Is your job a pain in the neck?

 

Bad habits and poor posture while working can be the cause of your neck and back pain

Is your job a pain in the neck? What about the lower back? Feet and knees? Is the job you do 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, affecting your body’s ability to function normally? Let’s face it, many of us spend 30 or 40 hours a week, week after week, year after year, doing the same exact thing, over and over and over again.

As a massage therapist, I see the effects the workplace has on my customers every day. Most of my customers come to me because of chronic pain in the their neck, shoulders or back, due to hours of sitting at a desk, cradling a phone while working on a computer.

Often I see customers with pain or headaches due to the effects of a chronically stressful life. Occasionally, I’ll see someone with foot, knee or back pain due to standing on concrete floors for hours.

The benefits of regular massage therapy

The quickest and most effective way to combat the stress you put on your body from doing the same thing day after day is to do something different!

To offset the effects of sitting at a desk all day, stretch the specific muscles that are tight. Have regular deep tissue massage to lengthen and work the tension out of the muscles.

Here are a few tips to help you feel better in no time:

1. Practice correct posture while sitting at your desk. – First, put both feet on the floor and sit up on your sits bones. Imagine a string attached to the top of your head. Feel how you immediately lift upward, now slowly lower your shoulders down and back without moving anything else on your body.

2. Stretch! Without changing your sitting position, put your left hand under your chair. Lower your ear toward you right shoulder. Put your hand on your head and feel the pull on the left side of your neck. Now, without moving anything else, slowly move your chin toward you underarm and continue the pull on your head. Feel the difference in the stretch? You should feel this deep in to your left shoulder and the neck. Now do the other side!

3. Check your ergonomics- make sure your wrists are level, your shoulders are relaxed and your eyes can look straight forward at your monitor. If you have to twist, lean forward or lift your shoulders or hands to work at the desk, you are causing undo strain on your body.

4. Stop carrying your handbag, briefcase, suitcase on the same shoulder! Try to switch hands throughout the day. Our habits can contribute to neck and back pain, so if you always do things the same way, switch it up and try something different to even the work old on both sides of the the body.

5. Learn how to sleep without putting your arm under your head. If you sleep on your side, odds are that you are sleeping with your arm up under your pillow to lift your head. Sleeping in this position can cause already tight muscles to cramp. If your hands or arms are falling asleep during the night, do yourself a favor and invest in a pillow with the depressed center. The roll on the pillow will support your neck so you don’t have to use your arm to lift your head. Then, train your self to sleep with your arm straight out in front of you or by your side. Your neck will thank you!

6. Find a qualified massage therapist to help you relieve the muscle tension in your neck and shoulders. I recommend weekly massages for 6-8 weeks to help change and re educate your muscles. Even a 30 minute, concentrated massage will help reinforce what you do with your daily stretches.

If you spend 6 weeks of concentrated effort utilizing the talents of a licensed massage therapist, and do 5 minutes of stretching at your desk, 2 to 3 times a day, you will reduce or eliminate the pain in your neck, shoulders and back! At Serenity Spa, we teach our customers the exact way to stretch, right there at your desk. Its simple and very effective in helping reduce pain and tightness.

Give us a call at 245-6484 and schedule a massage. If you can commit to a series of 6 weekly therapeutic massages, and do your daily stretches, you will feel like a new person!

A Tribute to my Grandma, Edna “Mom C.” Ciresi

 “A Grand Old Broad”

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”
― Hunter S. Thompson

If you knew my Grandma Edna, Mom C, to most of us, you recognize that she lived her life as Hunter S Thompson did, one hundred percent, full out, never held back.  Mom C  was one hell of a lady, a grand, old broad, sweet and sassy, naïve, but cunning, manipulative one minute, extremely giving the next. She was not just the kind of woman you could sit down and have a beer with, but someone who could drink you under the table, and laugh at you when you passed out before she did.

All her life, Mom C. loved music, loved to dance, and spent many a night in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s at USO dances, honky tonks and speakeasies, jitterbugging the night away. She spent many hours at places like Min’s Café, Zenas tavern and even drank a few shots at Tulane. I have fond memories of dancing with her on New Year’s Eve of her 85^th year- getting up to dance to a jazz band at Hubers on a beautiful, sunny October day. She loved to tell the story of being pulled up on to stage in Florida with my Uncle Tim, playing the mariachis and singing “Ah ha!!” with the band.

Mom C was a great dresser. She always dressed fashionably. She taught me the value of a good looking dress or suit, and that people respond to you because of how you dress. She would always tell stories of when she was younger and “dressed up like Miss Esther’s Ass” which to her  was the way a well-dressed woman should look. She worked in retail for about 40 years, at Stewart Dry Goods, Lerner’s and retired from Lane Bryant. A week before she died, as I walked in to her room, she complimented me on my outfit and asked me where I got it! That woman always had her priorities straight- good food, good booze and a great outfit, were the best way to celebrate pretty much anything.

