Our Story
Since 1996, Massage Therapy of Oak Park has been dedicated to providing the highest quality therapeutic massages in a relaxed, comfortable setting in Chicago’s Western Suburbs. To facilitate relief, restoration and natural healing, our professional massage therapists design treatments with your goals in mind.
Our Approach
We feel it is important to address the whole person during a treatment. This involves paying attention to where the client is physically, emotionally and spiritually.
When a person encounters stress, the body immediately goes into a fight-or-flight response. The heart rate increases, breathing becomes shallow and adrenaline begins to flow. Not surprisingly, people respond to stress in many different ways. Some people hold tension in their muscles; others may get depressed or feel anxious.
Our job is to connect with a person’s central nervous system and help to calm the effects of the fight-or-flight response, switching on the body’s natural relaxation response. There are many ways to achieve this.
We listen carefully to our clients. An approach we take involves initially releasing the muscular tension with a combination of massage techniques, including deep tissue massage, sports massage, Swedish massage, myofascial release and craniosacral therapy. The goal is for your Massage Therapy of Oak Park therapist to be a grounded, neutral vessel in order to help facilitate the body’s natural healing process. When you turn off the fight-or-flight response and trigger the relaxation response, breathing slows, the mind becomes clearer and muscular tension is released.
Ultimately, we try to attain a level of balance or homeostasis. It is in this place of balance that the natural healing process occurs. Our job is to help people connect with themselves in order to facilitate their own natural healing potential.
Rick began his study of massage therapy in 1995, following six years in the mental health field. He has served on the board of the American Massage Therapy Association’s Illinois Chapter and is a recipient of its highest honor—the Meritorious Service Award. He served as National Media Spokesperson, Strategic Planning Chair and Sports Massage Team Leader.
Rick earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois and Massage Therapy Certification from the nationally recognized Chicago School of Massage Therapy. His advanced studies include myofascial release, structural therapy, craniosacral therapy, somato emotional release, pregnancy massage, visceral manipulation and Thai massage. He holds a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), with a concentration on physical and health education.
Rick specializes in migraine headache treatments, relieving temporal mandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD) and providing novel treatments for chronic pain. His focus is on providing overall balance in order to improve the functioning of the central nervous system so the body’s natural healing process can occur. He has worked with fibromyalgia and reflex sympathetic dystrophy within a medically directed chronic pain clinic.
Most recently, he was honored by the National Institutes of Health for his role as Lead Massage Therapist for a research project studying chronic pelvic pain in conjunction with Loyola University Medical Center, Northwestern University Medical Center, the Rehab Institute of Chicago, Stanford University Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania, Cleveland Clinic and William Beaumont Hospital.
Rick has also volunteered as a therapist and crew manager for the Twin Cities Chicago AIDS Ride and the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk.
Rick’s unique understanding of stress and the effects of family dynamics enhance his abilities to support clients’ healing process. His practice of Chi Gong, an ancient Chinese form of healing arts, enables him to help clients’ achieve their own balance.
Rick has been featured in Men’s Health, Better Homes and Gardens and, during National Massage Therapy Awareness Week, he demonstrated the benefits of massage therapy on television stations across the nation.
Rick, his wife and his son enjoy life in Oak Park, Illinois, where he is a founding member of the Near West Business Association. He has also served on the Oak Park Environmental & Energy Advisory Commission, which addresses environmental and energy conservation concerns, and works for a pollution-free environment in Oak Park.
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House Calls
Massage Therapy of Oak Park can provide a therapeutic massage in your home or at your work.
We have comfortable, sturdy massage tables that can be quickly set-up and adorned with freshly laundered sheets. Contact us for more information and to book a treatment. -
Special Events
With over two decades of experience, Massage Therapy of Oak Park can provide custom-designed lectures, demonstrations and workshops, as well as facilitate employee wellness events. We also offer tune-up massages for groups. Please ask us about our $125 per hour corporate rate.
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Massage Therapy Gift Certificates
Give the gift of massage for: Birthdays, Anniversaries, Graduation, Promotions, Holidays, Thank-you gifts, and More!
Contact us for more information about gift certificates.
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