Impress Bodywork

At my surgeons recommendation, I was looking to get lymphatic drainage massages to help me with swelling and stiffness when I was about 2 weeks post-surgery. I was so happy to find Sam! There are many licensed massage therapists out there, but few with certification and specific training in lymphatic drainage. Especially because lymphatic massage is so much gentler and different than recreational massage, its hard to tell (for me at least) when someone knows what theyre doing, which is why it was important to me to find someone who was formally trained and certified in this specific practice. Sam has extensive advanced training in MLD, including with the Vodder school, and her expertise really showed. Her work struck me as more akin to physical therapy in a lot of ways. I scheduled an initial session to gauge whether we worked well together and was happy with Sams style; not only was she extremely knowledgeable about the lymphatic system, she was the consummate professional punctual, prompt with replies, and clear in her communications. She is located in the Oakland/Temescal area, which was convenient for me too. Based on that, I decided to schedule 6-7 more sessions over the following few weeks and I was honestly surprised at how much it helped. I saw significant improvement to the hardness and lumpiness in the skin, cording in my underarms, and my discomfort/limited range of motion due to stiffness and tension. I would definitely recommend Sam to anyone looking for a skilled manual lymphatic drainage massage.
May 2nd, 2022

Sam does great work! She's the only one who I can do deep tissue with. :)
Oct 27th, 2021

I've had many massages over the years, and am probably more picky than most about the people I go to due to low back issues and a back surgery (discectomy) at L4-L5 many years ago. I'm really happy I found Sam - she is a true professional, with an intuitive sense of touch but also someone who's highly knowledgable and skilled in multiple modalities. She works with her clients to create a treatment plan that works uniquely for them - thanks to her, I now have a stretching and foam roller practice that, in addition to regular massage, has greatly reduced the pain and stiffness that I deal with in my lower back. Highly recommend this massage therapist!
Oct 3rd, 2020

Consistently the best massage ever. Sam has helped me with athletic injuries, repetitive stress injuries, trauma, and overall well-being. She's extremely knowledgeable about the body and healing, and is immediately responsive if you want changes in pressure, etc. Could not recommend Sam more highly.
Jun 17th, 2020