Don has the best hands! -- Fran LaMantia

This is the place to leave comments about your experience of my work. Please be real! If you leave reviews on google maps, yelp, Dex, and other sites, it can only help people find me more easily. Search on “Stonecircle Massage” to find places to review me. Here are a few from my Facebook group:

Tim Gillespie: TESTIMONIAL!! Master Schiff can do more than hard drugs to relieve pain, and then goes on to correct the problem causing the pain.

Marni Braker: Don is the best, does more than most doctors to help get rid of and keep my migraines away. I recently hurt my back as well and he’s the reason I can dance again.

There are many reasons people see a particular massage therapist.  Certainly location, availability, and price are initial factors that define your search.   A therapist across town who can’t see you until next month is not likely to be your first choice, unless s/he has unusual skills or rapport you need.  Likewise, if you are looking for injury rehabilitation, you won’t go to a student clinic, even though the price is much less.  Presumably you want a therapist in a relatively convenient location, whose work you can afford, and who can see you within a few days.

If you need somebody right away, you’ll probably call around until a therapist tells you to come on over.  On the other hand, the massage will be the luck of the draw.  If you are flexible with your treatment time, you may well find a more appropriate therapist.  On the other hand, I’ve had many clients come to me because I was available when they needed me, only to find that I was the perfect therapist for their needs.

Two critical factors:

• Skills and experience suited to your specific needs

If you have been injured, you need a therapist who has the skills and experience to assist in your healing process.  A good rehab massage not just a matter of applying the proper strokes in a particular sequence.  A relaxation massage might feel good, but it won’t remodel scar tissue or improve your joints’ range of motion much.

Caveat emptor! I’ve found that therapists who tout proficiency in many methods are rarely expert in any of them.  30 or 50 hours of Shiatsu (for example) in a massage school class can only open a student to the possibility of practice, usually integrating techniques into a full-body massage.  It doesn’t qualify anybody to actually practice the techniques as a stand alone system.

• Rapport – a therapeutic relationship based on trust

No matter how skilled the therapist, s/he won’t help you much if you don’t trust them.  Trust can be a slippery thing; some people are trustworthy and others aren’t.  Sometimes we trust those we shouldn’t, and sometimes we don’t trust those who are worthy of it.  My only advice is to trust your feelings.  It’s much better to be wary of an otherwise excellent therapist than to mistakenly trust a therapist who does not deserve it for whatever reason.

Some people trust easily.  Others are easily trusted.  I seek to earn your trust by respecting your treatment goals, your privacy, and your body’s innate wisdom.  I will communicate with you openly and honestly, sharing what I think and admitting the limits of my understanding.  Most importantly, I respect your ability and need to make your own choices.  My personality and skills are not right for everybody.  Most people know during the first massage whether they’ll be coming back to see me again.

The role of referrals

If a friend or colleague recommends a particular therapist, by all means check them out!  Pump your friend for as much information as you can to make sure that your situations are similar.  Find out why your friend likes this particular therapist so much.  “S/he gives a great massage” doesn’t convey nearly as much information as “S/he works deep enough for me and focuses on my painful areas.”

Word of mouth is the best marketing around.  I appreciate all my clients who send others to see me.  I also appreciate clients who refer others electronically, like posting feedback on various sites or rating me on Google.