Services

See FAQs page for pricing, specials, and travel information. Free consultation is available to curate together a service that help you reach your goal.

​My Swedish massage style incorporates stretches and compressions taken from Thai yoga massage together with long, full-body strokes over the skin. This creates a feeling of being deeply cared for and allows for profound relaxation and opening. 

CBD oil and essential oils are included in your session at no extra cost according to your individual preferences and needs in order to enhance relief of pain or tension.

A minimum of 90 minutes is recommended, but 2 hours is preferred for deepest relaxation. Longer sessions also allow for incorporation of energy techniques that allow you to travel inward and work on personal goals you may have or to allow insights to arise. 

Clients who receive bodywork coupled with energy work often report unexpected results or experiences with altered states. It is a powerful combination that invites the integration of the whole self and even letting go of self to experience higher states of awareness. I invite every client to form an intention that frames your experience, so deeper awareness is possible even in a shorter massage.

Energy work connects directly with your energy field to restore balance and flow to your entire system. There are many styles of energy work. My style incorporates gentle touch and rhythmic movements to identify and release any impediments to optimal flow. Emotional shifts can occur as attention is brought to areas of the body where long-held emotions may be stored and are invited to release. Insights or creative solutions to a problem can also arise. 

This work is most effective when you bring an intention to your session and then trust your inner guide or inner awareness to lead the experience for you. The set and setting that you and I create together is what lends itself to experiencing profound shifts or epiphanies. This work is done through the clothing or can be incorporated into a Swedish massage session. 

This work taps into our deepest connection to Being and Awareness and may induce subtle to altered states, which some liken to a psychedelic or holotropic state, to use psychiatrist Stanislav Grof's term, meaning "to turn towards wholeness." We will discuss your goals and health prior to your appointment so that you can determine whether a plant or medicine teacher is appropriate for you. Cacao and mapacho are gentle enough to incorporate into any session, depending on your current health state and goals. We will work together to consciously create a set and setting along with an intention to support your journey. 

CACAO (theobroma cacao) derives from the same plant that chocolate is made from. For your ceremony, you will drink a flavorful thick infusion made from high-grade cacao with notes of cardamom and cinnamon, sweetened with ethically sourced honey. Cacao contains theobromine, which expands blood vessels and increases blood flow. It is said to open the heart, and creates connection among all parts of self, or perhaps helps one connect to a larger oneness. Cacao's effects have been described as kinesthetic, creating a softening effect for the physical body.

MAPACHO (nicotiana rustica) is a sacred tobacco grown in Peru that enhances a spiritual or meditative experience. It is known as a 'master plant' or a plant teacher used traditionally by Amazonian cultures. It is smoked, though the vapor is not inhaled, to receive its psychotropic effects. While this is a ceremonial use of tobacco, this is not advised for anyone who avoids nicotine.

MEDICAL CANNABIS. Clients who consume medical cannabis may incorporate this medicine to help enhance their journey and intention for their session. While many people are prescribed cannabis for pain relief or relief from anxiety or depression, when added to a massage session, the experience may result in healing, balance, or growth-promoting insights and creative breakthroughs. As with any other prescription medication that may induce an altered state, a thorough intake will be given to ensure your safety and comfort. I will also ask you to experience my massage in a prior session to familiarize you with my massage style and approach and to establish a boundaried space for both therapist and client.

ADVISORY: Karen Salas and the Unfolding Human do not suggest or prescribe medication or illegal substance use. Clients are advised to consult their medical provider prior to any state-altering substance use, and are required to inform their massage therapist of any substance used prior to the massage, for safety purposes. This is a non-judgmental space; however safety is paramount, and a thorough intake will be performed to minimize risk and support your safety. 

It is increasing common for people to use psychedelic, or altered-state inducing substances, such as ketamine, ayahuasca, cannabis, etc, for purposes of insight, healing, or personal growth. These are three examples of substances that are allowed legal, controlled use in the state of Utah, albeit under very specific conditions. Regardless of the molecule or medicine used, or even if no medicine is used, as with Holotropic Breathwork, and regardless of the legal status of the particular medicine, the journey can stir up questions, emotions, and new ideas for the journeyer. However, if rich or difficult material is left unintegrated in a person's state of being or sense of awareness, or it can limit the effectiveness and growth potential of the original journey, or it can leave loose ends that call to be rewoven in a new pattern.

POST-JOURNEY INTEGRATION, whether at the Unfolding Human or at clinic where you received the treatment (e.g., ketamine-assisted therapy at a ketamine clinic), can be facilitated by a meditative massage designed to help you sort through the insights gained from your journey and help you make meaning from them, literally  incorporating them into your sense of self. Ideally, integration happens the same day or within two days post-treatment, before the liminal state and gained insights recede. There is very little guidance needed from the. massage therapist--the journeyer is trusted to go on a self-guided inner journey and allow the thoughts, feelings, memories, and connections that arise shape the integration process. Just as with the original journey, set and setting are important, and that is where the massage therapist comes in as facilitator to maintain a sacred meditative space that allows for a deep exploration or expansion of consciousness and self. This process does not involve talk therapy, but allows the full expression of what needs to be expressed in order to allow the journey and transformation to unfold. The person on the table is encouraged to make any kind of vocalization needed (e.g., laughter, crying, words, singing, toning, heavy sigh or out-breath), to move as one feels called to (e.g., shaking, stretching, turning, yawning, hands over heart), and/or to release emotions. 

