Introducing Paula VanBaalen

Hello! Nice to meet you.

My name is Paula VanBaalen. To help you make an informed decision about working with me, I wanted to invite you to learn a little more about who I am, what I do, and what my treatment philosophies are.  

What brought me to the wonderful world of massage therapy?

When I was 12 years old I had been in a car accident. I had received chiropractic care with limited results, so they sent me to a massage therapist. I remembered feeling soooo good after regular massages got added to my care. So good that I decided at 12 that I wanted to be a massage therapist when I grew up. And that’s just what I did. After high school, I enrolled in the massage therapy program at Minnesota School of Business, Shakopee. In 2009, I graduated with my AAS in Massage Therapy. I’ve been practicing my passion ever since.

What type of massage do I offer? 

There are two main services I provide.

My specialty: The John Barnes’ Approach to Myofascial Release. I'll also call it JBMFR and MFR. No, it’s not a facial, lol. It’s a type of bodywork that uses sustained pressure/tension to promote balance and healing of your connective tissue.

Myo, meaning muscle.

Fascial, meaning connective tissue that surrounds, connects, permeates, supports, hydrates, lubricates, provides shock absorption, and a few other things, for every muscle, tendon, ligament, bone, organ, etc in your entire body ~ it’s kinda important.

Release, meaning relief from suffering, letting go, liberation from pain, set free your soul, etc.

As weird as it sounds, your myofascial release session really is what you make it. My job is to lean into your tissues, provide space, and offer an alternative way of existence. You’re body then takes that information and does what it was designed to do, heal itself. It kinda feels like magic at times. ✨

I switched to providing predominantly JBMFR sessions because I wanted to give my clients longer lasting results, and often times with less discomfort.

The OG Service: Therapeutic Massage: Traditional relaxation massage based, combined with the other trainings, techniques, and practices that I picked up over the years. The goal of my therapeutic massage sessions is to get you the results your looking for by meeting your body where it’s at that day and applying the appropriate technique to get the best results possible. A therapeutic massage with me may include any of the following ~ deep tissue techniques, myofascial release techniques, cupping, muscle scraping, kineso-taping, essential oils, hot towels, etc. I’ve also been practicing Reiki and energy work for most of my career as a massage therapist, so sessions may also include those techniques/philosophies as well.

I originally made a name for myself with my more aggressive deep tissue techniques, because they were the best option I had for getting results for clients at the time. As I have evolved, learned, and grown over the years, I have modified how I apply deep tissues techniques to be more body friendly and longer lasting results. That is how I got introduced to the wonderful world of massage after all. 😊 To help people feel good and get better.

A session *can* include both types in it. Though there are some rules we have to follow. For example: JBMFR does not use oils, lotions, or creams, so those techniques are best done at the beginning of the session.

My major treatment philosophies:

We meet your body where it’s at ~ sometimes this is different than what your mind thinks you need. After all, most of our minds are stuck a little bit too much in fight-or-flight mode. In a myofascial release or massage session, this may mean we switch up the techniques provided, modify pressure, or even end the session early. To me, there is no use in giving your body a ton of information if it can’t process and integrate it. That's wasting your time/money. And it wouldn’t provide lasting results.

Curiosity ~ I practice having an open mind during your sessions. I invite you to do the same. Our bodies are beautiful, amazing, complex, and sometimes frustrating things. They develop coping mechanisms and compensation patterns that can cover up or distract us from the root of the issue. "Find the pain, look elsewhere for the solution." When we explore your tissues, our goal is to eventually find the root of your problem, not just treat the symptoms. Sometimes we have to work through layers to get there.

Healthy detachment ~ I let go of your outcome. Again, I invite you to do the same. This sounds weird to people at first. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean I don’t care. In fact, I care rather deeply. That’s why I need to remain objective as much as possible.

When I was a baby massage therapist, caring too much got me in trouble. There have been times that I cared more about a client getting better than they cared about feeling better. It led to burnout and massive boundary issues. What I’ve learned to do is hold non-judgmental space. That way the client can express themselves and feel what needs to be felt during their session and I can remain objective and provide outside perspective and room for change.

My side TED talk about this: If you think about it, if a massage therapist puts their emotional well-being on the line for every single client, they wouldn’t be any good at their job. If a client got good results, they would be riding high. If a client didn’t get stellar results, they could take it personally and think they needed to get a different job. They would likely be in a funk for their next client.

The other thing this can create is a unhealthy relationship where the client needs the massage therapist to feel better. What if the client cannot afford to come in? What if the massage therapist isn’t available? Does the client feel empowered to be able to provide their own care at home? Probably not… they need the massage therapist to feel better. Which brings me to my final philosophy…

Self care ~ there is only so much we can do an hour or 30 or 90 minutes at a time. I believe that you are your best resource and give oodles of self care recommendations and stretching tips. One of the biggest things that kept me functioning while in burnout for all those years was my self care practices.

As Ohana transition and grows, I will be sharing more and more of these practices with you so that you can continue your progress off the table. You are your best resource after all.

If working with me sounds like a good fit for you, you can schedule online HERE.