Myofascial release and massage in Sedona · 6586 State Route 179, Suite B3 · Village of Oak Creek
Relief That Stays
Your pain has a pattern. I find it.
Hands-on myofascial release for back, neck, hip, and shoulder pain that keeps coming back no matter what you've tried. I go looking for the pattern underneath it. You feel the tissue change on the table, and you leave knowing what to do next.
Not sure this is for you? Text 928-301-3699 and ask. I answer my own texts.
One client, years after cancer surgery
A client came to me with a tumor on the side of her thigh. Cancer. She chose radiation and surgery and said no to chemo. The surgery took muscle off the bone, then came a skin graft, then a drain. What she was left with was a leg that had to relearn how to be a leg.
She walks normally today, and has for years, because she gets worked on consistently: me and one other therapist, on a schedule. When she goes too long between sessions, the muscles the surgery had to detach stop carrying their share, everything around them starts compensating, and the limp comes back hard.
This is what I do with surgical sites: help the body work again around what the surgeon had to do. It's also why my packages run in a twelve-week window. Wait too long between sessions and the pattern rebuilds itself.
Who this is for
For pain that keeps coming back
Massage felt good and wore off by morning. Stretching helped for a day. The MRI was "unremarkable" and the pain is still there. You're not imagining it. Something is holding that muscle in the same spot, and that is what I go after.
Recurring pain
Back, neck, hip, shoulder, jaw. The same spot, again and again, no matter who works on it.
After surgery or injury
A repair, a graft, a fall, a car accident. The site healed, but the way you move around it never did. I work with post-surgical bodies.
Whole-body tension
Tightness that moves around. Migraines. A body that won't fully let go, even on vacation.
Tried everything
Chiropractic, PT, deep tissue, foam rolling, injections. It all helped for a while and then didn't. Those are the people who end up on my table.
How it works
Three steps. One session to start.
We find the pattern
A short intake, then I watch you move. Where it hurts is rarely where it starts.
Sustained, hands-on release
Slow, deliberate myofascial work in the John Barnes lineage. No oil, no forcing. Tissue lets go when it's ready, and you feel it happen.
A clear next step
You leave knowing what changed, what to do between sessions, and whether you need to come back at all.
What makes this different
Resolution, not just release.
Most bodywork chases the release: find the knot, press, feel better, come back next month for the same knot. I work on whatever is guarding that knot so the body stops rebuilding it.
“Nicole does an exceptional job of bringing the body back into true alignment. After a serious car accident, I struggled with chronic knee pain for many years and was facing the possibility of surgery. Through her skilled and intuitive fascial bodywork, I experienced significant relief—so much so that I was able to postpone surgery for an additional ten years. Her work not only eased my pain but also improved my overall mobility and quality of life. Nicole has a deep understanding of the body and treats it with care, precision, and respect. I highly recommend her to anyone experiencing pain, discomfort, or seeking long-lasting, restorative results.”
“This is by far the best massage I have ever had and what my body needed. Nicole's angel hands helped me release years of tension, stress and trauma. After the first massage I cried and my body felt safe to release trapped emotions! I will recommend her to everyone. Thank you Nicole”
“Nicole was amazing! She helped so much with my chronic pain and was such a safe and supportive therapist. I also went to her for postpartum recovery. I had a low belly pooch and diastase recti separation and she was able to narrow the separation and help my abs start working again after years of trying to do it on my own through exercise with minimal success. It was like getting a part of my body back that had been broken, shut off and shut down and feels so amazing I am still in shock when I feel the muscles finally working like they were meant to. I will definitely be a repeat customer! Thank you Nicole”
“Nicole, Quickly pin pointed my hip problem. She explained that that is a result of structural imbalance elsewhere. Ninety minutes later I walked out straighter stronger and with a better understanding of what I need to do going forward. Nicole's knowledge and professionalism is top notch.”
