Prenatal / Pregnancy Massage

Performed by a trained perinatal specialist, many methods of massage and somatic therapies are both effective and safe prenatally and during labor and postpartum periods of women’s pregnancies. Prenatally, specific techniques can reduce pregnancy discomforts and concerns and enhance the physiological and emotional well-being of both mother and fetus. Skilled, appropriate touch facilitates labor, shortening labor times and easing pain and anxiety. In the postpartum period, specialized techniques rebalance structure, physiology, and emotions of the new mother and may help her to bond with and care for her infant. Specialized, advanced training in the anatomy, physiology, complications, precautions, and contraindications is highly recommended, and many practitioners require referrals from physicians prior to therapy.

These Practitioners can offer Prenatal / Pregnancy Massage in their Sessions:

Alisa Gonzalez

Alisa is a Certified Massage Therapist and a graduate of Cypress Health Institute. She has been practicing the art of healing touch and massage since childhood and has made it her life-long passion. Her approach to bodywork is of a healing and creative nature and carries a strong connection to energy work. She has been trained in Swedish, Effleurage, Acupressure, Reflexology, Polarity, Hot Stone and Prenatal Massage. Her quest to learn more healing and massage techniques will facilitate her expansion of knowledge and her desire to help others. Alisa’s intuitive touch creates a safe space and allows clients to feel comfortable, relaxed and supported during the session.

Outside of massage, Alisa has a love for making mandala art and a passion for photography as well as making other forms of art. Her meditation and spiritual work has helped her become mindful, grounded and further in touch with body awareness and sensitivity. Her love of yoga and sound healing also helps her to stay connected to healing energies and vibrations.

Elissa Cardin

Elissa was inspired to become a massage therapist during the hospice period of her grandfathers passing. He was suffering from bone cancer and she would massage him to help relieve pain. She has been practicing now for 20 years. She graduated with 750 hours from Trinity Massage School in San Jose. She is deeply intuitive and will find the places needed of tissue work and energy movement. She specializes in Swedish, Pinpoint trigger therapy, Prenatal, Reiki, and Chakra balancing. She enjoys the peaceful autonomy that the Well Within provides and has never been happier to work here. She hopes to provide you with utmost care and therapeutic healing time.

Felicity McKnight

Felicity tailors each session to meet your particular bodywork needs and wants. Felicity has been a practicing massage therapist for the past thirty years along with eleven years of teaching massage therapy throughout the country. Through this experience, Felicity has developed a deep confidence and a compassion filled intuitive approach to her work. Felicity’s modalities include Swedish, Deep Tissue, Shiatsu, NMT, Lymphatic Drainage, Pre and Postnatal massage, Kripalu bodywork, Reiki, and other various energetic approaches.

Julienne English

Holding space for relaxation and recovery for 16 years. Jules offers a combination of modalities in every massage. Pulling from her tool box of massage techniques to fit everyone’s specific needs, incorporating intuitive Swedish, Thai, Acupressure, specialty Pre-natal, rocking and stretching.

Laurel Wanner

I graduated in 1992 from Twin Lakes College in Santa Cruz, certified with a focus in Swedish and Polarity.  I have since studied table Shiatsu, deep Swedish and Prenatal which I incorporate into my work when appropriate.

I have also completed studies in Myofascial Release, Reflexology, Lymphatic Drainage and Sports Massage.

Nicholette Keel

Nicholette Keel graduated from Twin Lakes College of the Healing Arts in Santa Cruz, CA. She incorporates modalities of Swedish, Shiatsu, specialty Pre-Natal, stretching, acupressure, and Polarity Therapy with her fifteen years of industry experience. Her intuitive understanding of the mind-body-spirit connection serves to assist clients in releasing chronic tension and imbalances. Her goal to her clients is for general well-being and optimal health. Her style is best described as slow, firm, relaxing, and nurturing. She accomplishes this by using a combination of long flowing sweeping strokes with specific pressure points that target key areas of stress. Her unique sensitivity enables her to fine tune and craft the massage session around each client’s individual needs. As an active athlete and body-worker, she understands the importance of flexibility and range of motion that massage therapy serves to address repetitive stress injury, fatigue, and tight muscles. She is skilled in using pressure from light to firm with a diverse range of modalities to help clients achieve deep relaxation and recovery.

Pearl Jones

Pearl is native to Santa Cruz, and second generation massage therapist. Graduated locally from Cypress Health Institute in 2011, she has spent the last 8 years practicing massage and becoming the intuitive healer she is today. Specializing in Deep Tissue, Swedish, Prenatal, Hot-Stone, Chakra-clearing, and Polarity energy work. On her time off, she enjoys adventuring about our beautiful community with her husband and 3 sons. After all of her years in Santa Cruz, she still finds new treasures to be experienced. Change and newness are joys in life.