Pricing & FAQs

Pricing

$120 per hour either at The Unfolding Human, your home, or hotel suite. Travel fee within a 10-mile radius of downtown SLC is $30. With a 2-hr individual session or two 60-minute back-to-back sessions, the travel fee is waived. Contact Karen directly for event and chair massage pricing.

SPA-TOUCH ADD-ONS

• Hot towels - complimentary with all massages
• Dry scrub with mitts - complimentary when requested
• Hot stones - $30
• Hot jojoba oil hair wrap - $15 

CEREMONY OPTIONS

• Ceremonial grade cacao or mapacho (sacred tobacco from Peru) may be added to any session for $30. Not available with travel sessions.

FREQUENT VISITORS & SPECIALS

• Holiday special (thru Dec 31st) - 3 gift certificates for $300 (savings of $60). Treat your friends, family, and associates to the gift of relaxation.
• On-going monthly clients - Purchase 4 gift certificates for $400 (savings of $80), with an expiration of 4-months. Non-transferable.

FREE CONSULTATIONS

• Reading a website one tool for getting to know a new therapist and the services offered, but it is complete for some people. You may wonder, for example: What does exploring consciousness means in the context of a massage setting--what will I experience? What kind of supportive touch or energy work is safe and appropriate for my loved one in hospice/hospital/ICU? What is "integration" and how does it apply to major life events like a job change, major injury/surgery or relationship change? How can massage can facilitate integration after psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy? What can you do for a person who is in pain but cannot receive massage? How can massage help a couple prepare for childbirth? These are all questions I would be happy to discuss with you at no charge. 

Hours

Sunday - 10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Monday thru Saturday - 9:00 am to 9:00 pm

Scheduling a session - for new clients

The best and quickest way to reach me is to TEXT ME. Please tell me your name, what you would like to focus on during your session, and how you heard about The Unfolding Human. I will call or text you to discuss how my work might help you with your goals and whether it is a good fit for you.

Session length

I recommend a minimum of 75-90 minutes, with 2 hours for preferred for multiple focus areas. The session length does not include a standard intake.

Tipping your therapist

The price of your session is all-inclusive and a tip is not expected. Appreciation for exceptional service is always appreciated, whether you choose to tip, leave a review about your experience, refer a friend, or express a heartfelt thank you!

Dressing for your session

Because Swedish massage is performed with lotion or oil over the skin, typically the client receives this type of massage while unclothed, with modesty draping for all private areas, as described in the Utah Division of Professional Licensing for Massage Therapy. Some clients prefer to wear underclothing during the massage session.

Thai Yoga massage and energy work are received fully clothed in clothing that allows you to move and stretch easily.

Payment options

Cash, check, or Venmo - @KarenSalas (x2273)

Gift certificates

Gift certificates may be purchased in person or by mail.

Parking

Parking is free alongside the south building wall at 357 S 200 E for clients only. Metered parking along 200 E is convenient, and free on Sundays. The open lot next to the building is a pay lot.

Who should receive massage or energy work?

Anyone who has a goal to grow, heal, create, or push the limits or their current performance level at any endeavor is a good candidate this kind of transformational massage and energy work. All work starts with work on the self, and massage/energy work is the perfect vehicle for bringing in all parts of the self, including the body's wisdom. 

What if I or someone I love doesn't really like to be touched?

Aversion to touch is common, and stems from a variety of reasons, not the least being that we are a touch-averse culture in general, and that our culture eroticizes and medicalizes touch. As a result, we learn to avoid touch in many circumstances where other cultures embrace touch as a normal part of daily life, such as male friends holding hands as they walk, as I witnessed in West Africa, or the practice of massaging infants and pregnant mothers throughout their pregnancy, as is common in India. 

Touch-aversion may stem from traumatic experiences in infancy, childhood, or adulthood, such as an extended stay in the NICU or hospital with painful procedures and a lack of nurturing touch. A mom I taught infant massage twenty years ago told me that her baby's nurse in the NICU had actually told her that her baby did not like touch to be touched. Not true! Mostly likely her baby did not like touch when it was painful, invasive, or non-negotiated. Thankfully, the mom persisted and learned to trust herself to massage her own baby, providing a positive, healing experience for her baby that likely changed the course of her baby's development and future relationships. 

But can we heal from the traumas we experienced as children, or change our relationship to touch as adults? With a mindful, trauma-informed approach, tailored to the individual's personal needs, touch can be re-experienced as positive and growth-promoting. Nurturing touch can also be used to support self-acceptance and self-love, for example, as an adjunct treatment for individuals with body dysmorphic disorder or anyone who has experienced dramatic changes to their body, such as scarring or amputation. 

If you think massage might be therapeutic for you, but you are unsure, we will talk over the phone to find out which modality and approach are best suited for you as an individual. For example, a clothed Thai yoga massage or acutherapy may be preferred over a draped Swedish massage. Reflexology for the feet or craniosacral therapy with its stationary holds may feel deeply relaxing for you. Massage through the clothes with very deep, sustained compressions can be soothing for people on the autism spectrum. 

Does everyone need massage? No. But everyone deserves the right to receive nurturing, safe touch when we need it. And every body deserves to be honored and held in sacred space.

Advisory

Massage therapists are licensed to provide rehabilitative massage therapy for many types of physical injury or strain, to enhance performance and posture, support pregnancy and surrounding events, and to address emotional stress. Karen Salas at The Unfolding Human is a licensed massage therapist and does not provide medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Resources and the work given are for information, meditation, and balancing purposes, and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you have regarding a medical or mental health condition. I am willing to consult with your provider to work out an appropriate treatment plan, with your permission. Lastly, as a massage therapist, I do not impose my belief system on clients, but work with a client's belief system to incorporate metaphysical or spiritual dimensions that can assist the physical, energetic, or breath work.