave so don't worry about it, we couldn't care
less if you have shaved or unshaven legs.
Q: Tell us about some of your inspirations within massage? And what types if things you do to continually progress within your field?
A:
My biggest inspiration for massage is my clients, I love watching
them progressively get better and better with every visit. and
throughout our sessions I am constantly evaluating my work and
figuring out the areas I need to focus on to get better and more
effectively help people. Working with other LMP's and learning what
they do differently than myself and apply it to my work or taking
classes on the subjects.
Q: What are the best ways for new clients to reach you?
A:
The best way to reach me is through the spa, calling and leaving a
message. we don't have a receptionist so leave a message and I will
call you back asap.
To
contact Sarah and book your next massage, please follow the
links below:
Phone:
(253)268-3763
magnificentmassageandbodywork@gmail.com
www.mymagnificentmassage.com
facebook.com/MagnificentMassageAndBodywork
10217
144th st e
Puyallup,
WA 98374
