ANXIETY in Kalispell? Mine’s been so bad at times, April 2019 being the most recent, that I was having to pull my truck over on main street and have my wife and my best friend come get me.
Here is what happened, and my solution.
I take tons of supplements, and I’d STOPPED taking my multi-MINERAL supplement. There’s some trace mineral in there, and in Redmonds sea salt that my body desperately needs, and doesn’t get from my diet.
(Why is it important to take a multi-MINERAL supplement? Yes, companies do put minerals in a multi-VITAMIN supplement, but just enough so they can claim it, and put it on the label. Minerals are big, bulky molecules, and if they put as much in there as you really need, that bottle would be HUGE.)
Redmonds sea salt came on my radar the FIRST round of anxiety that sent me seeking medical help back in 2015. I went to a local naturopath, Joe Holcomb, who prescribed “1/2 teaspoon of Redmonds sea salt once a day (put it on your eggs, in water, whatever), and twice a day if you sweat.” There’s something unique about the brand of sea salt, it comes from some place in Utah.
I laughed and said, “I paid good money for you to tell me this?”, BUT IT WORKED.
That’s how I learned the importance of the multi mineral supplement I’d already been taking, thanks to the knowledge I gleaned from the great staff at Natural Grocers. (I used to do chair massage there, and when I wasn’t working on the public, I’d pester the staff with questions about supplements.)
In our lifetime, we’ll probably never experience a time when anxiety is as high as it as right now as of this writing, April 21st, 2020. I hope you’ll consider this solution. It worked for me. AND IT’S HEALTHIER AND MORE REASONABLY PRICED THAN GOING TO YOUR DOCTOR FOR A PRESCRIPTION.
I’ve been waiting a long time to write this review. Today I booked a 90 minute deep tissue session, so let’s cut to the chase and answer the question ya’ll want answered: NO, there didn’t appear to be any hanky panky going on, and this Oriental Massage business in Kalispell doesn’t feel like a front for prostitution or human trafficking. Not that it isn’t happening, but I didn’t see it, and I didn’t feel it. The business first came to town about 4 years ago, originally called Best Chinese Massage, and was located on 1st Ave. E. Now located in Kalispell on 5th Ave. W.N. and called Oriental Massage, the same people or family are probably still in charge, but the business has toned down the risque marketing that got local LMT’s and the general public stepping out of their own hula hoops.
We’re all familiar with these types of businesses, we’ve all been in nail salons or restaurants that feel like an oriental family affair, where it seems like the staff or family has been brought in from overseas and they work for next-to-nothing to send money back home or just not have to live on the other side of the world.
So let’s get down to my review of the massage therapy I experienced on Jan 27th, 2020. I’d give the session and experience maybe a 2.5 out of 5 stars. When I called that morning to schedule, the girl who answered and booked my session had very poor english, as did the girl who worked on me. As a massage therapist in Kalispell myself, I can tell you that communication is key to learning why a client is there, what they expect, and how best to help them. When I arrived for my session, there appeared to be 3 therapists in the building. Without being asked to fill out an intake, medical history, or waiver form, and not being asked if I needed to use the bathroom, or “what brings you in today?”, I was ushered into a room very near the front of the building. It had walls that went almost but not quite to the ceiling, so semi-private. I could certainly hear some of what was going on in the rest of the building during my oriental massage session, and others who might be in close proximity could certainly hear the details of my session should we be talking above a low level volume, ya get me??
I gathered the girls name was Lucy. She didn’t introduce herself. But I did, I tried to explain that I too was a Kalispell massage therapist. The room was a bit chilly and there was no table warmer gizmo it seemed. The table itself was nothing like any massage table I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been doing this gig since 2011. It was very wide, on a solid wooden frame, and not height-adjustable for the therapist. It had a cut-out built into the table for a face rest, rather than a removable face cradle and cushion most of us Americans are used to. There appeared to be ashiatsu bars on the ceiling above the table, but they were never used, and I don’t see that modality listed on their website. (To see short videos of me doing ashiatsu at my office, click HERE to access my Youtube channel.) I paid $100 for a 90 minute deep tissue session, but I’d hardly call any of what I experienced “deep tissue” work, more like a busy swedish session. This price was fair by local standards, click the link HERE to see my pricing page. Busy quick strokes, and lots of them, over and over. I swear, the same oriental type instrumental song played the whole time I was on the table.