***There is a great investment that goes along with any major journey involving altered states, including time, financial resources, and emotional investment. Integration is the next step, and can inform the next actions you decide to take to further your personal growth.***

Thai massage is more energizing and movement-oriented than most other forms of massage therapy but is an incomparable massage experience and can be deeply relaxing and restorative. It's also called Thai Yoga massage because the therapist's hands, knees, legs, and feet move you into a series of yoga-like postures and stretches. It's like doing yoga without any of the work. The combination of simultaneous stretches and compressions is extremely relaxing and effective for relieving strain and tension patterns. No oil is applied and you are fully dressed during the session while lying on a massage table. A minimum of 90 minutes is recommended for this style of massage.

Both the prenatal and postpartum stages present rapid, dramatic changes to the body, including changes to balance, posture, weight distribution, and fluid build-up. Existing strain patterns can be exacerbated, such as carpal tunnel or back pain. Along with easing stress and tension, nurturing bodywork is a vital component of care for the mother. Research has shown that mothers who receive nurturing care become more responsive mothers after the baby is born. The benefits of a calm, relaxed, and cared-for mother are therefore passed on to the baby.  This is also a wonderful time to detach from daily obligations and go deeply inward, connecting with your baby.

Safety for mom and baby. I am certified in pre and perinatal massage and have taught pre & perinatal massage classes at Myotherapy Massage College of Utah. I will do a thorough health intake review your goals for your massage and pregnancy, as well as your health situation and assess any risks to the pregnancy you may be facing in order to provide safe, supportive touch. Most women with high-risk pregnancies can benefit from some form of massage or energy work. Prenatal massage from a trained massage therapist is complementary care and should NOT be viewed as a luxury. I use positioning and pillow support depending on how far along you are that helps keep you and baby safe while allowing you to take a well-deserved rest!

Postpartum massage. Once the baby is born, mothers tend to ignore their own needs. However, recovery from childbirth and newborn care are no easy tasks. You've just done the physical equivalent of running a marathon and then find yourself losing sleep, trying to find comfortable positions for feeding the baby and possibly taking care of a toddler at the same time. In no time at all, mom or dad may need to return to the demands of employment. Now is a good time to care for yourself and restore both healthy levels of stress and body ease.

Did you know that most babies can be massaged from the day they are born? If you are in your second or third trimester, now is a good time to start preparing for your baby's birth. If your baby was born three months ago or three years ago, now is the perfect time for you to start massaging your child. And YOU are the best person to massage your child!

Infant massage classes teach you practical skills as well as important lessons about touch and what often gets in the way of bonding or learning to enjoy healthy touch. Classes can be taken individually, as a couple, or as a group. The full series is learned and practiced over 5 sessions (if taken individually, the course can be shortened) and is a great way to both prepare for baby and to connect with other parents if the lessons are taken after baby is born. This is more important than you think! Regular infant massage lessons with your friends can be a big source of support for parents, especially if you are feeling disconnected from other adults after having your baby or having left a prior full-time job.

I was certified as an infant massage educator in 2008 by Infant Massage USA. My experience massaging very premature babies in a research study at the University of Utah from 2008-2011 taught me that there are ways to provide nurturing touch even to very vulnerable infants in an isolette in a hospital neonatal intensive care unit, and that this form of intervention can help babies make up for deficits and help their nervous systems develop, enabling them to better self-regulate and cope with stress. It is not an exaggeration to say that the benefits of infant massage last a lifetime and the sooner it is introduced, the greater the gains. 

If your baby is currently in the hospital or experienced a hospital stay in the past such as a stay in the NICU or surgery, it is likely that they experienced painful touch. Call me to discuss what you can do for your child through nurturing touch. The good news is that babies are very resilient, and the earlier intervention is given for addressing challenges associated with hospital stays (e.g., painful touch or separation from parents), the better chance your baby has to integrate and resolve them.

As a mother, I learned about infant massage when my youngest was already a toddler. I was a massage therapist who didn't massage her own children! After taking the infant massage course, I started massaging my toddler and two older children. Now, my teenage and adult children continue to ask me for an occasional massage when they have a sore back, a headache, or have trouble sleeping. It always feels like a privilege to be asked to give massage and it is a wonderful way to connect with your children as they grow. It also has the invaluable effect of teaching children from an early age what safe, healthy touch feels like. 

Call me if you would like to find out more about infant massage can do for your child. We can arrange one-on-one sessions, a series of group classes, or tack on an infant massage lesson to a prenatal massage so that you are ready when baby comes.

Classes are held in my office or in your home. The cost per class of $100 can be split between up to 5 participants if all babies are under 1 year old.