Larry Swanson, LMP

New Wellness Massage Rates Effective July 1, 2011

Larry — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:19:29 +0000

I am raising my rates for wellness massage today. The new rates are:

$80 for a one-hour session
$120 for a one-and-a-half-hour session

My rates have always been on the low end for downtown (and still are) and have held steady for nearly four years. Over the past four years I have:

earned numerous 5-star ratings at Yelp and other online review sites
completed over 150 hours of continuing education
honed my orthopedic massage skills with daily practice and self-study
added neurofascial massage treatments to my repertoire
helped hundreds of people get out of pain

So I think that even at these new rates, I’m still a pretty good deal

Best Customer Testimonial Ever?

Larry — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:09:05 +0000

Ode to Larry, Feb 14, 2011

I met Larry in the first year that I moved to Seattle. By the second year, I had made use of his skills as an LMP. It is a decision that has served me well for the last ten years. Larry has been able to offer me healing hands through a life time of soccer injuries, stress of work, research, school, travel and occasional self maintenance days. I have always felt comfortable, cared for and safe on his table.

I think Larry is one of the most interesting men I know in Seattle, he is affable and informed. I appreciate that he is active in his profession and continued to grow, apply and offer different modalities and techniques to his clients. He has a wonderful combination of practical wisdom and professionalism mixed in with a childlike joy for life and all things interesting. I enjoy that he shares the names of all the structures, muscles, tendons and fascia that he works on, and reviews how they are all connected. It helps me connect the dots to better posture, decreasing back pain, stretching out calf muscles, and getting through challenging psoas and periformis sessions.

He listens! He takes his cue from you. You get to decide if you need quiet during the session or if you are up for comfortable conversation. Larry can accommodate either. He checks in with you, asks for feedback and is responsive in his methods of individualizing his care. He’s encourage me to be an active part in my own treatment by putting me to work with passive resistance stretches or offering me suggestions for moves I can do at home. He is open to ideas and interested to know what works for you. During our sessions, I can ask him to focus on a current issue, from my sinuses to my feet, or ask for what he calls his “office worker’s special” which I have come to know is a good once over of head, neck shoulders and back. He knows my weak spot is my lower back and he will go slow and probe. He knows my tough spots, like my plantar fascia, where deep pressure is the only thing that brings me relief. He has smooth transitions and reminds me to breathe if I forget. I’ve learned to recognize his closing strokes. I appreciate the consistency of his closure because it gives me time to prepare for the massage to end, it is not abrupt, just a peaceful adjourned. He always give you time on the table after the massage to regroup and compose yourself in privacy.

I’ve been through three or four different locations with Larry. The space he currently occupies offers a number of advantages over his previous locations, making it easier to relax. He is now at the end of a hall way, with another LMP next door. It’s quiet and warm in the winter, comfortable in the summer. Larry and I may have gaps of time between sessions, but I have always come back to track down his reliable personality, smile and, of course, skilled massage. Every session has been an excellent healing experience.

He is a man of many talents. If he can beat on drums for hours and hours, I am confident he can bring your tired and abused body some relief. You will want more than one session, so book ahead. I got my Valentine’s day therapy session booked already. I cannot imagine life without the years and years of having such talented and reliable care available to me, I wish everyone was so lucky.

Thank you Larry, for being there for me!

Sincerely,
Cris P

Make Massage a Priority

Larry — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:50:23 +0000

I had coffee this morning with a friend who is also a massage client. She was very appreciative of the massage she got last week and was kind enough to tell me why she likes my work.

She appreciates that, while I provide a serene and relaxing massage, I also educate her about her posture and anatomy in a way that helps her take care of herself between massage sessions. This pleases me to no end. From the day I first launched my practice, one of my priorities has been to help instill in my clients a sense of “body awareness.” To be honest, I had only a fuzzy idea about what I meant by this when I first started practicing. But now, after 12 years of practice, I am very confident about what body awareness is and how to help people develop it.