Lucy obviously had some training in massage, she worked smart instead of hard, using lots of forearm and knuckle strokes. Like most Kalispell massage sessions, she started me in the prone position, or facedown, warmed me up with some brief compression strokes before starting on my neck and back, then working my glutes, hamstrings, calves, and arms. Americans are used to draping that usually consists of a fitted sheet on the table, a flat sheet on top of you, and some sort of light blanket on top of that, for warmth. The draping in this session could accurately be described as minimal, a medium size bath towel was all I had to cover up with. When it was time to work on my glutes, she positioned the towel on my upper hamstrings, completely exposing both glutes at the same time. New to me, ha ha!, but I’m not prissy or shy, so it didn’t bother me much. And from a massage therapists standpoint, the less draping, the easier our work is, and the client feels more of a continuity in the full body strokes. If you’ve had massage therapy in Europe, or experienced a traditional Lomi Lomi massage session in Hawaii, you might have experienced minimal draping. Draping has 2 purposes: warmth, and modesty, and if neither is an issue for client or therapist, using less draping CAN have some advantages.
When she was finished with the prone work, she left the room, without a word, so I assumed it was time for me to turn over for the supine, or frontal body area part of the session, but I was wrong. She returned, told me to turn back over onto my stomach, then proceeded to completely undrape me, and scrub me all over with a warm towel, which felt great. Then she asked me to turn over, and she kept me covered with the bath towel as I did. She placed a bolster under my knees, a nice pillow under my head, then proceeded to begin working my face, scalp and head before working her way down my body. This is opposite of how most Flathead Valley massage therapists arrange their sessions, beginning the supine portion of the session by working on the legs first, and finishing at the head and neck. She undraped my chest and abs, and the work to my core was quite pleasant. Then as she worked on my quads, she undraped one leg at a time.
Her final strokes of the session were some heavy percussion type to my feet, kind of a wake up call that we were done. She then used a new warm towel and scrubbed me down, working around the towel draping my groin. She indicated the session was over, gave no real instructions about what next, and left the room. The session lasted about 80 minutes, 10 short of what I’d paid for. I got dressed, exited the room and went to the small front counter where she was waiting. I gave her my $100, took one of their business cards, and gave her one of my own. THE END.
Why is Johnny Cochrane, licensed massage therapist, writing a blog post about chiropractors in Kalispell, Mt.? Well, a few reasons, haha! I’d like to address some of the myths about them, and also share my own personal experience from being treated by various chiropractors in the Flathead Valley.
I had a desk job for 13 years prior to becoming a full-time Kalispell massage therapist. A desk job is murder on your body, and I explored chiropractic, and massage therapy, to help relieve the discomfort I was experiencing. In 2008, it was so bad I could barely sit through a movie! I tried 4 different Kalispell chiropractors, and the 5th one, in Whitefish, was who finally got the job done. The difference? A “drop table”, a table that somewhat collapses under the patient after the chiro applies a quick thrust. My friends had all told me to check out this chiropractor in Whitefish, Mt., but I had every excuse in the book for not going: not on my insurance preferred provider list, too far to drive, etc.
There are A LOT of chiropractors in the Flathead Valley, and most of them are really good, but it can take going to a few before you find a good vibe, a good fit, someone who GETS you. Don’t be discouraged. My wife was quite a chiro skeptic at one time, but finding a female chiropractor kind of set her at ease, and she’s now a believer. If you too are a skeptic, and don’t like the idea of someone popping your back, call around and find a chiropractor in Kalispell who utilizes the ACTIVATOR. It’s lil’ hand-held gizmo that applies a quick, brief thrust to adjust bones, rather than the chiro using their hands. I use a similar tool in my Kalispell massage therapy practice, but mine is just a $150 tool, compared to the chiros $850 instrument, and mine is calibrated just to work on trigger points in muscles.
