What Is Somatic Healing? Somatic Massage & Facials Explained

What Is Somatic Healing? Somatic Massage & Facials Explained

Your body remembers what you tried to forget! I am sure it isn't the first time you heard this little nugget.

But what nobody tells you about tension in the body is this…

It's not always from your desk at work, the way you slept or the perimenopause is creeping in.

Sometimes your shoulders feel like rocks because you learned to armour up, to carry the weight of everyone else in your life, but never realized it.

I’ve been working with my hands on women for the last 18 years. In that time, I’ve got to the root of hip pain, jaw pain, migraines and general body tension.

And it’s not just pain. Women come to me wanting to stop patterns they want to stop repeating. Snapping at the people they love most. Crippling anxiety. Saying yes when they really want to say no. Shrinking down and fawning all the time. Picking a fight right with their partner when life actually starts to feel good. Waking at 3am with their mind focused on something they said back in 2020. Hearing their mum’s voice come out of their own mouth, and hating it.

Here’s what I’ve learned. It’s simply a sweet little girl inside that learned to survive and a body that stored it all.

That's what somatic massage and somatic facials are all about. They help your body let go of the stuff your mind already put away.

If you've been Googling or wondering “what is somatic massage" or "what is a somatic facial" today I am breaking it all down.

Oh, and stick around to the end. I'm going to tell you the one thing I see in almost every woman I talk to and its quite sad really.

What is a somatic massage?

The word Soma comes from ancient Greek and basically means the body.

But when we talk about soma in somatic healing, we're not just talking about your muscles.

We're talking about the body you experience from the inside.

The body that gets butterflies before a big conversation.

The body that tightens up when you get into conflict with someone.

The body that feels sick at the thought of disappointing someone.

Now, here's where things get interesting.

Most of us have been taught to look at our bodies like machines.

Something hurts? Fix it, pop a pill or numb it anyway. Just don’t FEEL it.

And while this is true, I've become much more interested in asking another question.

What's been happening in your life, and how is your body responding to it?

Because your body is constantly responding to the world around you without you realizing it.

Think about it. You can walk into a room and immediately feel uncomfortable without knowing why.

You can receive a text from someone and feel your stomach drop before you've even opened it.

You can tell yourself you're fine, yet your jaw is tight and your whole body feels on edge all the time.

Your mind might be saying one thing, but your body is experiencing something completely different.

And sometimes those responses are connected to patterns we've been repeating for years or even decades.

Maybe you learned early in life to keep everyone happy.

Maybe you became the responsible one at a young age.

Maybe speaking up didn't feel safe, so you got really good at staying quiet.

Those experiences can shape how your nervous system responds to stress, even years later.

And this is why I find somatic healing so fascinating.

It's not just about asking what you're FEELING.

It's about becoming curious about what your body is experiencing, why certain reactions keep showing up and whether those old patterns are still serving you.

Because sometimes the most interesting question isn't simply, "What's wrong with my body?"

It's "What has my body learned to do to protect me?"

And perhaps, after all these years, it's ready to learn something different.

So somatic massage is massage that listens to the body. Not just the muscles.

Here's the simple version. Your body stores everything. The big stuff. The small stuff. The stuff you never said out loud. When something felt scary or too much, and there was no safe place to let it out, your body held onto it for you. Like a friend keeping a secret.

That held stuff can show up as:

• Tight shoulders

• A clenched jaw or teeth grinding at night

• A stomach that's always in knots

• Hips that hurt

• A chest that feels heavy, like you can't take a proper deep breath

A regular massage might ease the tight spot for a day or two. Then it creeps back. Sound familiar?

That's because the muscle isn't always the root. The muscle is simply the messenger.

The somatic massage and facial sessions work with your nervous system, not against it. But in my Root Sessions, we go even deeper.

We start looking at the patterns, beliefs and emotional experiences that may have been shaping how your body responds to life for years.

Maybe you learned at five years old that keeping everyone happy meant staying safe. Maybe you became the strong one because nobody else was. Or maybe you got so good at pushing your own feelings aside that you don't even realize you're doing it - its subconsious.

