For a Career You Will Love

Are you looking for your first career in these busy, messy economic times? Or, are you trying to phase out a job that is no longer satisfying? Want to get involved with work that you'll LOVE? Massage Therapy is the answer! 

Tobi Lessem, the owner of Wholeself Health, is a Massage Therapy Ambassador (MTA) for The National Holistic Institute (NHI). As an MTA she can provide you with tips and tools on how to connect with the school, what the curriculum entails, all the events and community opportunities associated with being a student at NHI and you will leave with concrete steps to take to begin the career you will love. 

Meet with Tobi at The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center at 1115 Third Street in San Rafael. Relax in the lounge with a tasty latte or tea while you get a free consultation. Call or email for an appointment.

Massage for the Entrepreneur

 “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” - Peter Drucker  

We posit that if you create for yourself a culture of wellness at the root of your business, the future of your business will do well.  Continue your entrepreneurship efforts while practicing self-care and encouraging the same for your colleagues and partners.

Wholeself Health’s massage therapy is tailored for the entrepreneur; we have developed a system that assesses your body’s individual asymmetries or imbalances, accounts for the repetition issues* associated with business (carpal tunnel and sciatica among others) and implements a succession of therapeutic sessions that will directly affect those areas.

With our highly affordable pricing and very convenient location – right downstairs if you are incubating at the Renaissance Center and if you are a local small business, we are just down the street – it is easy to integrate wellbeing into your business and into your life.

 Swedish, Deep Tissue, Myofascial Release, Trigger Point Therapy and Acupressure are among the techniques you can enjoy. We use organic coconut oil as well as oils made from a local entrepreneur and lotion that we obtain from a local small business. We have openings on Wednesdays from 4:00-8:00pm and Saturdays from 9am-1pm, so you can choose whether you prefer to make it an after-work decompression session or a weekend experience. If you are coming on Saturday, ask about our Coffee & Massage service! Either way, let’s predict your future success, together, by creating it.

 *Repetitive issues, or Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI’s) have been on the rise since the 1970s and are often associated with the arms, hands, neck and shoulder and are attributed to the widespread use of typewriters/computers in the workplace that require long periods of repetitive motions in a fixed posture. Also, sitting for extended periods of time can decrease blood flow and increase nerve pain in the legs, glutes and low back. Massage is a proven technique to alleviate pain related to RSI’s and is key in the preventative treatment.  

From one Entrepreneur to Another...

Together we can create a world where bettering yourself and bettering others go hand in hand.  Wholeself Health provides just those hands.  Every business class you enroll in at The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center will come with a complimentary 20 minute massage therapy session for you.

Entrepreneurship can be challenging and with that comes stress. Massage alleviates stress and allows space for you to let go of tension and instead focus on your passion! The amazing business classes will offer valuable tools to help you access your dream and massage will offer healing that is often needed to be unblocked so you can reach your full potential.

We strongly believe that collaborating in a way that promotes self-care and living your best self is the healthiest way to conduct business. So, from one entrepreneur to another, we are excited to offer your free massage and the continuing relationship that builds on a foundation of wellbeing.

Coffee & Massage Saturdays

Coffee & Massage was very successful and we developed quite the following, however for the time being this service is on hold. We are working toward a brand new space that will allow for better service and more options. We'll keep you in the loop!

The work environment is changing, for the better. A culture of wellness is the undercurrent coursing through so many successful businesses. Wellness has many facets, but some that are proving to be financially effective and good for the bottom line include massage therapy programs, quality food and beverage options and relaxing yet motivating work space.

Coffee&Massage, Wholeself Health’s program geared specifically toward entrepreneurs, has all those elements and more. We work out of The Renaissance Center in order to connect with the thriving entrepreneurship community who can all use a little self-care.

With a quick call, email or text you can set up your appointment to enjoy the open lounge area with your laptop in hand and an expertly brewed local, organic latte in the other. But, before you get to work, melt into the therapeutic massage that will take your focus off the knots in your shoulders and back into the passion of the work you love.

Most of our products are made from local entrepreneurs (Les’s Best Gluten Free Biscotti, The Regal Bean Coffee Company, Mighty Leaf), and you can turn your beverages into a unique masterpiece by mixing and matching ingredients or you can always keep it simple and delicious with our full coffee bar menu.

The best part of all this is that while you are taking care of your body and allowing your work to be a part of the ease in your mind, you are also supporting fellow entrepreneurs. What’s more, partial proceeds from all Coffee&Massage sales go toward The Center For Domestic Peace and the Renaissance Scholarship Fund. So, we ask you this: why hastily grab a big corporate coffee and rush off to hide in your cubicle, when you could instead enjoy an artisan beverage that supports your community in an atmosphere that fosters business growth and wellbeing?   This is your new fix.

Coffee & Massage by appointment only.

Great idea for group meetings or solo projects.

