Interview with a practitioner: Jennie King, LMT

1) What brought you to Portland?

I came to Portland for two reasons: The first reason is that I lived in Ohio and I wanted to live somewhere that fit my values. I always felt like I was swimming upstream. I love Portland and I feel like it is an oasis.

The second reason was that I wanted to develop a deeper relationship with my little brother.  He moved to the west coast right after he graduated from high school and I desired to have a friendship that wasn't based on our childhood but extended into adulthood as well.

2) Why did you decide to become an LMT?

I became a massage therapist because I think touch is invaluable. I wasn't always comfortable with touch- meaning touching other people or being touched. I love a good challenge and I could tell that I had a lot of potential for growth in that area. Also, I feel that there are so many violating ways that people treat each other, I wanted to be part of the solution to heal that manner of interaction.

3) Tell me about your practice.

My practice is based on everything I've learned translated through my belief systems.  I've studied the basic Swedish deep tissue massage, but have incorporated Shiatsu, myofascial and craniosacral massage.  My education in Chinese medicine at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine colors how I look at the body.  I love fusing the structural muscle work with the energetic, and I see it as a dance with the person on the table.

4) Where does your passion for the medicine of massage come from? My passion for my practice comes from a desire to change the world.  I feel like I can do it one person at a time.  I like to provide that space where people can recharge and remember who they are.  If I help them be the best that they can then they can go out and do their job better.  I love learning and the body is endless.

5) Any advice for patients? My advice for patients is to breath and ground, everything else flows from there.

6) What is your favorite Portland restaurant and why? There are so many great restaurants and I love to eat but if I had to pick one it would be The Farm.  The reason is fallen chocolate souffle, of course.

You can find Jennie at:

The Abbey House

2928 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Suite #104

Portland, OR 97214

phone: 503-740-5464

Japanese Massage: Shiatsu

shiatsu meridian chart by echoman

Besides needles and moxibustion, Japanese therapy also includes a wonderful form of massage called Shiatsu. This form is different from the Swedish massage most of us are accustomed to, but it definitely heals on a different level.

When you arrive for a treatment, you will be asked to wear loose, comfortable clothing and clean socks. You will keep your clothes on, and often the treatment will take place on a floor mat, such as a futon (most can accommodate with a table if you need it). The treatment involves a series of stretches and energetic movement of the channels (see the chart above). The channels are similar to those in Chinese medicine, but there are several differences. It's a truly amazing form of a massae

For some great shiatsu practitioners, I recommend (from personal experience) Jennie King, LMT, Elizabeth Hazzard, LMT, Shelley Wagar LMT, Susan Hare, LMT and Xavier Preciado, LMT. They were all instructors here at OCOM at one time (some still are!), and are all amazing people who offer slightly different styles of Shiatsu. Check them out!

meridian chart by life_of_lisa