That’s why now decades later, you're wondering why you can't switch off, why you feel responsible for everyone or why your body always seems to be on high alert.

In those sessions I am not just what's happening in your body today, but what might have started the pattern in the first place.

Because sometimes it's about recognizing an old pattern, understanding why it's there and helping your mind and body learn a different way forward.

Think of it like this. Your nervous system is like a little smoke alarm. In a lot of women, that alarm has been going off for years. Yes, even when there's no fire. Somatic massage helps turn the volume down. Gently. Slowly.

This is trauma informed massage. That means nothing is forced. Your body has been sending messages through pain and tension and I follow the signs.

Somatic massage vs regular massage: what's the difference?

I love a good regular massage, but they're not the same thing. Here's how they compare.

The biggest difference? A regular massage works on you. A somatic massage works with you.

What happens in a somatic massage session?

Women ask me this all the time because going somewhere new, and letting someone touch you, can feel super vulnerable. Especially if your body has a history.

So, What Actually Happens During a Somatic Massage or Somatic Facial?

First of all, this isn't your typical experience. Although, don't worry, I still include all the relaxing bits like my famous hot stones taster and more.

I bring together slow, intentional massage, nervous system regulation, Reiki, chakra balancing, sound healing and gentle somatic statements to create an experience that works with your body, mind and soul.

Here's what that can look like.

1. We start with YOU.

Before you even get onto the table, we'll have a little chat about what's going on in your world. In these sessions, you don't have to tell me your entire life story. We simply start with where you are at today. I already know what’s going on by where the location of the tension is in your body ;-)

2. We slow everything down.

I work slowly with your body rather than trying to force it to relax. I also weave in Reiki/chakra balancing and sound healing to support relaxation and create a sense of balance.

3. We gently work with the emotional side.

This is where things feel a little different. I may introduce a few simple statements based on what we've discussed or what you're experiencing. This is where my clients start to feel the magic happen and sometimes my clients want to just have a beautiful, peaceful massage with no talking at all. That's perfectly fine too! I let you decide.

4. We bring you back to the present.

I always finish with gentle grounding, giving you time to settle before getting off the table. There's no rushing you back into the crazy matrix world.

The intention is for you to leave feeling more connected to yourself, relaxed and supported. Clients often cry during the sessions, but mostly they feel floaty, light and like a weight has been lifted.

One client said to me, "I feel like I put down a backpack I didn't know I was carrying."

This is why people sometimes call it emotional release massage. But I want to be clear. The goal isn't to make you cry. The goal is to make you safe. Sometimes safety looks like tears. Sometimes it looks like falling fast asleep and snoring. Both are beautiful.

And for women who want to explore the deeper subconscious beliefs and emotional patterns that may be influencing their lives, that's where my Root Sessions take things a little further. Many clients start with the somatic massage or facial or book these as follow up appointments after the root sessions.

What is a somatic facial

A somatic facial is a facial that treats your face as a doorway. Not just skin to cleanse and moisturize. Here's why this matters. Your face holds a lot of tension too.

Think about it. As a little girl, you might have learned to smile when you didn't feel like smiling. To keep a "nice" face so no one got upset. To not let anyone see you cry. To bite your tongue. Literally.

Your face did all that for you. For years. Decades, even.

So it makes sense that your face gets tired. It shows up as:

• A tight jaw

• Forehead lines from always being "on"

• Puffy, heavy eyes

• Dull skin that no serum seems to ever fix

• Breakouts that flare up when life gets stressful

• Tension headaches that sit right behind your eyes

A holistic facial like this works on two levels at once. Your skin gets real, love. And underneath, your nervous system gets the message to stand down using all the techniques I mentioned above.

I also use facial and tension mapping. That's an old way of reading the face, where different areas link to different parts of the body and different emotions. Your face is like a map of what you've lived through.

This is a true mind body facial. You come for the glow.

Somatic facial vs regular facial

A regular facial is lovely. Cleanse, steam, mask, done. Your skin feels nice for a few days.