The highlight of our conversation was my friend enthusiastically proclaiming that we should all make massage a priority (and not regard it as an occasional treat). I wish I could hire her as my director of sales and marketing

But seriously, in a world where some doctors estimate that more than half of all disease is due to stress, shouldn’t we all make regular massage – the best stress reducer known to humankind – a priority?

Downtown Seattle Parking Rate Increases Looming

Larry — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 19:10:11 +0000

The Seattle Times reported today that the City of Seattle will increase rates for curbside street parking. The plan is to use market-based pricing, charging more for prime locations and/or peak times of the day (and possibly reducing rates during off-peak times). Paid street parking hours may also be extended.

I recently added a Medical Dental Building parking information page to this site, and I’ll do my best to keep you updated on further changes to the downtown parking scene as I discover them.

One parking tidbit: DO NOT park in the Impark lot at the Bank of America right across the street from the Medical Dental Building. They charge about twice as much as other nearby parking options ($18 vs. $6-10).

Massage Office to Share (Fremont)

Larry — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 23:28:41 +0000

Reposting this e-mail from my friend Ellesa. Please contact her directly if interested in this opportunity. I have received massage in this space and have visited it many times. It’s a very nice room in a very nice location.

Looking for someone to share a sizable office in Fremont. The building is a turn of the century house with a coffee shop on the lower level and a bodywork clinic on the second level. The days available are Mondays, Thursdays, Saturday & Sundays all day and morning-2:00 on Wed. and 2:30-through the evening on Fridays. The rent is $250.00/month. There is an electric lift massage table in the office to share plus full furnishings. There is a storage area outside of the office as well.

Looking for someone who is comfortable doing regular cleaning of office and shared spaces, responsible and communicative.
Ellesa Hunter 206.300.8613

Shared Massage Office Sublet Available (Eastlake)

Larry — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 15:35:50 +0000

Posting this here for my friend Scott. Please contact Scott directly if interested – Scott Pauker, LMP, 206-349-4987.

Scott is a great guy, and this is a nice neighborhood. The PT clinic he is in is one of the best in Seattle. Check this opportunity out if you’re looking for a massage office.

Details:

Fully furnished office space within a busy physical therapy clinic on Eastlake, Movement Systems Physical Therapy. Great location just South of the University/Roosevelt Bridge. Room gets great light and has views of Lake Union.

Other details:

Wifi included
Laundry machine on-site (I have plenty of sheets to share, so no trips to laundromat!)
Reception/waiting area
Mini-fridge for ice in room, and Hydrocollator for heat.
Ample parking behind building
Receptionists to greet your clients during business hours (you do your own billing/booking/etc but a great perk for when you’re still in session and people get greeted by a smiling face!)
Fax/copy machine available for your billing
Staff break room with refrigerator, microwave and the likes
Great referral source from the PTs and the spine clinic next door.

Available days at the moment are Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays all day, plus a ½ day on Wednesday morning. The rental rate is $185 per month for each individual day of the week. If you’re interested in multiple days, the rent would be slightly less per day, depending on how many days.

I’d like to be able to share my clients with my office mate as I currently do when I travel, so it would be great if you’re experienced with the injury treatment/structural/myofascial side of things, but it could also be great to bring in someone who works in a way complementary to mine. Let’s talk about it…

Please contact Scott directly if interested – Scott Pauker, LMP, 206-349-4987.

Short-Term Massage Job (South Lake Union)

Larry — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 22:51:49 +0000

I recently met Dr. Todd Luther, a chiropractor with a nice office in that new complex next to Whole Foods, near Westlake & Denny. He needs part-time massage help – all day Mondays and Fridays noon-3:00 – for a month or so. No need to be credentialed, as these are all pre-paid cash massages. Please reply directly to Dr. Luther if interested – DrLuther@alignseattle.com . Please feel free to share this posting with any LMP friends who could use a little extra work.