Integrated Bodywork By Jennifer

11/22/2025

So I get this question all the time from clients. And the first thing I ask them is do you believe you can?

Somehow, in our current world, we get stuck in beliefs that when something happens to us, it will always be that way. Perhaps it’s my positive outlook on life, but I am a firm believer that nothing has to stay the same because the fact is nothing does stay the same! In addition, it’s usually our body’s way of giving us information if we listen!

While there’s certainly limitations with certain severe injuries, illnesses and genetic factors… science has proven that our mind plays a big role in our healing. So the first step to getting better is believing that you can! After that, it’s up to you to continue to be an advocate for your own health and continue to seek out professionals until you start seeing improvements.

I also encourage all of my clients to pay attention to daily patterns in their life of how they use their bodies or more importantly how they do not use their bodies. For example: right handed people always think their tension will be on the right, but more often I find it on the left because that side has less mobility throughout the day.

Once you believe you can get better and you have become aware of your patterns, the key is finding the right professional to help you make the right changes in your daily routine. That can be through physical therapy., a personal trainer, a nutritionist, and obviously your team of healthcare professionals (doctor, chiropractor, mental health practitioner, acupuncturist, massage therapist…etc).

But ultimately, it’s up to you to take action and advocate for yourself, especially if nothing is changing . Don’t be afraid to use multiple practitioners even within the same field to get multiple opinions.

Most importantly, you have to be consistent! Things don’t always change overnight and while I have been called a magician the truth is that even if I help create change, you have to make the changes in your life to keep things from coming back. And that’s not just doing PT exercises til it goes away. That’s making lifestyle changes that will help keep your body in balance throughout your life. 🙌🏻💖💪🏻

10/27/2025

If you’ve ever wanted to try a Thai massage.. go see my friend and former colleague Liz!

She is incredible!

10/21/2025

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Peripheral neuropathy is damage to peripheral nerves which causes localized pain and abnormal sensations (numbness, tingling, burning, coldness) or loss of sensations as well as muscle weakness, mo…

10/13/2025

Woke up and did this routine this morning and I don’t regret it! #3 was amazing for my neck!

These 3 basic Fascial Maneuvers can help reduce 70-80% of the stress in the body, it can be done once or twice a day. If done for 28 days most issues will be...

09/26/2025

It was no coincidence that the universe brought this special lady Ann Boone and her husband to Kansas City last week during the month that I am celebrating 20 years since graduating Massage school.

Not only was she one of my instructors for both humans and horses, but she was also designated as my mentor for the program. Little did we know that mentorship would turn into lasting friendship. Not only do we share the same passion for Massage and Healing, but we also share the same passion for horse racing and horses. It was so fun to finally meet her husband and get to hear his stories from the horse racing world as well.

While life has twists and turns that we never expect, I am so grateful for the people that come into our lives that help us navigate it all and act as a mentor long past the end of that official role. Ann has definitely filled that role in my life! I am so grateful for her endless knowledge, leadership, & boundless commitment to excellence and lifelong learning. She inspires me in all she does in life both professionally and personally 🙏🏻💖

09/19/2025

Happy Second Summer!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer! For all those heat/sweat people out there we certainly had plenty of the muggy summer weather! Personally I am excited for my favorite season....First Fall : )

This month I am celebrating 20 years since I graduated Massage School & 15 years in private practice! 🙌🏻 Quite the milestone for a massage therapist! KS>KY>CA>MO>FL>KY>NY>NJ>KY>MO>???

When I graduated massage school in Lexington, KY, I had no idea this career would take me all the places I have been. But more importantly, getting to meet so many people along the way that have been inspirations, mentors and close friends to me. I’m so grateful for them all. And I can’t even begin to start to thank all the clients that have molded and shaped me into the therapist I am today! 🙏🏻 Each client teaches me so much and I am blessed to have so many long-standing loyal ones that are essentially extended family to me!

Many of you also know that my passion for therapy and massage began from my love for horses🐴 . I’m also proud to celebrate 20 years since I completed my first Equine massage course as well. I can’t begin to explain how much working on horses helps my human practice and vice versa. Horses are such emotional, intelligent and energetic creatures. While they don’t speak our language, they have have so much information to share when you listen. I’ve been blessed with so many wonderful equine clients and thoroughly enjoyed my year working on the horse racing 🏇 circuit getting to live out one of my career goals!

