Monona Grove Therapeutic Massage Brings Healing Hand to Cottage Grove
Angela Heine enjoys using her hands to help others.
The certified massage therapist recently opened the doors to Monona Grove Therapeutic Massage at 2850 Cottage Grove Road in Cottage Grove. “There is certainly a need for massage therapy services in Cottage Grove,” said Heine, adding that the area’s growing population is sorely underserved when it comes to massage services.
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Angela Heine is a nationally certified therapist licensed in the state of Wisconsin. She has worked as a massage therapist for the Princeton Club and Group Health Cooperative. |
Pursuing a career in massage therapy was her husband’s idea. He knew there was great potential there, being on the receiving end of many of her wonderful neck and shoulder rubs. And Heine’s educational background with a BS in education, majoring in athletic training and exercise certainly helped her realize that this was her calling.
There is a lot of training and certification that is required to become a massage therapist, and Heine has certainly done the work. Before opening Monona Grove Therapeutic Massage, she earned her degree from Blue Sky School of Professional Bodywork and Massage and worked as a massage therapist for the Princeton Club and Group Health Cooperative. She is nationally certified and licensed by the state of Wisconsin.
While Heine says there are certain people who come to a massage therapist because they have specific injuries or chronic pain or similar issues, there therapy is also good for preventative care. “If you’re in on a regular basis getting massaged you’re getting relaxed and getting the therapeutic work and the general relaxation kind of massage. So it can actually keep your muscles flexible and keep your body in good shape to prevent injuries from happening. There are people out there who don’t know a lot about massage therapy and think of going to spa as a luxury. Really it’s for your own health, physically and emotionally. It really should be part of your general wellbeing and maintenance.”
And when the client does come in for a session it is important that they communicate with the therapist to ensure they are optimizing their session. Heine sees the effects of poor communication when new clients come to her with complaints about previous massages with other therapists. “I’ve had people that come to me and say that they went to this or that person and were really sore after. I would ask them, ‘did you ask them to back off the pressure?’ And they would say, ‘oh no, I didn’t want to be rude.’
“I would think to myself if you are paying somebody good money to be there and you just take it? I really think they need to be up front with what they want and the therapist can individualize it for them. I have people I work really deep on and others who I use hardly any pressure on. It just depends on their pain level and where they are at.”
Many of Heine’s clients come regularly every month. There are also those who come in every two weeks because they may have a stressful job and it helps them get through those periods. Then there are people who come for a specific injury and after recovering they come back just to maintain and not get back to that point where they were prior to their recovery.
Heine is also certified in pregnancy massage. She says it’s good to get a regular massage when you’re pregnant to relieve the aches and pains. “I have what’s called a ‘Prego Pillow’ which is a really firm type of a thing that they can lay comfortably on their stomach, especially on the later terms that seems to help a lot. It can really help to come once a month or even more when you’re pregnant to help aches and pains caused by the posture difference common with pregnancy.”
Another area Heine specializes in is geriatric massage, which according to her Web site focuses on helping a body to maintain those functions that are essential for general well-being at any age by increasing circulation, decreasing pain, enhancing restful sleep and increasing vitality. She is also trained in work with cancer patients. This therapy helps reduce anxiety and depression, lowers pain levels, promotes sleep and relaxation, and contributes to a general quality of life and wellbeing.
And working with cancer patients isn’t just something that she does; it is something that has hit close to home. Losing a sister-in-law and close friend to leukemia and having another friend survive breast cancer, Heine understands the impact this disease can have. In honor of her family and friends Heine completed two triathlons last year. The Nation’s Triathlon in Washington DC benefits the leukemia and lymphoma society and the Danskin Triathlon in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, which she did in honor of her friend who beat breast cancer. Heine said it was a great honor to do the races for her friends and family and she would recommend it to anyone going through similar times.