How To Prepare For Your Session
There really isn’t much you have to do before coming to see me. Come as you are. But a little preparation can help you feel more comfortable, settle in more easily, and get the most out of our time together.
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Being comfortably hydrated before and after your session is encouraged to support the work we’re doing together and, really, everyday humaning. Water plays a role in nearly everything your body does, including circulation, temperature regulation, cellular function, and maintaining healthy fluid balance. Your lymphatic system is an important part of that balance, continuously collecting fluid from your tissues and returning it to your bloodstream.
I often explain hydration to new clients with my grape and raisin analogy. Imagine sliding a needle through a plump, juicy grape. It passes through easily because the grape is full of water and its tissues are soft and pliable. Now imagine trying to push that same needle through a dried-out raisin. Suddenly there’s a lot more resistance and everything has to work a little harder.
Your body is obviously much more complicated than fruit, but it’s a simple way to picture why being generally well hydrated matters. Water supports the normal function and movement of your cells and tissues and helps all those beautifully complicated systems do their jobs.
Be a grape. 🍇
And no, this does not mean you need to chug a gallon of water before you arrive. Hydration is more about what you do consistently, so drink normally throughout the day, listen to your thirst, and give your body what it needs to do what it already knows how to do.
And yes, lymphatic work may have you making a few extra trips to the bathroom afterward. Consider it a little wave from your kidneys.
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There’s no need to come to your session hungry. A light meal or snack beforehand is perfectly fine, but try to avoid a large or heavy meal right before your appointment. Lying face-down, abdominal work, and deep relaxation are generally a lot more comfortable when your body isn’t busy digesting a giant meal.
Caffeine doesn’t have to be off-limits, but consider going easy on it before your session, especially if it tends to make you feel jittery, restless, or sends you running to the bathroom.
Alcohol is best avoided before your session. It can contribute to dehydration and affect your awareness of what you’re feeling in your body, which makes it harder for us to communicate clearly and work together safely.
A little mindfulness around what you eat and drink beforehand can help you arrive feeling comfortable, present, and ready to settle in.
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What you wear, or don’t wear, during your session is entirely up to you and your comfort level. Most clients undress completely or leave their underwear on, but you will never be expected to remove more clothing than feels comfortable to you.
If you’re comfortable being completely undressed, that is my preference. It gives me the easiest access to work with your whole body, and because lymphatic work is very gentle and superficial, tight or restrictive clothing can create compression in the very areas where I’m trying to support fluid movement. You’ll be professionally draped throughout your session, with only the area I’m actively working on uncovered. Trust me, I don’t want to see your “bits” any more than you want me to see them.
I consider the glutes and hips an important part of the leg and always include them in my work. These are large, hardworking muscles, and giving them attention can be especially important when you’re experiencing hip or low-back tension and discomfort. If you choose to leave your underwear on, that’s absolutely okay. I can adjust the waistband and securely tuck the sheet into it as I work. Fair warning: this may result in a temporary wedgie. Loose-fitting shorts are another option if you prefer more coverage, although they can limit skin-to-skin access.
For the ladies, when working on the abdomen I will use a pillowcase as an additional drape to keep the chest securely covered while still allowing comfortable access to the abdomen. If you’d prefer more or less coverage for any reason, just let me know. Draping can always be adjusted to what feels most comfortable for you.
Your comfort and consent always come first. If you aren’t comfortable with me working on any part of your body, please let me know. We can skip that area altogether or find another way to give it some attention while keeping you feeling safe and comfortable.
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There’s no need to lotion up before you come see me. Clean, product-free skin is best whenever possible. Because my work is lymphatically guided, I’ll work into your armpits to access the axillary lymph nodes, so if you’re comfortable skipping deodorant before your session, that’s ideal too. If not, no worries. Deodorant is certainly not a dealbreaker.
And since someone apologizes to me for this approximately every five minutes: you do not need to shave for me. If freshly shaved skin makes the experience feel smoother or more sensory-pleasing to you, go for it. If shaving wasn't even remotely on your radar that day, also completely fine. I work with plenty of body hair and promise I am unbothered by yours.