But just like any career, the biggest key to longevity is self-care and taking care of yourself mentally and physically! I’m also very grateful for all the therapists that have taken care of me over the years to keep me doing what I love! 💖

I'm looking forward to many more years of service & helping people feel their best! 🙏🏻

New Booking Policy

After years of relying on the general common courtesy for my cancellation policy, I have finally decided to join my colleagues and the rest of the spa industry in requiring a credit card when booking your appointment online purely for late cancellations and no-shows. While these certainly are rare occurrences in my business, I hope everyone can understand I need to be able to protect my business. Not only does it directly impact my income, it also prevents others from being able to book during that time frame. As a reminder, I simply ask that you give me 24hr notice if you need to cancel or I will charge 50% of the service at my discretion and 100% for complete no-shows. Obviously for emergency situations I will make exceptions but I simply ask for the courtesy of giving me as much notice as possible.

Also, to clarify, this does not mean you have to pay with that credit card and it is only held for the one appointment. In fact, I still prefer if you can pay via Cash, Venmo or Check to avoid the credit card fees. However, I can and will accept credit cards, tap to pay, etc... if you prefer that form of payment.

I really hope everyone can understand this change but please contact me directly if you have any concerns or questions about this new policy.

Complimentary Add-Ons

As many of you know I strive to customize everyone's session by offering all the tools in my toolbag ( both literal tools... cupping, gua-sha, hot-stones, and different tools as in techniques...stretching, flowtrition, reiki, etc), but please be sure to say something at the beginning of the session if there is a specific tool or technique that you really like and would like me to include in your session. I am happy to accommodate. Hot-Stones are the only tools I need advance notice to include so I can make sure they are warmed up!

Arrival Reminders

Another housekeeping reminder...

Since I share my office space with Dr. Spencer, I want to remind everyone that his office is only open Monday- Thursday and is closed for a long lunch from 12 noon - 2:30pm. So it is very likely that at some point you may have a massage with me during a time when the front door is locked. If you ever arrive and find them closed, please contact me directly (text or phone call) as I am either in the back getting my room ready or possibly still in route to the office and will be there shortly.

If the office is open you are welcome to come inside and either have a seat upfront by the front desk or come down the hallway and either peak to see if my door is open and I am ready or have a seat in the chairs just around the corner.

In addition, I have been informed that the Apple GPS is sometimes directing people to the massage business at the other end of the business center so please be sure you are coming to Spencer Chiropractic. He is at the far left end of the strip mall.

Book In Advance

While I am certainly not booked out months/years in advance like some therapists in Kansas City, I am starting to fill my schedule a bit further out so I highly encourage you to plan ahead If you are needing an appointment. Lately, it is recommended that you try to book 1-2 weeks in advance and even earlier if you are wanting a high demand time slot such as a Saturday or late evening.

Seriously, massage is one of the best pro-health, pro-mental health, pro-longevity, pro-workplace productivity activities you can do for yourself! Don't save it just for when you are in pain!

I look forward to seeing you all on my table soon!

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Click here for an update from Integrated Bodywork By Jennifer!

09/02/2025

This month I am celebrating 20 years since I graduated Massage School & 15 years in private practice! 🙌🏻 Quite the milestone for a massage therapist! KS>KY>CA>MO>FL>KY>NY>NJ>KY>MO>???When I graduated massage school in Lexington, KY, I had no idea this career would take me all the places I have been. But more importantly, getting to meet so many people along the way that have been inspirations, mentors and close friends to me. I’m so grateful for them all. And I can’t even begin to start to thank all the clients that have molded and shaped me into the therapist I am today! 🙏🏻 Each client teaches me so much and I am blessed to have so many long-standing loyal ones that are essentially extended family to me! Many of you also know that my passion for Therapy and Massage began from my love for horses🐴 . I’m also proud to celebrate 20 years since I completed my first Equine massage course as well. I can’t begin to explain how much working on horses helps my human practice and vice versa. Horses are such emotional, intelligent and energetic creatures. While they don’t speak our language, they have have so much information to share when you listen. I’ve been blessed with so many wonderful equine clients and thoroughly enjoyed my year working on the horse racing 🏇 circuit getting to live out one of my career goals! But just like any career, the biggest key to longevity is self-care and taking care of yourself mentally and physically! I’m also very grateful for all the therapists that have taken care of me over the years to keep me doing what I love! 💖

Here’s a shout out to some of the people/places that have been a part of my journey…

Looking forward to many more years of service & helping people feel their best! 🙏🏻✨

06/06/2025

PEMF/Magnawave is a great tool not just for horses, but for people too, and especially athletes! And I concur with Brian and using it right before you go to bed. You will have the best sleep.!!
Contact me if you’d like to try it out during your next massage!

