The Miracle Worker is Alive and Living in Ocean Beach: Marys Therapies

  Marys Therapies
4789 Narragansett
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
619-755-6990
www.marystherapies.com

In a tiny little building off Sunset Cliffs and Narragansett the Miracle Worker plies her trade quietly, efficiently and expertly. Who is this Miracle Worker and what does she do? I’m not quite ready to tell you, but let me tell you something about her.

She was born in Illinois and spent most of her teenage years there. She came to San Diego via Las Vegas where she learned her trade. (No…she is not a dealer.) She arrived here in 2006. And she performed a miracle on me today.

I had never heard of Mary until I received an email from “Get 1 Free” touting her massage services. The price was right and I needed a massage so I decided to order one of their “specials.” And I did order it – in November, 2012. Apparently I didn’t need a massage as much as I thought I did, because the last time I looked at the certificate I found that it had expired – 2 days earlier. Now I really needed that massage. I called Mary and told her I had going to physical therapy for the past 20 weeks – true – and never gave a massage a thought because my physical therapist was working with me for so long. However, as a coincidence would be, my physical therapy stopped the same day that the certificate expired. Mary said not to worry – she would still honor the certificate and I made an appointment to see her the following week – today.

As fate would have it, I was going to see her because I have developed a bad case of lymphedema in the arm that lymph nodes were removed 18 years ago when I had breast cancer. I also had two torn rotator cuffs that my physical therapist – Ed Ayub – managed to fix enough so that I have use of born arms now, and perhaps the most painful of all of my ailments – trigger fingers.

Many people do not know what a “trigger finger” is so let me briefly explain. Trigger finger is a painful condition that causes the fingers or thumb to catch or lock when bent. Simple? But it hurts like hell, because when it gets bad, as mine has done, it is almost impossible to straighten the finger back to its natural extension. I have not had a episode of locking for about 3 months. Until today.

I was trying to find Marys Therapies. I knew it was on Narragansett, next door to the dog groomer – did you know there was even a dog groomer on Narragansett just down the street from the cleaners? Been there 21 years! But the place that I went to was the CPA – who was between the cleaners and the dog groomers and as I opened the screen door my finger triggered. I could not bend it back to the right position and it was locked. And the pain … oh my.

I found Marys Therapies in the alley right next to the dog groomers and I was greeted by this effervescent young woman who made me feel at home immediately. When she asked me how I was and I told her about my finger her comment to me was “you have come to the right place.”

Her philosophy is delightful. “We are one of a kind.” She knows a lot of techniques and is able to pick and choose what works for her clients by finding out about their previous history. The more you are able to tell her about what ails you, the better she is able to alleviate your problems. She feels that our bodies are meant to heal, and she is the conduit to let that happen.

In a way, I was mad at my body for allowing my finger to trigger. I wanted a full body massage and didn’t want the pain of the triggering to stop the benefits of the massage. But Mary is a true professional and listened to ailment after ailment that I listed. And while I was doing that she planned her “line of attack.” She would work into the massage a little extra time on the trigger finger; she would employ reflexology on the lymphedema, and I would still get my full body massage.

Quoting from her own website – marystherapies.com she says the following:

“A fusion of blissful balance, this style was created through my interpretation of each modality that I have learned and cherished as a massage therapist with this profession. By developing a personal freedom in this diverse flow of my work, I have created a truly unique and relaxing yet effective experience of which nothing can relate.

The end result of years of personal experience, knowledge and practice has led me to develop this massage described as a mix of deep tissue, stretching, acupressure, and other varieties of therapeutic techniques that are especially useful in helping break up muscle tension, stress and scar tissue.

After locating and assessing areas of the most discomfort in the client, I use a combination of relaxing and deep pressure customized to your particular situation. Not only will it provide instant and immediate relief, but, if received on a regular basis, this preventative care approach will also leave lasting and healing results.”

 And so she began her miracle on me. She worked on my fingers; my rotator cuffs; my lymphedema for an hour. I could begin to feel the finger relaxing, but it still kept the trigger in tact. She preformed the full body massage as well, and I felt relaxed and at peace with myself – except for the damn finger that still hurt like hell!

After turning over from my stomach to my back, Mary began working again on the upper extremities, and at the very last moment, my finger snapped back into place. A miracle had happened, and even as I type this report – 4 hours later – the finger feels good; is not triggering, and I am more than happy with the experience today. And, Mary says with a few more treatments she thinks that she can move the lymph fluid that makes my arm look like a flabby Jolly Green Giant out of my arm and out of my body.

Let’s talk about cost for a moment or two. I took a picture of some of the prices for massages from Mary. I would also suggest you check her website for additional costs. I have signed up for what I consider a bargain, because I know that I want to have many more sessions her. I will pay $15 a month and every massage I have with her in that month will only cost me $45. That, to me, is a bargain, because I have been to many massage parlors in the past few years and unless I had a one-time coupon, never paid that amount consistently.

Her business card states:  “Massage, Reflexology and other healing modalities customized specifically for YOU.” It’s true. I will be back, and back, and…….