Bodywork for the Queer & Trans Community
By Queers, For Queers
Everyone Deserves to Feel Safe & Seen
I know how difficult it can be to find health care providers who respect your identity, your family, and your community. Therefore, I wanted to be very upfront about my commitment to providing safe and healing bodywork and birth services to members of the queer community and to transgender folks in particular. I myself am queer, sort-of transmasculine, and nonbinary genderqueer. I use they/them pronouns. When we are working together, you are welcome to talk without judgement about your or your partners' gender identities, poly & open relationships, or kink.
Info for Trans & Genderqueer Folks
I believe strongly that positive touch can help us to heal painful disconnection from our bodies and remind us that our bodies can be a happy place to live. In this way, massage can be a important part of your transition, regardless of what you choose in regards to transitioning or physical expressions of gender. In addition to emotional benefits, massage can help to:- ease muscular imbalances from binding and support deep breathing
- facilitate your lymphatic system in processing supplemental hormones to reduce side-effects
- smooth and release scar tissue post-operatively (mastectomy, tracheal shave, facial reconstruction, etc.)
Services Offered for Queer and Trans Clients
I currently provide general/full-body and focused treatment massage in your own home, allowing for privacy, safety, and accessibility. This includes my pelvic floor manual therapy, which is relevant to anyone, including all queers, but there are also some extra considerations about pelvic floor care for trans folks, which I discuss in the next section. My mobile massage rates are $120 for a one-hour massage, or a 90-minute massage for $150. Either visit also includes time to chat before and after about how things are going and what you need. Discounted price for those buying multiple sessions at once; similar rates available for clients who would like to arrange weekly or monthly visits, and I have a standing reduced rate for trans women and transfeminine folks.Massage Subscriptions!
I'm also offering massage subscriptions for folks who know they want or need a certain number of sessions each month, with a discount and the ease of having things all set up ahead of time. If you prefer a different frequency than I have listed, we can create a custom subscription for you, and you're always free to pause or cancel at any time. Also makes a lovely ongoing gift.Let's Talk About It
Pelvic Floor Therapy for Trans & Nonbinary Folx
Of course I am happy to see anyone who's having issues with their pelvic floor, and as a midwife am very familiar with prenatal and postpartum issues. But I do want to explicitly state my dedication to offering this work to trans folks of any gender, any birth assignment, and with any medical history.
Obviously trans folks can have a complicated relationship with their pelvic region, which can lead to holding stress in the pelvic floor as well as discouraging people from seeking care when there is a problem. Fear of being misgendered by a provider or hearing triggering anatomy words can be a major deterrent from getting the care you need, so I want you to know that I value your safety and your comfort. We would always progress as slowly as you need, and use your preferred words for your own body. You may always have a companion or support person with you, and we have sessions in your own home or other safe, accessible, and trans-friendly space. If you think internal work would trigger too much dysphoria, or even if you just don't want to, keep in mind there is a lot of work that we can do externally, and we can access the deeper muscles via any canals you have that you do feel comfortable using. We will only ever do work that you fully consent to. If there's anything else I can do to make you feel more seen or more comfortable, please ask.
As far as I know, I'm the only trans provider in the Portland area offering this type of care, and one of very few invested in learning more about how trans issues intersect with pelvic floor issues. In fact, the majority of local pelvic floor providers all learned from one training model which is entirely geared toward cis women, has a lot of problematic "uterus=femininity" type language, and doesn't teach anatomy or treatments for AMAB people at all. My ongoing training includes issues common to AMAB folks as well as AFAB folks, and techniques for folks with any anatomy configuation or surgical history. This was a crucial component in choosing my training, and will continue to be as I learn more.
There isn't much research out there about how bottom surgeries affect the pelvic floor, but I have talked with local surgeons about how they do their procedures and what muscles they change. We can assume that with any surgery there will be scar tissue, which can pull on fascia throughout the pelvis and create new tension patterns or compound any previous issues. Part of my training is in releasing fascial adhesions and softening scars, which would allow your muscles and organs to move more freely.