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03/26/2025

Exciting News: Now Offering Reiki Energy Healing

I am excited to announce that this past weekend, I completed level 1 & 2 Reiki training with a local Reiki Master Teacher from the International Center of Reiki Training. Over the years, I have received many Reiki sessions from various massage therapists and practitioners and find the modality to be very effective and a wonderful tool to add to my tool bag.

In short, Reiki is a Japanese stress reduction and relaxation technique that promotes healing and well-being by encouraging a healthy flow of energy through the body's Chakras or energy centers. In turn, it helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and pain. It is administered by lightly laying hands on the body or above the body in our energy fields. To read up more on this modality, you can visit reiki.org (http://www.reiki.org)

I will be adding Reiki to my menu as a separate service at an introductory price, but I can also incorporate it into any massage or designate a certain time frame of your session so you can specifically experience Reiki on its own. Please let me know at the beginning of your service if you would like to include it in your session.

Upcoming Travel & Schedule Changes

Spring is finally here, and you all might know, but it's my absolute favorite time of year. Longer days, sunshine, blooming flowers, and of course, baby horses!

Which brings me to my next announcement that I will be taking another small vacation this year in April back to my old Kentucky home to get my horse fix with friends. It will be shorter than last year, but it will take place from April 23rd-28th. So plan ahead and book online if you haven't scheduled your April massage!

In addition, since returning to Kansas City, I have allowed my work schedule to be flexible based on the demand of what days are convenient for my clients. While I plan to continue to work Monday - Fridays, including some evenings, you may notice a few more Saturdays blocked in the coming months to give myself a bit more of a work/life balance! I will definitely maintain a couple of Saturdays each month, but after 20 years, I feel it's time I explore what it's like to have a two-day weekend occasionally!

Tips to Get the Most from your massage!

Too often when a client comes in for a massage, we immediately start talking about your problem areas and what I should address during the session. I will admit, I often forget to bring up these topics but I wanted to give you all a list of some tips of how to make the most of your massage experience.

Before the Massage:

Hydrate: Drink plenty of water before & after your massage to help rehydrate your body. ( I have a new Spring Water dispenser. Please help yourself!)
Communicate: Let me know about any specific areas of concern, pain, or preferences you have (music, heat on the table, areas you don't want to be touched/massaged).
Undress to your comfort level: I will always maintain professional draping throughout the session; however, if you would like the hip or gluteal muscles massaged, it can be beneficial to remove any underwear so I can access those areas.
Be considerate of strong smells: Please avoid applying strong perfumes or colognes before your massage, and please limit any cigarette smoking, va**ng, ma*****na, or alcohol use. Not only am I sensitive to these smells as your therapist, but the smells can linger in my treatment room and impact future clients that may have sensitivities or allergies as well.

During the Massage:

Relax and Breathe:
Focus on deep, slow breathing during the massage to promote relaxation and enhance the benefits of the treatment.
Move if you need to:
Often during a massage or bodywork (specifically my Flowtrition treatment) you may feel the urge to stretch or move as your body/nervous system starts to unwind. Please feel free to allow these movements as you sense them.
Communicate:
Don't hesitate to let your therapist know if the pressure is too light or too strong.
Be present:
Give yourself permission to be quiet and focus on the massage experience. I try to let my clients lead in any talking, but remember your time on my table is for you to relax and tune into your body.
Listen to your body:
Pay attention to how your body feels and communicate any discomfort or pain.

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Click here for an update from Integrated Bodywork By Jennifer!

03/19/2025

Made my Day! Sciatic nerve pain can be a bit psychotic! Fortunately massage can help.. along with other alternative therapies and exercises. Please don’t live in pain and seek out help!

12/24/2024

“It’s not how deep you go… it’s how you go deep! “

Deep Tissue with heavy pressure is an Old Myth! It’s our job as massage therapists to help the nervous system get out of fight or flight mode and work through the layers of tissue as the body allows to unwind.. If you force your way into a body you are essentially causing more trauma which is why clients feel sore or bruised afterwards. This is not helping the nervous system and can be harmful.

Always use your voice to speak up during a massage if your therapist is using pressure that causes you to tense up or is painful.

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So true!