Erica Martinez, LMT
EDUCATION
Therapeutic Massage Program, Pima Community College, Tucson SPECIALTIES Integrative massage CONTACT (415) 342-7152 (call or text) Prices
We are happy that Erica is beginning her massage journey here at Rooted. As a new therapist, her rates are $10 lower than our standard rates.
60 minutes • $75 90 minutes • $105 |
From the time she was very young, Erica has always felt a desire to connect with and help other people. Her biggest drives in life have been to seek out new experiences, learn new things, and make a positive impact on those around her. After college, she spent much of her twenties traveling around the country with her dog, playing music, and working jobs in construction, farming, and other manual labor. This all took a toll on Erica’s body. When her already debilitating back pain was aggravated by a couple of car accidents, she was forced to stop doing many of the things she loved. After trying many different ways to manage her pain, she discovered that massage provided the greatest relief and actually restored her ability to move around and do the things she wanted to do.
She went on to explore botany, farming and gardening, mycology, construction, and welding, among other things. She thought about the people she encountered in these fields, how hard they worked, how much they would benefit from massage, and how most never took the time for it, and realized that becoming a massage therapist was her next path in life. While the COVID-19 pandemic put a screeching halt to much of life everywhere, she managed to finish massage school and earn her license. As a student, she interned at Rooted, where she fit in so well with the seasoned practitioners there that she became one of the very few to join directly out of massage school. Erica likes to tailor her treatments to each individual, taking into account their history, issues they regularly deal with, and how they are feeling in that moment. Her techniques might involve active or passive stretching, trigger-point therapy, or more gentle Swedish strokes, depending on what is most appropriate at the time. She values good communication throughout the session, and likes to make the client feel empowered to speak up at any point so that they may get the most out of their massage. As someone whose life was changed by an especially skilled and intuitive massage therapist, Erica deeply values the relationship formed between client and therapist. She loves to see the target problems gradually melt away with each session. Her ideal scenario for her clients is to get them to the point where they don't need to see her anymore! As part of the LGBTQI+ community, Erica knows how important it is to take care of one another and remain keenly aware of others’ needs. She seeks to create a safe and respectful environment for people of all body types and gender expressions and to be especially considerate of all backgrounds of trauma. She hopes to help those from LGBTQI+ communities, as well as anyone with limiting pain and tension, to restore their ability to function—manual laborers in particular. Erica still loves playing music (when she has the time), dancing, gardening, and swimming whenever possible, all with her little 11-year old disabled pitbull, Mavis, by her side. |