Contact us for information on full body therapeutic massage.  Wednesdays 4-8pm & Saturdays 9am-1pm

Tobi's Podcast Interview

On June 5 Tobi had a podcast interview with Kol Dvor, a Jewish radio show broadcasting out of Vallejo, CA. In the interview Tobi talks about what drew her to start her massage career, what she loves about her work, her involvement with the community and so much more. Whether you've met with Tobi once, a hundred times or not at all - this is a great interview that shows what she's all about and there by, what we're all about!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/21288/187112-interview-with-tobi-lessem

On the run? Download the podcast for free on iTunes by searching Kol Dvor.

The Functional Movement System (FMS)

FMS, the functional movement system, is a program that assesses and identifies asymmetries and limitations in the body’s basic musculoskeletal movement patterns. There are certain movements that the body is created to perform and when pain and or limited range of motion is present during any of these movements it is usually due to imbalances, weakness, compensation or other injuries. The FMS system uses a standardized way of testing these movements and applies corrective exercise techniques that are geared to the specific needs.

A differentiating factor between FMS and other exercise techniques is that FMS operates on the knowledge that before muscle strength can occur, optimal balance, muscle control and efficiency in movement must be present. So, we take you thru a full screening process to figure out exactly what is going on with your body.  You will be able to notice if one leg is stronger than the other, if your low back arches in compensation for your core and a multitude of other observations.

Then, after the FMS assessment is complete and we have identified areas of interest/concern or elements that need attention, we apply MFR, Myofascial Release, as a massage technique that will target the exact muscle groups responsible for these actions and movements.

FMS will provide you with observable questions to why your body responds the way it does. MFR will offer effective answers to how your body can feel great.  With the questions and answers at your fingertips, you will be able to take your Wholeself Health into your own hands. The muscle fibers are interwoven into the whole kinetic chain (the sequence of body reactions that allow movement) and it is only when we listen to its needs that we can begin to experience progress and wellbeing.  

Back from Canada!

While in Canada one of the places we stayed was on Bowen Island in British Columbia, near West Vancouver. It was a beautiful little island with awesome hiking and character to spare.  The best part though was the amazing Myofascial Release (MFR) practitioner with whom I studied and did massage trades with.  She showed me a more nuanced way to pay attention to muscle fibers and connective tissue (fascia) direction.

With this new sensitivity and a few effective tools under my belt, we traded MFR sessions so I could receive feedback…and of course we both wanted to have massages, I mean, let’s be honest.

The truly remarkable element of MFR is that it is not invasive and yet penetrates very deeply into the true root of the dysfunction.  A lot of Deep Tissue and other more aggressive styles – though they have their places – fail to address the body’s needs by listening to their source.  This means, if your shoulder is losing range of motion and you find it difficult to put your t-shirt on or reach over your shoulder, there may be an adhesion (“knot”) in your neck that is the culprit and by applying MFR to that area, the body can release a full network of muscles to ease the pain and restriction in your shoulder.

Oh, and how did chasing chickens help in all this? Well, between MFR and exercise, I felt completely invigorated and my joints, muscles and spine felt much more natural in movement and had more strength.  MFR and exercise complement one another in this way: Let’s say you are riding a bike. Your hips, knees and ankles need to be functioning pretty optimally to have an efficient ride. Those joints will be greatly affected if there are adhesions in the muscles that connect them and thus limit the body’s ability to use the muscles properly.

MFR isolates the issue, utilizes differentiation – which is when the fluid in the fibers become more slippery and freer – and brings about greater elasticity – the muscles lengthening and ability to adapt and also move freely and thus brings about greater perception – and this allows the brain to perceive and recognize how the body responds to stimuli. Then comes exercise. With this new perception, the muscles can contract more efficiently (this is how muscles grow), fresh blood flow can reach the muscles and thus bring nutrients and oxygen and if that wasn’t enough, the recovery time is quicker, meaning you won’t have to walk bow-legged to work the next day.

So, keep on chasing chickens, riding bikes, canoeing, hiking, swimming, practicing yoga, running, doing pilates or whatever it is you love to do and get yourself regular Myofascial Release sessions to stay in balance and to enhance your Wholeself Health.

February Update

Greetings! We are excited to announce our new partnership with Cornerstone Assisted Living in Vacaville. Eligible clients interested in learning more about Cornerstone are encouraged to come check out all it has to offer and get a massage from Wholeself Health. Cornerstone's facilities include a whirlpool for further relaxation before your massage as well. Ahhhh-mazing!

In addition to our new pairing with Cornerstone, we are also pleased to roll out our new calender feature. The calender will make scheduling your appointments with us a breeze and even allow you to plan out future appointments. Just another little way we like to make your experience with us even more enjoyable. 

Starting this month we are also debuting a Coffee and Massage promotion at our San Rafael location inside of the Marin Renaissance Center. After your massage enjoy a hot coffee or latte expertly brewed by our very own trained barista-massage therapist extraordinaire! 

Our Coffee and Massage promotion is currently available Saturdays from 10-2 by appointment. Give us a call and we'd be happy to help you start your day!

A lot of exciting things are on their way for us here at Wholeself Health. We've been working a lot behind the scenes to bring all of you the very best of what we have to offer. Stay tuned for another update with more information in the coming weeks!