It’s often asked “why does the chiropractor in Kalispell want me to come back 3 times a week for 2 months?” The answer is two-fold: first, not all our local chiropractors subscribe to this type of rebooking. But the injury, or reason for working with a chiro often dictates how often treatment is needed. If you’ve been lop-sided for a few years, it’s unrealistic to think a 30 minute session with a Flathead Valley chiropractor will be all you need to get straightened out. Muscles have memory. The chiro will put you back into alignment, but your body just kinda wants to slide back into the position it’s been in all those years. Repeat appointments, a couple times a week, may help train the body to stay straight. But, something is always better than nothing. If you can only afford to be treated every couple weeks, or just want to come in when your body is “talking to you”, something is better than nothing.
Massage therapy and chiropractic work very well together! There are a few chiropractors in the Flathead Valley who actually do have massage therapy available on-site. I’m often asked if it’s better to get massage before, or after a chiropractic adjustment, and I believe BEFORE is better. Going to the chiropractor is kinda like going to the dentist: not the funnest thing you’re going to do this week, haha! So, if you can get some massage before the chiro, you’re muscles won’t be as tight, you’ll be more relaxed, and the chiro’s work may hold longer.
If you’d like to explore massage therapy, please click the link HERE for my office pricing, including kinesio taping. You can also see what my work looks like before making an appointment, subscribe to my Youtube channel!
I’ve recently been asking myself why. Why? What is my purpose for doing what I do, massage therapy. Why is it that I work so hard? Why am I always challenging the status quo? Why do I push the limits of what’s expected of a massage therapist in Kalispell? Why do I try so hard to set myself apart from the pack? Well, to back up a little, many of you know I used to work as a debt collector for 11 years, the last 6 mostly part time while I tried to build my practice. For a long time, my “why” was so I didn’t have to be a debt collector. I was willing to do whatever it takes in the massage world so I no longer had that title.
Now that I’ve been doing massage therapy in the Flathead Valley full-time for awhile now, I’m having to go deeper, and look at my “why”, my core values, and develop a manifesto of sorts, kinda like Hugh Hefner and his article “The Playboy Philosophy”, and get on paper what I believe in. I know what I do, and how, but why do I strive as I do, what is my cause, what is my belief?
At the very core of me, my core values are allegiance to Jesus Christ, my family, and my character. Character I define as what you do when no one is looking. I often fall way short, but I strive to be the kind of person who will pick up that piece of trash someone threw out, return the purse I found, or give more than is expected without expecting accolades. I strive to be a man of my word. If I tell ya I’m gonna be someplace at a given time, I’m there. If I tell ya I’m gonna do something, I do it. I value honesty, which was something I struggled with as a debt collector. I value courage. I admire people like Evel Knievel, who, when he said he was gonna do something, when he gave you his word he was gonna fly that motorcycle over the fountains at Caesars Palace, he did it to the best of his ability. I admire people who set new standards, who push the envelope, and think outside the box.
Core values? I value music, nature, and people who appreciate them as I do. I value people who are not jealous. I value organization, structure, and purpose. I value written goals. I value ideas that come to me that say “Johnny you don’t have to just use your hands, or your feet to massage people, you can use all four of them at once! You don’t have to be stranded by what you learned in massage school, you can climb all over the table if it will help your client. Why should I be limited to print, radio, tv, and social media? Why shouldn’t I have a float in the local parade and show everyone what I do to make people feel better?”
