Looking for an affordable gift for your valentine? Or maybe you just need to treat yourself to get away from all the “couple-dom.” To sweeten the deal this Valentine’s Day season, I’m offering $5 off all gift certificates for the month of February!

And.. to sweeten the deal more… from now until February 15, everyone can enjoy $5 off when booking online! You can book a same day appointment, or book up to 3 months in advance. This rate only applies when you book online and pay with PayPal or credit card, and only until February 15th.

Be my valentine. Enjoy the savings!

Relaxing…Unfolding…Energetic…Calming…Soothing…A “massage for the inner spirit”..

These are a few ways that clients and students of mine have described the experience of a Reiki session. Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key) is a Japanese and Tibetan healing art where Ki, or Universal Life Energy, is projected out through the hands of the practitioner, sending this energy into the body – creating a calming, warm, glowing radiance, which relaxes the body, mind, and spirit. You are fully clothed for a Reiki session, shoes removed, lying down on a massage table.

Because of the profound effects I have heard my clients tell me, I want to encourage others to try Reiki for themselves, and simply see what they experience. Therefore, for all of 2008, I will be offering to anyone – your first one hour Reiki session – for only $30 (half the regular price).

Reiki can also be integrated into a massage session. A few of my clients are now requesting Reiki combined with a neck and back massage to round out an hour session. Others like to start a 90-minute session with 30 minutes of Reiki. Everyone is unique, and I welcome any combination of energy work with massage by request!

Reiki is a such joy for me to give as a practitioner, and I’d love to share it with more people! Come in at any time in 2008 to experience this deeply relaxing healing art for half price your first session!

I admit it! I am not a fan of spas and massage centers who push products on their customers. We as humans do not need “yet another product” to make us happy and well. But every now and then, I see the good things that independent people are giving to the world “out of their bare hands.” Working with our hands – a very honest and honorable way of work – needs to be valued more in our “fast food” culture.

Now in my office, while supplies last, I will be selling soaps handcrafted by Marcea Frasier in Northfield, MN. Marcea has recently begun her small business, Sunflower Body Care Products, and creates custom soaps, lotions, perfumes, and makeup. All of her products are handcrafted and organic, and contain no toxic chemicals or chemical dyes. I know Marcea through my work at Starwalkers in Northfield, MN, as she is a parent and volunteer with The Village Learning Community. I’m excited for her new venture, and for the joy she continues to put into her handcrafted creations.

Come in and admire and enjoy the subtle and clean scent of this “Blue Patchouli Soap” as Marcea describes it. The labels you see on the soaps above are made by printing onto recycled paper grocery bags! Both large (5-6 oz.) and smaller (3 oz.) bars are available now in my Uptown Minneapolis office!

Back in September I took a 4-day workshop on Shamanic Earth Healing at Starwalkers, and I know a few folks commented that they would like to read about my experiences at the workshop and some of my practices after it.

I’ve put together a paper of my Shamanic Journeys and Counterpractice that you may download and read if you so choose!

http://www.holisticgeek.com/resources/pdf/ShamanPractice.pdf

The workshop I attended was facilitated by Ana Larramendi. You may read more about her at www.thehollowbone.com.
Enjoy!

I’ve recently made some changes that I should have done a long time ago in my Minneapolis office. Starting this week, I will not be offering the cute, small, bottles of water after massages that I had been giving out for the past year. Instead, I am offering filtered water in washable mugs and cups in my office from now on.

Why the change? For a number of reasons. Being someone who likes to be environmentally friendly and sustainable, I’m a bit embarrassed that that I didn’t do this sooner. There are some startling facts about bottled water in the United States.

