Balance Massage Center is now:
The center has closed, but founder - Steph Haddox - is offering Therapeutic Massage once again in a new location through an evolved lens:
“pSoma: NeuroSensory Therapeutic Massage”
A note from the owner, Steph:
A heartfelt farewell to Balance Massage Center, as I head back to my roots in 1:1 work with clients. BMC has been more than a wellness center – it has been a sanctuary of healing, connection, and community transformation. While this decision carries deep emotion, it aligns with an expanded vision for supporting healing and resilience. My intention is to create more spaciousness in my life and work with clients. This new direction allows me to show up more fully present and energetically attuned.
My personal journey since 2020 has led me through the intricate landscape of autoimmune disease, revealing unexpected gifts of deeper understanding about our body's innate wisdom. Through intensive study and professional certification, I've discovered fascinating insights into how our Neuro-Somatic system processes and stores life experiences. The Neuro-Somatic system can be described simply as the integration of our nervous system and physical body. I am fascinated by neuroscience, trauma-informed approaches, and study of the mind-body connection.
It is with excitement, dedication, and an expanded knowledge base that I return to the massage table after an 18-month hiatus. I am thrilled to announce the specialized approach I am now offering:
pSoma: NeuroSensory Therapeutic Massage
Ps - psyche of the mind and soul
Soma - of the body
pSoma = the body, mind, and soul as one integrative healing system
NEURO-SENSORY THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE:
How is pSoma Massage different from other massage? The answer is CONTEXT. The entire foundation of a pSoma session is built upon trauma-informed care, open communication, nervous system co-regulation, a safe container empowering autonomy and agency, and an experienced and compassionate guide along the journey. I invite you to learn about my intentionally designed BODY-MIND approach to healing.
I’ve been curious about the “mind-body connection” for a long time, but truth be told, I didn’t really understand what that meant. Over the past few years, I have plunged into a deep study of how the body and mind work together. They are truly one system with various parts serving different roles. I re-enter the massage work with a newfound understanding of working with the body-mind. Intentional, safe massage has the capacity to heal lifelong survival patterns (and we all have them!).
Your body holds the story of your life experiences in its tissues, posture, and nervous system patterns. This trauma-informed therapeutic approach helps your body-mind re-wire old patterns and discover new ways of responding. The body is continuously sensing internal and external environments, sending signals to the brain to process and make sense of. The brain then sends information back to the body regarding how to respond. This can be simplified as inputs —> processing —> outputs. When we create new inputs through safe touch, we can impact the way the brain interprets body sensations, ultimately leading to change in how the body responds (ex. headaches, muscle tension, anxiety, illness).
what a session looks like:
The foundations of pSoma are CONSENT, ATTUNEMENT, and INTEGRATION. We begin with an intentional dialogue about your goals and what you're noticing in your body in the present moment—focusing on current physical sensations and somatic responses. If you choose to add the INTEGRATION session, we will dive deeper into your nervous system’s patterned responses residing in your body, your mind, and your subconscious. This does not mean we need to go into detail about your life experiences or that you need to be able to define your response patterns - we will get there together. The bodywork consists of massage and touch holds over specific areas of the body (ex. adrenals, heart). Through this process, your nervous system can learn to regulate more effectively, leading to a rewiring of neural pathways - “neuroplasticity” for those interested in the science term - and a reduction in chronic tension patterns, pain, and dis-ease.
sessions and rates:
60 minute pSoma Massage - $120
90 minute pSoma Massage - $170
120 minute pSoma Massage - $220
Add-On Option: 30 minute Nervous System Assessment and Educational Support - $30
This consultation is in conjunction with and prior to the bodywork treatment, adding 30 minutes onto the overall session. Choose pSoma Massage + Consult when booking. During this time, we will dive deeper into your body-mind patterns, how you respond to stressors and hold tension, how this impacts your overall health picture and begin to make sense of it all within the context of YOU. This dialogue and journey together is instrumental in rewiring the body-mind because the understanding of “how” and “why” is so crucial. There is no need to go into the details of your past, instead focusing on the present body-mind symptoms and outputs. For me personally, learning about my nervous system patterns has helped me understand why my body has autoimmune. It is with this knowledge that I have been able to make mindful shifts in my life and create sustainable health and wellness longterm. It is my intention to share all I have learned with clients who are ready to step into deep transformation.
A NOTE ABOUT PRICING:
I believe in economic justice and that quality healthcare should be accessible to all. If my rates are outside of your current means, please email me to let me know you’re interested in booking and we can take it from there. I am able to offer 25% off to a select number of clients in need. I will not ask about your financial situation and you will receive the same high quality care as a full paying client. I mean it. All I ask is that you pay it forward when you are able to <3
location:
4278 VT Route 100, Duxbury, VT 05676
Continuing Education that has supported my learning and growth:
Certificate in Neuroscience, The Neuroscience School
NeuroSomatic Intelligence Coaching Certificate
Integrative Somatic Practitioner Course, Integrative Wellness Academy
Somatic Parts Certificate, The Embody Lab
NeuroAffective Relational Model (in training)
Professional Massage Therapy Certificate, 2011
Professional Bodywork Teacher Training “The Spirit of Learning”, The Body Therapy Institute
Usui Reiki Level 1+2 Certification
Inspiration informing my approach:
Gabor Mate, Polyvagal Theory (specifically Deb Dana’s work), Stephen Terrell and Kathy Kain, Pat Ogden, and many more!
We are an LGBTQ+ and BIPOC safe zone.