“I have had a great deal of bodywork done throughout my life. Nicole is by far the best practicioner I have ever met. She is able to call upon her vast reservoir of knowledge to make "hands on" adjustments to the body that result in the relief of of pain and promote wellness and balance throughout the entire body.”
“I highly recommend seeing Nicole for body work. She has helped heal my neck issues and relieved my migraines with her ability to locate the source of the problem. Also, post workout massages really improve my recovery time. My body has never felt better!”
Four ways to work together
In the studio, at your door, on the equipment, or for a few days straight.
Studio: Myofascial Release & Massage
One-on-one in Suite B3, Village of Oak Creek. Myofascial release for pain that keeps coming back, plus Swedish, deep tissue, and hiker's recovery massage when you just want a great massage.
Myofascial release → Studio massage →Mobile: Nicole comes to you
Your home, vacation rental, hotel, or resort, anywhere in Sedona. Two-hour minimum, travel included, book online.
Mobile massage →Movement: coming soon
One-on-one movement training on specialized equipment, plus neurology-based movement work, so the pattern we release doesn't come back. Opening on this site soon. Ask Nicole in the meantime.
Text to ask →Private retreats
Two or three days built around one person, or a small group of two to eight. Bodywork every day, movement when it fits, nothing scheduled in between. You text, we talk, I quote it.
Private retreats →Pricing
Simple pricing. Packages for pain that needs a series.
- Myofascial release · 90 minutesThe first session I recommend: room for the intake, the movement look, and the work$215
- Myofascial release · 60 minutesFollow-ups, or one main area once we know the pattern$150
- Myofascial release · 3-session package$140 per session$420
- Myofascial release · 6-session package$125 per session$750
Studio massage too: Swedish $150 / $215, deep tissue and hiker's recovery $175 / $250, for 60 / 90 minutes. Studio massage →
Your therapist
Nicole Richards, LMT
Twenty-three years of hands-on practice. John Barnes Approach to Myofascial Release, levels I, II, III and beyond. Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique (SMRT), all levels, and ten years as a teaching assistant training other practitioners in it. GYROTONIC® Foundation trained and teaching one-on-one on the equipment in the studio, with ongoing training in neurology-based movement. Licensed since 2003, now in a private studio in the Village of Oak Creek.
- Licensed massage therapist, State of Arizona
- Every session one-on-one with Nicole. No handoffs, no assistants.
- Table and tower in the same room: what gets released on the table learns to move on the equipment
- Pattern-first: I start where it hurts and follow it to where it comes from
Find the studio
6586 State Route 179, Suite B3
Ranch House Square, Village of Oak Creek
Sedona, AZ 86351
The studio is at 6586 State Route 179, Suite B3, in Ranch House Square, Village of Oak Creek. Ranch House Square is the plaza with Firecreek Coffee, in the Village of Oak Creek, about seven miles south of uptown Sedona on Highway 179.
Parking and arriving: Park behind Firecreek Coffee and drive all the way to the back of the lot. You'll see a blue chair sitting near the door. That chair is yours: have a seat, and Nicole will come out for you the moment the room is ready.
By appointment only, so the room is yours when you arrive.
Questions
Before your first session
Does myofascial release hurt?
Slow and sustained, never forced. You'll feel the tissue working, sometimes intensely, and you set the depth the whole time. Afterward most people say they feel lighter and looser rather than sore.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on how long the pattern has been there. Many people feel a clear change in the first session. Long-standing pain usually takes a series, which is what the packages are for. At the end of session one I'll tell you what I think you need, including "nothing more" if that's true.
What should I wear?
Light, comfortable clothing. Much of the work is done over clothes, without oil or lotion, so anything thin and stretchy is fine. No jeans or heavy fabrics. If you'd like skin access, shorts and a tank or sports bra work well.
Free guide
Why Nothing Else Worked
Why the massage wore off by morning, why the scan came back "unremarkable," and what fascia has to do with it. A short read. Leave your email and it's in your inbox a minute later.
Start with one session. Your body will tell you the rest.
Book online in under a minute, or text first if you'd rather ask a question.