• Consumers spend an average of $100 Billion a year on bottled water. For a fraction of this price, the entire world could have access to safe drinking water.
• While we are all encouraged to recycle, about 86% of all plastic bottles made for water end up in our trash, and in landfills.
• The fossil fuels used to create plastic containers for private bottled water could be used to fuel 100,000 cars in the United States for an entire year. As well, the US exports about 40% of it’s bottled water to countries overseas, including China, meaning that even MORE fossil fuels are used to ship bottled water to these areas.
• Bottled water is not guaranteed to be any healthier than tap water. In fact, water from our faucets is regulated much more strictly than the private bottled water industry.
• Many companies who bottle water, such as Pepsi, Coca-cola, and Nestle also perform animal testing
• At up to $2.50 per liter, bottled water in the United States exceeds even the price of gasoline

Yes, it was time for me to dump the bottled water, and go to a more sustainable solution. For more information on the environmental impact of bottled water, visit:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0205-01.htm
http://www.allaboutwater.org/

If you haven’t heard, I’ve expanded my practice and will be offering massage and bodywork from my home office in Northfield, MN! Not to worry – I will still be seeing clients at my Minneapolis Uptown studio. Nothing has changed!

I plan to offer massage and bodywork on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Northfield, with occasional weekend availability. To celebrate, I am offering a coupon for $15 off a one-hour session at my Northfield office that you will find in the November issue of the free Northfield Entertainment Guide.

In late September I moved my residence back to Northfield, back into the home I was renting out for a time. Northfield, Minnesota lies approximately 25 miles south of the Twin Cities metro area. It is home to Saint Olaf and Carleton Colleges. This city of 17,000 people – holds the motto of “Cows, Colleges, and Contentment.” Two large wind turbines (each owned by a college) grace the skyline now, as Northfield is becoming more and more a model sustainable city. It is also known for it’s quaint historic feel, and an eclectic mix of unique and independent downtown shops.

I decided to keep my office in Northfield in my home for various reasons. Primarily, I wanted to be more conscious of the principles of Permaculture, and move an office location into my own “Zone 0″ realm. By dedicating a space in my home rather than moving into an office farther away, I can expend fewer resources to “maximize yields” for my business. Plus, I enjoy the open and contemporary feel of my home, along with its sustainable simplicity.

None of the offices I had looked at had the same welcoming and comforting qualities that I felt were prominent in my own home. In the end, I wanted people to feel just that – welcomed and comforted.

I’m happy to be back in Northfield! For all of you in the Twin Cities and other places, I encourage you to come for a visit, stay for a while, and experience it’s wonder and contentment!

In peace,

Scott

Feeling tied up in traffic lately? Take the bus, bike, or walk to your appointment from home or work, and you can enjoy a one hour massage for just $40! It is my way of helping to encourage transportation alternatives, and to share abundance with my clients, and with the earth. Get a great deal, relax, and save the planet – all at the same time.

Some helpful links:

Metro Transit’s Online Trip Planner
Midtown Greenway Map
Ride Share

On September 20, 2006, I decided to expand my part-time home massage and bodywork practice into an office space in Uptown Minneapolis. What started as one day per week grew quickly to 3-4 days per week. In January of 2006, I assumed the lease of my space at 3249 Hennepin Avenue South.

In the last year, I have given over 300 hours of massage and bodywork sessions, have expanded to sometimes four days per week, implemented an online booking system, and will soon expand my practice by adding one day a week in Northfield, MN.

I want to take this time to thank all of my clients, who continually give me the energy and drive to do this kind of work – the work I find most fulfilling in my life! Thank you all for a great year, and for many more to come!

Blessings,
Scott

I will be on vacation September 1 – 16, returning on Monday, September 17.

Please Call for Friday, Aug. 31 appointments.

If you have an immediate need to schedule a massage during the days while I am away, please contact Janet Fisher (she shares my office with me) at 612-590-0481.

I will be singing with other folks from Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre this Saturday at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary.

The event, which is FREE, is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Garden. I will be singing in a “Floral Chorus” that will sing a song cycle about birds, bees, and pollinators. We will perform three times throughout the day on Saturday, August 11, at approximately 11am, 2pm, and 4pm.

The Eloise Butler Garden is nestled in Theodore Wirth Park, in Minneapolis, MN, just to the south of Theo Wirth Parkway and Glenwood Avenue.

Come out and enjoy the day, and celebrate this wonderful treasure in Minneapolis!