Why? Because I had a lot of massage therapy before I ever got into massage school. Why? Because I was in physical pain from sitting at a desk 8 hours a day, and emotional pain from working for a company I didn’t trust. Why did I get into massage? Well, I was looking for a way out of collections anyway, and when I suddenly lost all the hearing in my left ear about 6 years ago, I needed a plan b in case I lost the hearing in my OTHER ear. I looked around locally, and with nothing at FVCC that interested me, I figured I could still do massage therapy if I lost all my hearing.
Why? Because having had tons of massage myself, during sessions while another LMT was working on me, I often thought, “I can do it better. There’s got to be a more comfortable face cradle than this one. Massage needs to be available evenings, and weekends. You shouldn’t have to pay extra if the massage therapist uses essential oils during the session. People should be able to get a massage at their home. These sheets are awful, there’s got to be something better. Why didn’t the massage therapist suggest some self-care techniques or gizmos I can use on my own? I should be able to book a massage online at 3am.”
I believe massage therapy heals physical and emotional pain. I don’t always understand how it works, but you don’t have to understand electricity to go the wall and turn on the light switch, right? I don’t have to completely understand why I do what I do. But you, well, you probably should. I believe in killing the cookie cutter massage. I believe my clients do not need to tip me. I’m not your hairdresser, or your bartender, I’m on your healthcare team. You don’t tip your chiropractor or physical therapist, do you? That’s the ballpark I’m in. (Yes, if you get a massage at a spa, resort, etc, you probably need to tip the massage therapist, as they are not self employed like I am.)
You as a consumer, subconsciously don’t buy what I do, you really buy into WHY I do it. One of my goals is to do business with people who believe what I believe. What I do proves what I believe, that there’s a better way. If you believe that massage should be mobile, available evenings and weekends, that online booking is important, quality equipment needs to be used, suggestions for self-care should be available, only the highest quality essential oils used, and the massage therapist should not be limited to using their hands and arms to make you feel better, if you’re the kind of person who believes you should have total control over every aspect of your massage session, then you’ve come to the right place. You believe as I do. We should do business together. Would you like me to schedule a massage therapy session for you?
I would encourage anyone who visits my office to leave a review somewhere telling others about your experience. Please leave a review on Yelp, or Trip Advisor, as I seem to have the fewest there, and it will help my website SEO on Yahoo, and Bing. To be honest, there are a couple of 1 star reviews on my facebook biz page, however they’re from people who’ve never even been to my office so I have no idea why they gave me one star. Here are some who had rather nice things to say about my massage therapy work for them…
Tiffany Kraft Simpach — 5 stars – “Johnny is great, I can’t say enough good things about him. Give him a try, you won’t regret it!”
Michael J. Haase — 5 stars – “Johnny gave me a great chair massage today at Natural Foods. He relieved my shoulder tension from being on the computer for a few hours. He also does full body massages by appointment. Thanks for the deep tissue work.”
Shantel Williams — 5 stars – “Wow I haven’t felt this relaxed in such a long time. I’m so happy with all the work you did on me and how professional you are.”
Kelly June Wilkey — 5 stars – “So amazing!”
Jenn Prunty — 5 stars – “amAAAAAzing massage!! More than just a treat for myself….it was a true healing. Thank you!”
These positive comments are very encouraging to me. I understand that I can’t magically fix everyone who comes to my office and that I will sometimes have an off day, but the majority of people who I work with are much better after coming in and go home with HOPE. And that, my friend, is priceless….