Mom C loved good looking men, too. She was married 3 times, had more boyfriends than I can count and was the biggest flirt I know. She even waited till my husband Dennis walked in before she passed away- I swear it was because she wanted the last thing she saw to be a good looking man. Men loved talking to her, too. She knew how to hold your attention and always proved flattery can get you pretty much anything you want. She had a way of making everyone feel better when she was with them. Everybody wanted to party with Mom C. Especially her family

She was fiercely proud of her family and loved to brag that she was surrounded by “all the pretty people. She had 6 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grands that she was very close with. She called her only son, my Uncle Tim, her “Pride and Joy”. My Mom, Mary, was sometimes her Mothers Mother, but always took care of her, right till the end. My sister, Barbra, nephew, Taylor and my Mom rose to the occasion and took care of her when her poor, old body let her down, for which we are all grateful.   My Aunt Linda was a businesswoman and my Grandma was so proud of her accomplishments. When Linda died, I think a little piece of Mom went with her. But now, they both are looking over all of us and I feel their love and blessings with me everyday.

I am honored and grateful that I was privileged to grow up in her shadow and wouldn’t be who I am without her to model after. She may have looked like a sweet little old lady, but let me tell you, she was hell on wheels, a grand old broad, lived her life to the fullest and slid into home proclaiming “Wow, what a ride!” I know it is a common practice to say “Rest in Peace” to those who have passed, but I am just going to ask that her soul dances freely in the wind. Please join me in a toast to one of my favorite people of all time: “ Here’s to you, Mom C, may you dance joyously among the heavens until we meet again-“

So, you’re getting married!!!

Hi there, Denise Willinger, owner of Serenity Spa, here.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I bet you are so excited! A little anxious maybe, what with all the planning. So much to think about, so much to do! Well, Serenity Spa is here to help. We specialize in working with brides and bridal parties to help make sure you look and feel your best on the big day.

I wanted to share the story of one of our clients with you. Shannon was going to be married in a few months and though she normally had oily skin and occasional breakouts, the stress of the wedding planning caused her to experience severe breakouts. She came to us for help and as you can see from these before and after pictures, we helped clear up her skin so she was absolutely beautiful on her wedding day. We did a series of glycolic peels, changed her products and she responded almost immediately. In about 6 weeks, all the breakouts were under control and she was completely clear by her wedding day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although you may not be experiencing a dramatic change in your skin now, prolonged stress can affect your skin and your looks. We would love to show you how you can have that flawless skin you’ve always wanted so you will shine confidently at the most important day of your life. As you can see from our photos, we can make a significant change in your skin in less than 6 weeks. Our caring staff is trained to listen and respond to your needs. A professional esthetician can offer an affordable prescription skin care regimen and  prescription strength treatments to make sure you look and feel your absolute best on your wedding day! Call us now at 245-6484 for your complimentary skin care consultation.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Denise Willinger, Owner Serenity Spa

Better than Groupon- a 1/2 price deal from YOUR favorite spa!

Is it just me or does anyone else feel like the Groupon, Living Social specials have a spa deal EVERY DAY??? Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Groupon and Living Social, and purchase deals from them all the time. We have offered several deals that were very successful, too. Being in the spa business for over 25 years, and owning a spa for 8 years, I am a little annoyed that someone with a brand new business can get mega exposure through these popular sites, without having to prove they are a viable business first.

Serenity was chosen as one of the first spas to offer a deal because we had a long time relationship with the community, a good website and great online reviews. In other words, we had already proven to the consumer we were a great company that offered wonderful products and services. So our deals are just “icing on the cake” so to speak, for our customers, and a great way to introduce our services to new customers.

So what’s my point, you may be asking? My point is, that if you are a loyal customer to a business, shouldn’t we, as business owners  offer our best deals to our loyal customers instead of deeply discounting on a site that gets up to 50% of the revenue? I’d rather pay a really good massage therapist more and get great customers who will be loyal to Serenity, than have to discount the therapists pay, overload them with customers who will buy another deal from a competitor next week. 

My goal is to have relationships with our customers, so they will continue to visit us for many, many years. The effects of therapeutic massage are cumulative, meaning that with each consecutive massage, the benefits are greatly enhanced.  For those of you with chronic tension, regular massage over 4- 6 weeks, coupled with targeted stretching, can relieve a great deal of the pain you are experiencing.  A skilled massage therapist can be an incredible asset in your quest for optimal health and well being. But only with regular treatment by the same therapist will you see the results you are seeking.

The same is true with skin care. An experienced esthetician, treating a client over a 6 week period with targeted, results oriented treatments, such as our Serenity Contouring Facial, can expect much better results than the person who gets a ½ price Facial every few months at whatever new skin care salon that has popped up.

Nail services are another story. We just had a client last week come back to us after trying Shellac at one of those cheap, quickie salons. Yes, our service is more expensive, but as she found, the results our experienced nail techs give, far outweigh the discount at an inferior salon!

So here’s my brilliant idea. Going forward, we will be offering a new ½ price deal for our regular clients each and every week! Only subscribers to our email blast or our Facebook friends will receive these great deals. The deal will only be available for 24 hours and you will have to book and pay for the service within that time. Each offer will be different and you never know when a fabulous deal will pop up in your inbox! Sign up here to make sure you get our next deal!

Check out today’s deal and then forward it to your friends so they can get in on it too. Hope you will enjoy trying new treatments at your FAVORITE spa, where you know the friendly staff offer quality services, and quit wasting your time and hard earned money on those other guys!

Join us Today for our meet and greet, to

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