{"id":22168,"date":"2024-06-24T01:32:18","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T05:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multi.nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/?p=22168"},"modified":"2025-02-13T09:40:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T14:40:29","slug":"22168-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/","title":{"rendered":"From Stress to Serenity: Mahalo Massage’s Journey to Wellness"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: C. Zawadi Morris<\/a><\/p>\n

FSwWhen was the last time you had a massage? I\u2019m not talking about the 10-minute\u00a0foot massage that comes with a pedicure or the three-minute shoulder rub from your significant other.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m talking about a 45-minute, face-down, deep-tissue massage where you lose track of time, fall alseep and are\u00a0awakened by the\u00a0sound of your own snoring! It\u2019s been a minute, hasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Bob Gallagher, a Williamsburg resident, massage therapist and owner of\u00a0Mahalo Massage NYC<\/a> in Union Square, says fewer people are choosing massage as a form of therapy. She’s noticed\u00a0an overall decline since the COVID-19 Pandemic, as people have gone back to pre-pandemic work schedules while trying to make ends meet.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
But, says Gallagher, massages should not be seen as a treat you indulge yourself in every now and then. Instead, it should be viewed as something you can\u2019t afford not to\u00a0<\/em>do<\/em>\u2013\u00a0 as essential to\u00a0your physical and mental health as exercise\u00a0and\u00a0as necessary and routine as brushing your teeth!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

After 17 years in the massage therapy business, Gallagher sits down with BK Reader to share her journey:\u00a0how the art of touch\u00a0can\u00a0inform how you view your body and self and also transform your quality of life.<\/p>\n

BK Reader: <\/strong>After almost two decades of working as a massage therapist, it\u2019s obvious that it\u2019s something you\u2019re devoted to. What brought you to this type of work, and with such a fickle market, why do you choose to stay?<\/em><\/p>\n

Bob Gallagher:<\/strong>\u00a0Massage therapy has been a part of my\u00a0whole life, really. My mother was born with birth defects that gave her chronic pain. She had many operations and lots of trauma within her. So I began massaging her when I was five years old. And then when I was a teenager, I experienced my own chronic pain from poor posture. So my mom took me to get massages because she didn’t know what else to do for me. Because of my back pain, I learned Pilates and yoga– disciplines where\u00a0the body follows\u00a0the mind.<\/p>\n

Then, I later took an improv class one semester with Lin Manuel Miranda and became even more aware of biomechanics, emotional expression and physical awareness. Still, I was doing this thing with my life and doing that thing with my life, and realized I wasn’t doing anything with my life that I loved. All of my friends somehow were massage therapists. So one day, I was like, okay, let me go to an open house at the Swedish\u00a0Institute College of Health and Sciences. And yeah, that was it. I was like, I gotta do this.<\/p>\n

BKR:<\/strong>\u00a0What\u2019s your specific approach to massage therapy? I understand that you offer a\u00a0blend of massage techniques such as Swedish and deep tissue. But do you have a special approach or technique that might resonate with people who have specific needs?<\/em><\/p>\n

BG:<\/strong> For me, it\u2019s about having a conversation with your body and reconnecting with self. So all first sessions with me, there’s a 30-minute initial consultation just to figure out, you know, lifestyle, physical activities, stress levels, like, what’s going on. \u2026 And that tells me how you move through the world, how you treat yourself; and how much care, let’s say, needs to be brought into the session. I don’t have a standard technique that I use on every single person. I mean, there’s a certain pattern that I’ll go through on the body, because it keeps it in order for myself. But sessions are very custom.<\/p>\n

With my clients, really, it’s about holding space and holding them, right? And the medium by which to hold them is what we know as massage. There\u2019s intention behind the way I approach touch. I\u2019m trying to do for you what you can’t do for you. It’s like transferring pressure energy. I’m just a conduit, I’m just a stimulus–\u00a0an outside stimulus to bring your awareness to what’s happening within your body. I\u2019m connecting you to yourself and allowing you to communicate with yourself again. Basically, what people view as massage is only a third of what I do.<\/p>\n

BKR:\u00a0<\/strong>Then, what is the other two-thirds of what you\u2019re doing?<\/em><\/p>\n

BG:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m really good at addressing pain. A lot of people are in pain, and I use touch to bring that out. Pain is the body’s nervous system signaling there’s something wrong, right? Not that something needs to be fixed, but that there’s something wrong. So instead of,\u00a0let me fix this pain, so it will go away<\/em>, it\u2019s more like,\u00a0what’s causing this pain<\/em>?<\/p>\n

I do not feel comfortable necessarily telling clients that their pain is emotional. Like, I can say, \u201cIt sounds like you’re really stressed out, and it’s translating to the back pain you\u2019re experiencing,\u201d versus, \u201cYou’ve got some unresolved shit and it’s manifesting your body.\u201d So much of it is like making sure you are seen. It\u2019s like what you experience with me as a friend\u2013 not to say all these clients are my friends, but it’s just like \u2026 connecting.<\/p>\n

BKR:<\/strong>\u00a0But what if somebody wants to come in and doesn’t want to connect and just wants a relaxing massage? What if connecting is not really their thing?<\/em><\/p>\n

BG:\u00a0<\/strong>Then I meet them where they\u2019re at. And in a way, that is part of connecting too. I make sure the client can feel something; can get into their body for that moment in time. So, for instance, someone who could really benefit from massage might be someone on the spectrum or, you know, an autistic person. They’re not going to give you that emotion\u2013 that connection that you often feed off of to be able to inform your approach. But I still have to be present in the moment of what’s happening.<\/p>\n