I am a licensed massage therapist in Kalispell! I’ve been using doTERRA products and oils since before I began LMT school in 2010. I add oils to the warmed carrier oil I use in office sessions, put them in diffusers, and take them orally. “What? You swallow them? And, more importantly Johnny, why does your wife hate lavender?” (for pics of my wife, and me working with her, click HERE) We thought all women loved flowery smells!” Well, let me explain. First, Kalispell and the Flathead Valley need to know that I carry a small selection of oils in stock at my office for retail purchase, but I encourage clients to get signed up with doTERRA (like Costco,) so they can buy products cheaper. Essential oils are not perfume. It’s kinda like the bad medicine theory, the worst tasting ones seem to work the best, and essential oils can be similar; if you’re looking for healing results, you might need to deal with some unpleasant smells or tastes. I’ve tried many different oils in the diffuser at my home, and very few made my wife say “Oh my, that is amazing! We need our home to smell like that all the time!” (Lemon oil is her current fav) I burned myself a few weeks back and immediately started applying lavender oil to the burn. The results were amazing; the burn healed so fast it made my head spin. Do I want healing? Of course. Do I want to smell like lavender? NO. Christmas, think for a minute about the gifts the 3 wise men brought to the Christ child: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 2 out of the 3 were essential oils, so valuable at that time in history as to be fit for a king. That’s how important essential oils should be to Kalispell, Flathead Valley, and beyond.
Kalispell and Flathead Valley doTERRA seekers need to know that in addition to my personal experience, I’ve taken continuing ed classes, earning credits applicable to my licensing. I’ve STUDIED this stuff. The benefits far outway the risks. Risks? Yep, some oils need to be diluted before using topically, and special care taken not to apply to sensitive areas near the eyes (think cinnamon…). Also, if taken orally, it’s wise to educate yourself and understand that more than 4 drops of any single oil or blend is a waste of precious resources. Orally, you say? Well, think of peppermint tea as an example. The oil extracted and distilled from the peppermint herb can be put on the tongue to help with a variety of ailments. (and doTERRA actually makes a beadlet with a single drop) When you’re gonna put an essential oil in your mouth, whether it’s peppermint, oregano, or lemon, the most important thing is that it’s PURE. (and you don’t miss and dribble oregano on your chin, not fun…) The stuff you buy at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that calls itself essential oil in certainly not something you’d want to take orally. After all my research, trying different oils over the years as a massage therapist in Kalispell, and having had them used on me by other therapists, I’ve settled on doTERRA oils and products as the stuff I will trust my family and practice to. I believe them to be the highest quality oils available in this country (aromatherapy is reportedly a 4 year degree in France, think on that for a sec…). If you’re ready for results, struggling with health ailments that don’t respond to traditional medicine, want an opportunity to use oils and make money doing it, click on this KALISPELL DOTERRA link to get started. Do your own research. And I’ll save the lavender for you, and use the frankincense on my wife!
Hello Flathead Valley! What sets me apart from other Kalispell massage therapists? Besides ashiatsu, doing trades, offering evening and weekend sessions, and the most comfortable table in town, I will accept any local massage therapists gift certificates at it’s face value as payment towards a session at my office. One per person per year. SO. “XYZ” therapist unavailable or not returning your calls? Someone gave you a massage gift certificate to a business or therapist you have no interest in visiting? Schedule a session with me, bring the gift certificate, and you and I will work together to reduce your pain, stress, and send you home with HOPE!
It has long been a goal of mine to make cupping available to my Flathead Valley massage therapy clients. Cupping in Kalispell, Mt., is not new, just new to my practice as of Nov., 2018, and I couldn’t be more excited to have reached this goal!
Cupping has come a long way, and can be quite different now from the Chinese medicine roots it sprang from. Acupuncturists use glass cups, and a flame to remove the oxygen from the cups immediately before applying them to the skin. Advances in technology now have companies like Rocktape, who I buy kinesio tape from, producing silicone cups to accomplish similar results with less mess, less danger, and better results. As Rocktape themselves say, “Myofascial Cupping has been around since the early 19th century – only recently has the image of purple circles on professional athlete’s backs created attention to an ancient myofascial therapy. The cups and techniques have changed over time, but the basic premise of the cups providing suction to decompress the underlying tissue remains the same.”
Cupping in Kalispell might cost you more with OTHER massage therapists, but if you’d like it used during sessions at my office, there’s no extra charge! Click HERE for all current pricing, including kinesio taping and chair massage.