But here's the whistle I want to blow loudly. Stress shows up on your skin. If your nervous system is stuck in "go go go," your skin feels it too. Your body keeps pumping out stress. Your face holds tension. Blood flow to the skin drops. And no serum on earth can out serum a body, mind + soul that's been living in survival mode.

Regular Facial vs. Somatic Facial Release

Signs Your Body Might Be Asking for Some Somatic TLC

Sometimes we're so busy getting through the day, looking after everyone else and ticking things off our never ending to do lists that we don't even notice how much tension we're holding.

Until our body starts making a bit of noise.

See if any of these sound familiar:

• Your shoulders are always tight and sore, even after a regular massage

• You wake up feeling stiff, achy or tired.

• Your jaw is constantly clenched.

• You get tension headaches or feel pressure around your temples.

• Your neck and upper back feel like concrete.

• Your face feels tight, especially around your jaw and forehead.

• You find it hard to switch off, even when you’re watching Netflix and chilling (like actually resting, not getting down with your partner).

• You can't remember the last time your whole body felt properly relaxed.

My Somatic Healing Massages and Somatic Facial Release treatments are designed to give you a chance to slow down, reconnect with your body and gently work with the areas your body has been holding tension.

Through slow, intentional touch, muscle and fascial work, gentle somatic statements, Reiki, chakra balancing and sound healing I created a space for you to put everything down, so you can relax and come back to yourself.

Because you shouldn't have to wait until your body is screaming at you before you start listening to it.

But What If It's More Than Just Physical Tension?

Sometimes it's not just your shoulders that are carrying too much.

It's the way you've learned to carry everything in life.

And this is something I've become fascinated with after nearly two decades of working with women's bodies.

Because while we can work on tight muscles and help the nervous system settle, I also love exploring WHY certain patterns keep showing up in the first place.

See if any of these sound familiar, too:

• You're always the strong one, even when you're falling apart inside.

• You feel guilty saying no, even when you're exhausted.

• You know you're a people pleaser, but can't seem to stop.

• You keep finding yourself in the same situations or relationship patterns.

• You overthink conversations long after they're over.

• You feel responsible for everyone else's happiness.

• You know what you want to change, but something keeps pulling you back.

• You react to certain situations and later wonder, "Where on earth did THAT come from?"

• You struggle to ask for help because you've always been the one everyone relies on.

• You've done all the mindset work, read the books and listened to the podcasts, but somehow you're still repeating the same old habits.

Sound a little too familiar?

This is where my Root Sessions come in.

While my Somatic Healing Massages and Facials focus on helping your body slow down and release physical tension, my Root Sessions take us deeper into the emotional patterns and subconscious beliefs that may be keeping you stuck.

Because sometimes the way we respond to life today has a lot to do with what we learned about ourselves years ago.

Maybe you learned at five years old that keeping everyone happy meant avoiding conflict.

Maybe being helpful made you feel more loved and accepted by your family and friends.

Maybe you became the responsible one because there wasn't really anyone else to lean on.

Or maybe you learned that showing your emotions wasn't safe, so you got really good at pretending everything was fine.

And here you are, 30, 40 or even 50 years later, still finding yourself doing the same things.

The funny thing is, you can KNOW you're doing these things and still struggle to change them.

You can tell yourself you're going to set boundaries.

You can promise you're not going to take on everyone else's problems.

You can decide that this is FINALLY the year you stop putting yourself last.

And then someone needs something from you, and before you know it, you're saying yes while silently screaming NOOOO inside.

That's because some of these responses can become so familiar that they happen almost automatically.

In my Root Sessions, we explore those patterns, the experiences that may have shaped them and the beliefs you've carried about yourself, sometimes without even realizing it.

Using subconscious and somatic techniques, we work towards helping you recognize those old responses and create new ones that feel more supportive of the woman you are today.

Because understanding why you do something is one thing. Learning how to stop repeating it all is another.

And sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is realize that you don't have to keep living by rules you learned when you were a little girl.