But the essence of massage and bodywork is being able to hold safe space for the physical being, and tapping into that feeling is where sometimes the emotions that do not need to be named reside and are able to come to the surface. So the goal at the end of these sessions is for the client to walk away and feel\u00a0in their body<\/em>;\u00a0a greater sense of being and a sense that they’ve been taken care of. But also important is knowing they have shown up for themselves to let it happen.<\/p>\n

BKR:\u00a0<\/strong>So, essentially, are you saying that you don\u2019t have to be in pain or even need to be stressed to treat yourself to a massage?<\/em><\/p>\n

BG:\u00a0<\/strong>A treat is the notion that you don’t deserve something unless it’s your birthday or it’s a special occasion versus, \u201cThis is what self care looks like.\u201d It’s great that we can take care of ourselves, and it’s also great to be taken care of! We are social beings. We are not meant to do any of this alone. It’s like being hugged. You’re letting something else outside of your physical boundaries embrace you.<\/p>\n

Tech is fantastic, but when we’re always on social media and we’re not with the people that are right in front of us, we get used to being disconnected. I think one of the reasons people congregate in cities is because they’re so desperate for connection. They believe that being in a high concentration of people increases the likelihood of it happening. Yet, we still don’t necessarily know how to make the connection happen.<\/p>\n

Massage is one way. Like, this is about cultivating relationships, about creating connections. It\u2019s about listening to and understanding your body.\u00a0As long as my clients trust themselves enough to show up for themselves, I’m going to continue to show up for them as much as I can.<\/p>\n

I believe this so much, it makes me want to cry. …\u00a0Okay, wow! Apparently,\u00a0I really love massage<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

Mahalo Massage NYC is a LGBTQ+-affirming business.\u00a0To book a session, go\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: C. Zawadi Morris FSwWhen was the last time you had a massage? I\u2019m not talking about the 10-minute\u00a0foot massage that comes with a pedicure or the three-minute shoulder rub from your significant other. I\u2019m talking about a 45-minute, face-down, deep-tissue massage where you lose track of time, fall alseep and are\u00a0awakened by the\u00a0sound of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5904,"featured_media":22169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,523,31,3040],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-restaurants-features","category-brooklyn-businesses","category-whats-buzzin","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom Stress to Serenity: Mahalo Massage's Journey to Wellness - Brooklyn News and Events<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Stress to Serenity: Mahalo Massage's Journey to Wellness\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By: C. Zawadi Morris FSwWhen was the last time you had a massage? I\u2019m not talking about the 10-minute\u00a0foot massage that comes with a pedicure or the three-minute shoulder rub from your significant other. I\u2019m talking about a 45-minute, face-down, deep-tissue massage where you lose track of time, fall alseep and are\u00a0awakened by the\u00a0sound of […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brooklyn News and Events\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-24T05:32:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-13T14:40:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/06\/img_2684.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brooklyn Buzz News Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brooklyn Buzz News Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/\",\"name\":\"From Stress to Serenity: Mahalo Massage's Journey to Wellness - Brooklyn News and Events\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/06\/img_2684.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-24T05:32:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-13T14:40:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/da9080898e2ce6a46f024597da8da166\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/06\/img_2684.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/06\/img_2684.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"Bob Gallagher, owner of Mahalo Massage NYCPhoto: C. Zawadi Morris\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"From Stress to Serenity: Mahalo Massage’s Journey to Wellness\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/\",\"name\":\"Brooklyn News and Events\",\"description\":\"For What's Buzzin' in Brooklyn\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/da9080898e2ce6a46f024597da8da166\",\"name\":\"Brooklyn Buzz News Staff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a5f050eee775dccede49d98fa5b10566df3cef9bf4eff092dd6f1334e0565eda?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a5f050eee775dccede49d98fa5b10566df3cef9bf4eff092dd6f1334e0565eda?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brooklyn Buzz News Staff\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/author\/omgbrooklynbuzz\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"From Stress to Serenity: Mahalo Massage's Journey to Wellness - Brooklyn News and Events","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"From Stress to Serenity: Mahalo Massage's Journey to Wellness","og_description":"By: C. Zawadi Morris FSwWhen was the last time you had a massage? I\u2019m not talking about the 10-minute\u00a0foot massage that comes with a pedicure or the three-minute shoulder rub from your significant other. I\u2019m talking about a 45-minute, face-down, deep-tissue massage where you lose track of time, fall alseep and are\u00a0awakened by the\u00a0sound of […]","og_url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/","og_site_name":"Brooklyn News and Events","article_published_time":"2024-06-24T05:32:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-02-13T14:40:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/06\/img_2684.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Brooklyn Buzz News Staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brooklyn Buzz News Staff","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/","name":"From Stress to Serenity: Mahalo Massage's Journey to Wellness - Brooklyn News and Events","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/06\/img_2684.jpg","datePublished":"2024-06-24T05:32:18+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-13T14:40:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/da9080898e2ce6a46f024597da8da166"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/06\/img_2684.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/06\/img_2684.jpg","width":960,"height":720,"caption":"Bob Gallagher, owner of Mahalo Massage NYCPhoto: C. Zawadi Morris"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/22168-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"From Stress to Serenity: Mahalo Massage’s Journey to Wellness"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/","name":"Brooklyn News and Events","description":"For What's Buzzin' in Brooklyn","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/da9080898e2ce6a46f024597da8da166","name":"Brooklyn Buzz News Staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a5f050eee775dccede49d98fa5b10566df3cef9bf4eff092dd6f1334e0565eda?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a5f050eee775dccede49d98fa5b10566df3cef9bf4eff092dd6f1334e0565eda?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Brooklyn Buzz News Staff"},"url":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/author\/omgbrooklynbuzz\/"}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5904"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}