Jackie Cruz-Wilches
Deep tissue and neuromuscular massage therapist at Verdure Sports Massage in Albany. Chiropractic student. Raised in the sobadora tradition.
Jackie is a certified massage therapist here at Verdure Sports Massage. She trained at the National Holistic Institute, including its 450-hour advanced neuromuscular therapy program, and is now in chiropractic school. She specializes in deep tissue and neuromuscular massage, and sessions with her are available in English or Spanish.
"People think more pressure means better results. I prefer to work with precision: go into the root, the attachment of the muscle, and work our way out. It takes less pressure, and we get more quality work done."
Jackie, on pressure versus precisionOne minute with Jackie
She starts at the source
A session with Jackie starts before you get on the table. She looks at how you stand, checks where your neck and shoulders are guarding, has you move a little, and builds a plan from what she finds.
The source is often not where it hurts. Upper back pain usually begins in the front, in the chest muscles that pull the shoulders forward, so she releases the front before she works the back. The spot that hurts is where the tension ends up, not where it starts, and finding that is the part most people do not expect.
She calls her specialty neuromuscular therapy: working with the muscles and the nervous system together and looking at the body as a whole. Her work is specific. Instead of leaning in with force, she goes to the attachment of the muscle and works outward, which takes less pressure and gets more done. If deep tissue makes you nervous, she earns your trust first: warm the tissue, build slowly, go as far as your body allows. That can be pretty far. After the session she can show you on our 3D anatomy model what she found and what she worked, so you see what her hands see.
For people tired of superficial work
Neck, shoulders, and upper back
The desk and phone kind of tension. She traces it to where it starts, often the front of the body, and works the source instead of chasing the spot that hurts.
People who train hard
Hard training without recovery wears the body down. Targeted work helps you move better, which is the point of training in the first place. Her advice after a session: give it a few days before you go hard again. The work settles in while you rest.
People who want deep work done right
Firm pressure when you want it, precision always. If you have left a massage frustrated because the therapist never got to the thing you came in for, that is exactly what she wants to work on.
People who are nervous about deep tissue
Never had deep work, or guarding an old injury? She builds trust first and goes as deep as your body allows. Expect to feel a bit sore the next morning, the way you do after a good workout, and to move easier. A warm compress and plenty of water help.
Book with Jackie
Jackie sees clients Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons and evenings. While she gets started, her sessions are offered at a special rate.
Book with Jackie