Two Different Ways to Support Your Healing

Whether you're feeling physically tense, emotionally drained or simply tired of repeating the same old patterns, there's no one-size-fits-all approach.

Sometimes you need to get out of your head and reconnect with your body.

Sometimes you're ready to explore the deeper reasons behind the way you think, feel and respond.

And sometimes, a little of both is exactly what you need.

Somatic Healing Massages and Somatic Facial Release are available in person at Gelous Spa in Calgary.

Root Sessions are available online, so we can explore those deeper emotional patterns together wherever you are.

Because healing isn't about becoming someone completely different.

Sometimes it's about letting go of what you've learned to be, so you can feel more like yourself again.

Keep healing.

The benefits of somatic massage and somatic facials

Let's get into what actually shifts. These are the things I see in my treatment room, week after week.

1. Nervous system regulation

This is the big one. Nervous system regulation means your body can move out of fight, flight or freeze and come back to calm. When your nervous system is regulated, life feels less like a battle. You sleep better. You digest better. You react less. You respond more.

2. Releasing stored trauma in the body

You don't have to have had one huge, dramatic thing happen. Trauma can be quiet. A home where you had to be good. A parent who was there, but not really there. Years of feeling like too much, or not enough.

All of that leaves a mark on us. Stored trauma in the body often sits in the jaw, throat, chest, belly and hips.

3. Breaking generational patterns

A lot of what you carry isn't even yours. Your mum carried it. Her mum carried it. Maybe her mum before that. The bracing. The not enough. The "don't get too big for your boots."

Those patterns live in the body too. And they get passed down, not just in what we say, but in how our bodies hold themselves. That's what generational trauma healing is about. It's you saying, "This stops with me."

When your body feels safe, that's where the old program stops running. And something new can finally grow. That’s what we do in the root sessions.

Somatic massage and somatic facial FAQs

Is somatic massage the same as somatic therapy?

They're cousins. Somatic therapy is a broad name for healing that works through the body. Somatic massage or facials is the hands on way of doing it. It uses touch to help your body release what it's holding.

Will I have to talk about my trauma?

Nope. Not unless you want to, but we usually touch more on this in the root sessions.

Is it normal to cry during a somatic massage or facial?

Soooooo normal. Crying, laughing, yawning, shaking, feeling hot or cold. These are all ways your body lets go. Your body is doing exactly what it needs to do.

Does somatic massage hurt?

No. Somatic work is about safety. If something feels like too much, we slow down or move on. Some spots might feel tender. But you're always in charge.

What should I do after a session?

Rest after. Skip the big plans if you can. Have a bath. Journal. Go to bed early. Your body might keep processing for a day or two. Be extra kind to yourself.

The One Thing I See in Almost Every Woman I treat

Remember at the beginning when I said I'd share something I've noticed after nearly 20 years of working with women?

Well, here it is.

Guilt.

Guilt for not doing enough. Guilt for doing too much. Guilt for saying no. Guilt for taking time for herself when there's a million other things she could be doing.

And the funny thing is, most women don't even realize how much guilt they're carrying because it's become such a normal part of their lives.

They've spent years being the one everyone relies on. The one who remembers everything, organizes everything, fixes everything and somehow still wonders if they're doing enough.

And where did we learn that?

Well, for some of us, we watched our mums do it. And their mums before them.

Generations of women putting themselves at the bottom of the list.

It’s time we started giving women something they rarely give themselves.

Permission to do absolutely nothing for a change and this is why I love the sessions I do.

No one needs anything from you. There's nothing to organize, nothing to fix and nobody you need to keep happy.

For once, you're the one being taken care of.

And perhaps the most important thing you can take away from that treatment isn't just how relaxed you feel.

It's the reminder that you don't have to earn your rest by burning out.

You've spent enough time holding everything together.

Maybe it's time to let someone else do the holding for a change.

Keep healing.

Helena

Xox

Book your healing facial treatment at Gelous Spa today.

Gelous Spa is a holistic + somatic healing spa based in Glenbrook SW Calgary. Check it out at gelousspa.ca

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