If you’re someone who bruises easily, this therapy may not be the best choice for you. As you can see in the image above, cupping can leave very identifiable marks, but not always to the same degree. It’s kind of like a temporary tattoo and a great conversation starter all in one therapy!
Make sure you don’t miss similar announcements of my new office services, or pricing and scheduling changes. The best way to stay up-to-date with my brand is to follow me on INSTAGRAM. Why not facebook, you say? Although I have 800-plus likes to my business page there, facebook doesn’t show my posts to most of my likers, as they want me to pay for advertising. Instagram seems to have less policing, and you’re more likely see my updates if you follow me there. Thanks!
When I was in massage therapy school in Kalispell, I developed a pretty bad case of golfers elbow in my left arm. Tennis elbow refers to the outside, or lateral part of the arm, golfers elbow refers to the inside, or medial area. I was very concerned about my condition because I hadn’t even graduated and was already showing signs of a RSI, Repetitive Strain Injury. How could I expect to make a living doing massage therapy in the Flathead Valley if I was already inflicting pain on myself doing the very thing that brings relief to others? Tennis and Golfers Elbow don’t sound like super important issues, but if you’ve ever suffered from either, you understand how scary they can be. Besides sports like tennis and golf, rock climbers, carpenters, hairdressers, even office workers can become victims of an RSI, carpal tunnel syndrome included. But the question is, what are you gonna DO to resolve it?
Lucky for me I ran across the self massage tool Armaid. It’s made by a little company on the east coast. Within a month of beginning using it on myself, twice a day, 5 minutes a day, I had completely recovered from my golfers elbow and could focus again on my massage career without worry. As you can see from the picture, the device straps to your thigh and you push/pull your arm through the foam roller and attachment while adjusting the pressure yourself. Besides the circulatory massage, you can use it for trigger point therapy where you find a tender spot, hold it with the device, then slowly rotate your wrist both directions stretching the tendons, and ligaments. Be careful though, you can actually bruise yourself if you overuse the tool. I use it while I’m sitting in front of the tv, and it feels SO good, and the next thing you know 10 minutes have gone by and your still working your arm. Armaid can be used on the biceps and triceps also. The tool has 4 different interchangeable attachments depending on the kind of pressure you like. It’s practically unbreakable and of course has a warranty. What does it cost you ask? Well, with shipping mine cost about $100.00, probably the best hundred bucks I ever spent on myself. I am an affiliate for the company, so if you buy one please let them know you heard about it through me. I have posted a youtube video showing me using the tool, and there are many more videos on their corporate website. The bottom line is, this gizmo WORKS, and I would be selfish not to share it’s healing power with you. It’s not something you’ll find on the shelf at Walmart, and it’s probably not something your physical therapist will tell you about. But always thinking of my clients best interests, I’m here to share with you the long sought after solution to your issue, ARMAID!
One of the things that sets my office apart from the other Flathead Valley massage therapists, I’ve always had a table with a breast recess. Thanks to my wife, I saw the wisdom of these designs when I entered massage school in Kalispell, and I bought a Nirvana table with a built in breast recess that has served me well. In December 2014 I upgraded my office table to the Earthlite Infinity Conforma. Unlike the picture here, mine is an electric, not portable table, but the recess design is the same as the picture. I’ll continue to use my portable Nirvana table for outcall massage therapy in the Flathead Valley. The breast recess is very different from my Nirvana, I simply zip or unzip the feature when I want to employ the recess. It’s a brand new design and the only table of it’s kind currently on the market. Beyond the obvious reasons for a breast recess, the clients spine lines up much better, and they feel less exposed from the side. I now have 2 tables, making outcall sessions way easier and quicker. My wife is happy because we’ll have a table at home when I’m not doing outcall, and she’ll probably get more massage therapy than usual! I’m always looking for ways to improve, not only my techniques, but also my equipment. I want the best, for you, and me. I think we’re worth it. Click here to watch a short video showing the Nirvana breast recess in action.