I primarily use coconut oil during massage and a richer homemade body butter on areas that could use a little extra moisture. It’s made with shea butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil, and essential oils.
Most sessions also include some aromatherapy, because I love incorporating scent into the experience and most of my clients enjoy it too. But scent is incredibly personal. Please tell me about any allergies, skin sensitivities, scent aversions, or scents that simply don’t feel good or safe to you. If lavender transports you somewhere you absolutely do not want to go, I need to know that. We’ll leave the lavender out.
The products and scents I use should support your experience, not compete with it.
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If you can, give yourself a little buffer around your appointment rather than racing from one thing straight into the next. I’ll be ready for you about five minutes before your scheduled time, so feel free to arrive a little early, use the restroom, slip off your shoes, and give yourself a moment to shift out of your day.
And yes, take the bathroom break. An empty bladder makes lying on the table much more comfortable, and because lymphatic work supports fluid movement, you may be especially glad you went before we started.
If your bladder starts talking to you during your session, please listen to it. It’s much better to lose a few minutes of table time than to spend the rest of your session trying to ignore an increasingly demanding bladder. I have a robe you can slip on for a quick trip to the restroom, and then we’ll pick right back up so you can actually relax again.
There’s no need to rush out afterward either. Give yourself a few minutes to come fully back into your body before driving or diving into whatever comes next. The lobby is yours to enjoy for at least 30 minutes after your session, so grab some tea, add a few pieces to the community puzzle, browse the shared library, or simply sit and be for a while.
Your session doesn’t have to begin and end at the edge of my massage table. Give yourself permission to make a little space around it.
Communication, Feedback & Preferences
What’s With The Inquisition?
I ask a lot of questions because your health history matters to the work we do together, sometimes in ways you might not expect. Certain health conditions, medications, surgeries, and changes in your body can affect which techniques are appropriate or how I approach your session. Something that may not seem relevant to massage or lymphatic work, like a heart or kidney condition, can actually be very important for me to know.
Your body isn’t static. What felt great last month may not be what you need today. Medications change. Injuries happen. Stress shows up in unexpected places. Sometimes you don’t realize how much your neck hurts until somebody asks you to think about your neck.
The questions are part of my process. They help me work with you safely, thoughtfully, and intentionally.
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Before your first session, you’ll receive a detailed intake form covering your health history, medications, surgeries, injuries, areas of concern, preferences, and other information that helps me work with you safely and intentionally.
Please take your time with it. The thoroughness is intentional, particularly because lymphatic work requires me to understand certain aspects of your health before we begin. Your answers also give us a starting point for the conversation we’ll have when you arrive.
Your first appointment includes extra time specifically for this. We’ll review your intake, talk about what brought you to me, answer questions, and get to know each other a little before you get on the table.
You don’t have to know exactly what you need. That’s part of what we’ll figure out together.
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Once we’ve established that foundation, I don’t need your entire life story every time you come back. But I do want to know what has changed since I saw you last.
You’ll receive a shorter pre-session check-in 24 hours before every appointment. Take a few intentional minutes with it rather than clicking through on autopilot. Notice how you’re feeling. What’s different? What feels good? What’s asking for attention? Is there anything you loved last time, or something you’d rather we skip?
I review your check-in the morning of your session, so please complete it as soon as you’re able after it arrives in your inbox. Getting it back to me ahead of time gives me a chance to read your responses and begin thinking about our time together before you walk through the door.
And perhaps most importantly, the check-in isn’t just for me. It’s for you. It’s an opportunity to stop doing for a few minutes, listen to your body, and begin your session before you ever arrive.
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When I ask what you loved about your session or what you’d rather skip next time, I genuinely want to know. “I loved it all!” is lovely to hear, but it doesn’t give me much to work with.
Every body is different, and so is every session. Because my work is intuitive and responsive to what I’m noticing that day, your next session won’t necessarily unfold exactly like the last one. If you were surprised by how much you loved having your ears worked on, wished I’d spent another ten minutes on your feet, really loved the abdominal work, or discovered that you could happily live the rest of your life without having a particular technique repeated, tell me.
