Taylor Johnson, LMT

​EDUCATION
Arizona School of Integrative Studies, Tucson
SPECIALTIES
• Stretching and movement-focused therapy
• Sports massage
• Relaxation massage
CONTACT
(520) 979-0725 (text strongly preferred)

“Everybody deserves to experience joyful movement in their unique earth costume.”

Taylor’s appreciation of human anatomy and human physicality began long before she became a massage therapist. She trained as a dancer and, for over a decade, enjoyed a career with several professional ballet companies. During that time, she endured pain, and sometimes injury, throughout her body; pain management became an integral part of her life. This is the case for many dancers and is part of the culture and practice of the community—Taylor feels she owes much of her knowledge about pain management and self-care to the previous generation of artists who mentored her. She regularly used self-massage, foam rolling, and active stretching but sometimes saw a professional therapist and often massaged her colleagues. She came to see massage therapy as a way of exploring her interest in anatomy and movement that was kinder to her body.
 
Taylor loves to set and achieve goals with her clients, often with free and comfortable movement as a criterion. “I like to ask clients how they enjoy moving their bodies, or what movement feels good, what movements they avoid, why. I’m always curious about what their movement goals are, if any. Also, I like to passively move their body during their treatment. Some sort of stretch or movement is usually suggested after our session.” It's an approach she finds effective with all kinds of clients, including athletes, older clients, desk job workers, and those with limited mobility. “Everyone has something beneficial to explore movement-wise, big or small.” At the heart of her practice are the principles of creating space, optimizing mobility, and dispelling unnecessary negative beliefs about one’s body.
 
Taylor says she is “beyond grateful to be a part of the community at Rooted. Having access to this diverse wealth of expertise inspires me to grow both professionally and personally.”
 
As a child, Taylor lived all over the country with her family and their eccentric collection of alpacas. In 2011, she moved to Tucson. She likes to say that Tucson adopted her. Some of her interests include long walks in the desert, community service, cycling, loving animals, and her yoga asana practice.

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