Meet the Team: June

Welcome, June!

SuNu Wellness has, in my opinion, the best Bodywork Team in the Twin Cities. Every massage appointment I’ve experienced at either location has been “the best massage I’ve ever had!” I always walk away learning something valuable about myself, my body and new, important ways to care for it. I’m not the only person who feels this way, the secret is out, SuNu is the place to go for sensational bodywork. The Massage Team is in high demand and that’s one of the reasons it’s so exciting to add June to the Minnetonka roster.

June brings a vibrant, fun, free-spirited and nurturing energy to the group. She’s been here only a short while but has quickly become as sought after as the rest of the team.

I was lucky enough to interview June for this piece, and am grateful to get the chance to introduce her to the SuNu Community. Read on to learn more about June and discover if she might just be the Massage Therapist you’ve been looking for.

A conversation between June & Erica Ciardelli:

 

What drew you to bodywork/massage therapy? How long have you been doing it and what keeps you going?
Massage therapy caught my attention as a way to more thoroughly address over all wellness. I worked as an aesthetician at a spa surrounded by a lot of inspiring and interesting massage therapists, and they seemed to be able to achieve a level of addressing pain, discomfort, and chronic issues that piqued my interest. I loved cosmetology work, but it wasn’t a good vessel for the kind of help and healing I wanted to provide. I’m coming up on 8.5 years in the field, and the combination of variety in complaints, how much the body can change in one session, and the number of inspiring and heartwarming people I have the pleasure of working on keep me from ever getting bored.

In addition to traditional massage therapy (deep tissue, trigger point, myofascial work), you have lots of other certifications, training and specialties. Can you explain how you incorporate some of those other techniques into your bodywork sessions?
I feel like, thanks to a very talented team of educators, I have an absolutely massive toolbox. I tend to work very intuitively and change up the tools I’m using as I go along. Sometimes a person’s neck calls for trigger point with deep gliding work, whereas their shoulders would benefit more from myofascial work. Sometimes muscles have a hard time warming up or relaxing and would do better with hot stone application. I’ve had the time to experiment enough with each modality to be able to sense what goes where, but it’s always possible for a muscle’s response to surprise me! As far as continuing my education, I want to hear more from people who share a focus in personal injury. I’d love to discuss what their findings have been with different patterns of trauma to the body and compare notes.

While every session is individualized based on the client’s needs, etc., can you describe what someone can expect when working with you?
I’d like to think they can expect focus. Just like every session is individualized, clients can expect me to take an interest in their symptoms, their history, and their experiences – no matter how big or small. Curiosity is a driving force of my massages and a thorough history can provide a lot of context in understanding a body’s patterns. That way, when I’m addressing focus areas, it provides an outline for me to really work on their primary concern and understand how it may be impacting other parts of their body in day to day life. Whenever I’m being seen by a provider, I always notice whether or not I seem like “just another patient” –

 I want the people who book with me to feel seen, heard, and like they’re my number one priority.

What’s something you wish more people knew about how to care for their bodies, perhaps a recurring injury or ailment you see?
My number one tip to prevent desk body/ergonomic strain is to set your mobile phone or watch to vibrate every 15 or so minutes whenever feasible. As soon as you hear that buzz, do whatever movement you can – stretch your shoulders out, do a neck roll, stand up and walk around, take a jog around the block… MOVE! Habits are the number one way to reduce that chronic fatigue, and if there’s a gentle reminder without major expectations attached to it, you can begin to build those habits without feeling a lot of pressure to add another thing to your to-do list.

As a newer member to the SuNu Bodywork Team, what are some things you’re really enjoying about being here?
Probably the amount of laughter I get to experience – along with being constantly fed. I don’t think I’ve ever had the stars align quite this luxuriously – we’d be here all week if I started listing everything I enjoy. Belly laughs and delicious foods are definitely the two biggest ones.

What do you hope to see more of, grow into, and learn more about at SuNu?
I love the commitment to education and growth. There’s a constant propulsion forward, and, even when it’s scary, we do it together. I live and breathe that kind of purposeful search for knowledge.

With the pandemic, social distancing and everything that we’ve been through over the last 18 months, as a bodyworker and someone who offers healing through human touch and connection, how (if at all) has your approach to care changed?
Validation has become one of the most important things I could possibly express. We’ve all done this for the very first time. No one has had the same experience. I see a lot of people invalidating the seriousness of what they’ve gone through and/or comparing themselves to people who have theoretically struggled more. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to let yourself stop, breathe, and say, “This has not been easy!” without any negative self-talk.

I’m a shameless Mr. Rogers fan, and as such, I always look for the helpers

It turns out that they’re on my treatment table more often than not. Getting to work with teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, young men and women out protesting and standing up for one another, fellow massage therapists, admin staff… the list goes on. It’s so easy to feel disheartened and jaded, but I believe that because of the company I get to keep on a weekly basis, my optimism is just fine.

Connect with June & SuNu Wellness