Those little details matter.
After you leave, I take time to make notes about our session, including what we did and anything you’ve shared about your preferences. I am absolutely not keeping information that isn’t mine in my already-too-full brain. Your notes become part of how I get to know you over time and help me make future sessions feel increasingly personal to your body.
That’s also why I ask about your previous session on your next pre-session check-in. I know it can be hard to give feedback immediately afterward when you’re relaxed, a little massage-drunk, and possibly trying to remember how shoes work. By the time that next check-in arrives, you may have a much better sense of what stood out.
Your feedback isn’t validation for me. It’s information for us. The more you tell me about what feels especially good, helpful, uncomfortable, surprising, or simply not your thing, the better I can shape our work together.
Payment & Policies
I want your time in my space to be an opportunity to step away from all the doing and simply be.
Your session price includes sales tax, and gratuities are neither expected nor accepted.
No extra fees, no tipping, no math involved!
Taking care of your session fee ahead of time helps with that, giving you one less reason to reach for your phone
and more space to stay connected to your body before and after your session.
Prepayment is encouraged whenever possible, especially since cell service in my suite is spotty at best
and electronic payments often require connecting to Wi-Fi once you're here.
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You can pre-pay using Zelle or Venmo, or if you prefer to pay with cash, that’s cool too!
Zelle is preferred:
zelle tag: @chrysalishealingVenmo: @Heidi-Being-Heidi
When paying electronically, please include only your session date in the description.
QR codes and Wi-Fi information are available in my suite if needed.
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I can accept HSA/FSA cards for massage sessions with a current prescription for massage from your healthcare provider, which must be on file before your appointment.
Please check with your HSA/FSA plan administrator in advance to confirm that massage therapy is an eligible expense under your plan and that your card can be used for payment.
It's your responsibility to verify eligibility with your plan administrator. If you'd like to use your HSA/FSA card, please contact me ahead of your appointment to arrange for your prescription to be provided.
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I understand that life happens and sometimes plans need to change. Please give as much notice as possible when canceling or rescheduling your appointment. With 48+ hours’ notice, there is no fee; 24–48 hours’ notice carries a $50 cancellation fee; and cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice or missed appointments are charged the full session fee.
If I'm able to fill your appointment time, the cancellation fee will be waived.
How To Find Me
Chrysalis Healing is located
inside Revitalized Roots
at 1820 Northwest Boulevard.
A quick heads-up before you trust your map app with your life: GPS can be a little wonky when you get close and may try to direct you toward the nearby apartments or another entrance.
The important part is simple: turn directly into our parking lot from Northwest Boulevard. Once you’re in the lot, this photo will show you exactly where to park and which entrance to use.
If your GPS and this picture disagree, trust the picture.
Once you’re inside, I’m on the first floor, second door on the left.
After Your Session
Your experience doesn’t necessarily end when you get off the table.
You may continue to notice changes in how your body feels over the next day or two,
so give yourself a little time to notice what unfolds.
Maybe you sleep differently, notice a change in an area we worked on, feel especially relaxed, or realize something we did felt particularly helpful.
You may also discover that something didn’t feel as good afterward as you thought it did in the moment.
Notice it. Get curious.
I believe our bodies are constantly giving us information, and part of caring for ourselves is learning to listen.
Pain, tension, fatigue, ease, comfort, even the places that suddenly feel quieter can all be invitations to pay a little more attention.
You don’t have to immediately decide what something means or rush to make it go away. Sometimes simply noticing creates an opportunity to ask: What am I feeling? What makes it louder? What helps turn the volume down? What does my body seem to be asking for right now?
That kind of curiosity can help you begin recognizing your own patterns and learning what supports your well-being.
The goal isn’t for me to become the expert on your body. It’s for you to become more connected to the expert who already lives there: you.
When your next pre-session check-in arrives, tell me what you noticed.
Those observations help us continue learning together and shape the work we do the next time you’re on my table.