Mountain Laurel Massage & Body Therapy

07/04/2025

Last month I was contacted by ABMP Massage and Bodywork Magazine and asked to be featured in the Faces of Bodywork section of the summer issue. It was a lot of fun answering the interview questions for the article and taking a moment to reflect on the crazy, winding road that led me to where I am today. I am so grateful for how everything has turned out, I feel so blessed by God to live here in this beautiful state of WV and have a thriving practice filled with wonderful clients who I truly love. It is a dream come true for sure. On that note, I just want to say THANK YOU to all my clients, I just love you all.

Debbie Pennington is an LMT who owns her own practice in West Virginia. Learn about her background and work in our Faces of Bodywork column.

07/17/2024

💕💕💕

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PUBLISHES LARGEST STUDY EVER ON MASSAGE THERAPY USE

July 2024

"Many people receive massage therapy and for many reasons. But according to a new study – the largest and most comprehensive ever conducted on the subject – the prevalence of visits to massage therapists is higher than one might have imagined and the reasons may be surprising."

“What our study shows is that it’s probably not helpful any longer to label massage as an ‘alternative’ therapy, with all of the marginality that the term conveys.”

“Licensed massage therapists ought to be respected as mainstream practitioners, whose profession provides a therapeutic approach not just to address pain and functional challenges but to foster wellness and overall well-being, physical and emotional.

Everyone can benefit from working with a skilled massage therapist. They’re the hidden gems in the healthcare system.” - Jeff Levin, Ph.D., M.P.H., University Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health. (Robert Rogers/Baylor University)

Study Link: Journal of Science & Healing
Prevalence & Determinants of Massage Therapy Use in the US
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830724000958

11/01/2023

UPDATE:
Mountain Laurel Massage & Body Treatment Services Menu

Swedish Massage
Deep Tissue
Neuromuscular Therapy
Myofascial Release
Hot Stone Massage
Cupping

All modalities of massage are one price (the following prices will be effective January 1, 2024).

60 min - $60
90 min - $75
120 min - $90

The following body treatments are available as of Nov. 1, 2023.

Hot Towel Foot Treatment - $10
Body Scrub - $25
Bentonite Clay Body Wrap - $75

Services Descriptions Below:

Swedish Massage – The most common massage, Swedish massage is a whole-body therapeutic massage treatment that works the soft tissues and muscles to help restore health - creating a calming and balancing effect on the nervous system.

Deep Tissue Massage – A therapeutic massage that targets deep layers of muscle and the surrounding tissues. People may choose this type of massage to treat sports injuries or chronic pain, Deep tissue massage utilizes techniques from multiple modalities such as:

Neuromuscular Therapy - Neuromuscular massage therapy, is a specialized form of massage that involves the application of firm, sustained, and controlled pressure over painful, taut bands of muscle, called myofascial trigger points, to release tension and facilitate blood flow.

Myofascial Release - Myofascial release involves slow, sustained pressure applied by the hands to areas where fascial tissue restricts mobility and may cause pain. The movement stretches the skin and fascia underneath, freeing up fluid within layers of tissue. The pressure used is gentle yet is believed to reach deeper layers of muscle and nerves.

Hot Stone Massage - A hot stone massage is a unique type of massage session to help you relax and ease tense muscles and improve circulation. Basalt stones are heated and oiled and used to massage tight muscles to ease muscle tension and increase circulation. A hot stone massage is a soothing and therapeutic massage experience.

Cupping - Cupping is an alternative therapy that involves suctioning the skin with glass, plastic, or silicone cups. It helps improve blood flow, boost immune function, remove toxins, and reduce pain. Cupping may be incorporated into any massage service or add 15 min of additional cupping time for $10.

Body Scrub - This is an intensely rejuvenating and relaxing experience that polishes your dull and tired skin and reveals the soft new skin that waits underneath. This service is approximately 30 minutes and includes a shower after the scrub is completed. This service can be added to any service for $25.

Bentonite Clay Body Wrap - to begin this service you will have a full body scrub as described above. The body scrub will be toweled off with heated moist towels and then a mixture of bentonite clay, green tea and essential oils will be applied to your entire body, and you will be wrapped in warm layers of blankets on the heated table. You will spend approximately 30 minutes wrapped in the mud during which time you will receive neck and scalp massage. Allow approximately 60 minutes for this service for $75.

Hot Towel Foot Treatment – relax as your feet are wrapped in hot towels and gently massaged and stretched. You will then receive a stimulating exfoliating foot scrub followed by a hydrating foot cream applied with a full deep massage. Add a hot towel treatment to any service, allow for 15 minutes $10.

05/12/2023

“We are here to love each other. That is why you are alive. That is what life is for.”
~Maya Angelou



Artist: Ekua Holmes, USA
Source: A Celebration of Female Artists
https://charterforcompassion.org

05/12/2023

"Today was a Difficult Day," said Pooh.
There was a pause.
"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Piglet.
"No," said Pooh after a bit. "No, I don't think I do."
"That's okay," said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend.
"What are you doing?" asked Pooh.
"Nothing, really," said Piglet. "Only, I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite often don't feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either.
"But goodness," continued Piglet, "Difficult Days are so much easier when you know you've got someone there for you. And I'll always be here for you, Pooh."
And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs...he thought that his best friend had never been more right."
A.A. Milne

03/09/2023

"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."
Iain Thomas - I Wrote This For You.

Aristide Maillol - Girl Between Flowers and Leaves.

03/05/2023

www.empathplanet.com