Neon Being
Massage
Inclusive and Effective Therapeutic Treatments
KoKo's Practice
KoKo is a Year 1 massage therapy student training at ACMT (Alberta College of Massage Therapy). They are currently trained in relaxation/Swedish massage and basic myofascial release. Each treatment is tailored to your aches, pains, issues, and needs.KoKo's practice is consent-focused, trauma-informed, 2SLGBTQIA+ welcoming, and neurodivergent friendly. Most intake forms, including their current clinics, do not ask about trauma or neurodivergence; if there is something you would like them to know, you can email or message them ahead of time or tell them in person during the pre-massage conversation if you are comfortable.They use scent-free and nut-free lotions and oils. KoKo wears a KN95 mask outside of their home but the clinics they work in do not practice any COVID mitigations. They do have a small portable air filter that can be set up in the treatment area with advance notice from you. You are welcome to leave your mask on during treatment.They got into massage therapy after suffering a disabling injury during Brazilian jiu-jitsu and finding out firsthand how massage can help heal the body. They see the body as a whole, focusing on how physical, mental, and emotional systems intersect. As with most of KoKo's previous work, they want to do something for the benefit of people's well-being. They enjoy working with their hands, body, and mind while having a minimal negative impact on the Earth.
Clinic Booking
Suite #101 – 9925 109th Street
KoKo is available Thursday evenings at the ACMT Student Clinic. The clinic is a large room of sectioned areas by heavy curtains into individual treatment spaces. The clinic is generally quiet with low music without lyrics. The massage tables are the portable style, with a high weight-rating and KoKo keeps their table at the lowest height. The clinic entrance is 88 cm (34.6") wide. As KoKo is a student, their supervisor will come in during the treatment to ask if they have questions and sometimes show additional techniques.Here, a 60-minute massage is $39. If you are a comrade, message KoKo about the discount.
#16, 9104 - 179 Avenue
KoKo is available Saturday mornings and afternoons at Reign Rehabilitation. Reign has a couple of room options. There is a quiet room with a portable massage table on lowest height in the back of the clinic. There is a room with an electrically height adjustable table near the front of the clinic but it is not as quiet as the other therapists are often using Shockwave machines which make a loud snapping noise. In either room you can have no music or any music you would like. This is not a wheelchair accessible location.Here, a 60-minute massage is $45 and a 90-minute is $65.
As a settler on Turtle Island KoKo respectfully acknowledges they're located on Treaty 6 Territory and Métis District 9, amiskwacîy ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋ, which is a traditional home and gathering place for many Indigenous peoples, including Niitsítapii/Blackfoot, nehîyawak/Cree, Dene, Nakota Sioux, Saulteaux, Métis, and specifically the ancestral space of the Papaschase Cree. (Native-Land.ca)Decolonization is more than words. We must do actions! Below is a link to a street outreach group that could use your donations and time!
Contact KoKo
If you have questions, need clarification, or anything else not available on this website, send KoKo a message!
Why get a massage?
Massage therapy provides relaxation and stress/anxiety relief by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and by releasing serotonin and endorphins. It manages pain and treats a wide spectrum of conditions by manipulating the soft tissues of the body (skin, fascia, muscles, tendons, lymph, blood vessels, joints).
What to expect
This section is intended for new or nervous people as it is very detailed but anyone can read. :)After booking, you will be emailed an intake form to fill out before your appointment. The form will ask for medical history and goals for the treatment. While an accurate medical history may seem too detailed for what you think of massage, please know that medications, conditions, injuries, and surgeries can and do effect the body in complicated ways that affect how massage impacts your body and how the therapist treats your body. Please fill out this form to the best of your ability and let your therapist know of changes in the future.It is recommended to be hydrated and have eaten 1-3 hours before your massage. If you have already filled out the intake form, you can arrive 5-10 minutes before your appointment. It is common to use the washroom before your appointment so you can fully relax on the table. At your appointment time KoKo will come get you and bring you to the treatment area. Then they will talk to you about your goals, ask questions about information on your intake form, tell you how they want you on the table, and ask if you have questions. Typically massages are done with the client laying on their stomach and back but they can be done with you laying on your sides if it is more comfortable for you. They will then leave the room for you to undress and so they can wash their hands. Then they will knock or call your name to check if you are ready for them to enter the room.It is completely up to you what level of undress you are comfortable with. During the treatment you will be under a sheet and usually a blanket. Only the area currently being worked on will be exposed. Most people undress to their underwear or less but some people want to leave on some or all of their clothes. Your treatment will work with your comfort level. For myofascial release and some other treatment techniques there is no lotion applied. Typically after those treatments, if they are included, then lotion or oil is applied to help the hands and arms glide across the skin. If clothed or if you prefer work done over the sheet there will be more compression techniques and less fluid gliding movements.During the pre-massage conversation KoKo will ask which areas you want to have worked on and get your consent. Even if not listed as an area that is going to be worked on, if there is somewhere you do not want to be touched, feel free to say it. Practising saying your boundaries in a safe space can help build your power to say them in other situations! They will only touch your body where they have consent and will ask further if an area was not previously mentioned. Some areas such as pecs (upper chest), glutes (butt), and adductors (inner thigh) KoKo will ask to reaffirm consent before they start the area to make sure you are still feeling comfortable with that. Please know and feel empowered that you can change or stop any and all touch at anytime! These treatments are for your body and mind so pushing yourself through touch you do not want or is too painful will not benefit you or KoKo as they do not want to do anything to anyone that they do not want to receive. If neck is included, they will be working on the back and sides of the neck. Their hands will not go across your throat or onto your windpipe.After your massage, take your time getting off the table. A lot of fluids were just moved through your body and your nervous system has slowed down. Some people get light-headed when trying to get up too fast. While KoKo is trained in First Aid and CPR, they would prefer not to find you on the floor! KoKo is able to assist people with sitting up if that is helpful for you. They will meet you outside the room when you are ready and take you to reception. Some people like to pay before the treatment so they can just float out of the clinic and some people like to pay at the end. During the rest of your day it is recommended to drink a good amount of water to aid your body in continuing to move the fluids affected through the body systems.Depending on your level of pain and injury before, and the amount of pressure during the treatment, it is possible to have some muscle soreness for a few days after a massage. Dehydration will contribute to soreness also.KoKo has tried to explain what happens during a treatment but if anything is unclear, you want further details, or have special requests, please use the contact form.