Jessica Wood-Vallee
Owner & LMT
MA74850
MM47837
Hi there! My name is Jessica, owner of Zenphoria Bodyworks.
I am proud to say that I am Brevard's first ASMR massage therapist, and am excited to bring that experince to the Space Coast. Beyond that, I believe one of the most important parts of a great massage is finding a LMT whose style matches your personal preferences. As both a massage therapist and a long-time massage client, I have learned that finding the right massage therapist often takes some trial and error.
I started this business becasue there are two things that I am definitely not a stranger to - chronic pain, and chronic stress.
No Stranger to Pain...
I dealt with chronic low back pain for over 10 years.
I remember having multiple chiropractic appointments each week, regular massages, accupuncture, epidural steroid shots ... anything just to make the pain stop.
I desperately wanted to keep things natural, and avoid surgery at all costs.
Everyone I saw had their opinion - most would assure me that seeing them regularly would manage my pain indefinitley.
That wasn't the case at all.
I wound up having spinal fusion surgery that gave me my life back, and it was truly the best thing I have ever done for myself despite the fear.
I know what it is like to have debilitating chronic pain, but I also know the limitations of holistic approaches, despite how badly you want them to work. I understand massage therapy's role in the management of chronic pain, but also understand its limitations first hand.
I will always be honest with you about what massage can do for you, and will urge you to work with the appropriate medical professionals when necessary not just tell you to see me more frequently.
Or to stress ...
As far as chronic stress goes, I did an 8-year stint in Corporate America as a Subcontract Manager.
I know what it is like to:
Be a salaried employee working way more than 40 hours a week.
Have a brain so fried at the end of the day that it takes hours to feel like yourself again when the workday is over.
Experience the shudder you when you hear the Teams ringtone or get added to a 5:00pm meeting.
Be forced to check emails when at home, on weekends, or even on vacation (or come back to ~1200 emails after being OOO for a week 😔).
I also know that having a desk job can make your body feel worse than a job that is physical, and how it erodes your muscles, gives you tension headaches, and makes you wish you could do anything else.
During this chapter of my life, I was never able to shut my brain off.
Whether it was watching a movie, hanging out with friends and family, trying to fall asleep at night, or getting a massage I could never just enjoy the moment. I was always thinking about work or some other stressor.
This experience is actually my driving force behind providing ASMR and ASMR/massage combo sessions. I know what it is like to live in chronic fight or flight, and found that gentle sensory work, whether alone or with massage genuinely helps & I want to share that sense of calm with you.
My Massage Style ...
If I were to describe my style, it would be something along the lines of "Deep Tissue meets Deep Trance". Which is the product of about a decade of experience, seeing what works, what doesn't, and what people actually like.
My goal is to have you so relaxed that the deep tissue techniques used in the session don't hurt.
I want you to actually enjoy your experience and feel like you are truly treating yourself whether you are simply taking some downtime to relax, or if you are in need of genuine therapeutic work for pain relief.
I work very deliberately, generally with very slow massaege strokes. I find this not only feels better, but works better overall.
Because of this, I have a strong preference for performing longer sessions. It is my opinion that a full body massage needs a minimum of 90 minutes, and if you have several focus areas perhaps 2 hours. This allows me to address each area fully in an unrushed manner.
primarily use my hands so I can feel both the areas of tension and how your body is responding. When more focused or deeper work is needed, I often turn tools or techniques that can be gentler and more effective vs simply applying heavy repeated pressure or deeper strokes with an elbow, as that is not always the most comfortable nor the most effective.
If you are a, "Beat me up, I want it to hurt" type, we are probably not a great match.
I hope this all has helped you decide whether my massage style is the right fit for you, and I hope to see you soon!