Sherry
One of the founders of Opal, Sherry graduated from the Swedish Institute in 1994. Her background is in theater and she also holds an MA in performance studies from NYU, where she developed an interest in the performative aspects of healing. Still in love with the intricacies of Swedish Massage, her technique veers toward deep tissue applications, interspersed liberally with heat, stones, trigger point, stretching and myofascial release in most sessions, depending on what is needed. Additional training includes prenatal massage, Thai massage, and massage for people with cancer or cancer history.
Sara
After living in London as a fitness Director for 7 years and graduating from The London College of Massage in 1996 Sara decided it was time to head back to New York City where she graduated from The Swedish Institute of Massage in 1998. Continuing her fitness career she complimented it with a successful massage practice. Sara rejoined The Opal Team after a period away due to the pandemic. She has partnered with Sherry and looks forward to continuing to provide clients with the exceptional standards that Opal is known for. Sara specializes in therapeutic massage, focusing on specific issues geared toward each client.
Cat
For almost 20 years Cat has been a dedicated massage therapist, refining and adding new techniques to help her clients. Cat is known for her deep, detailed focus on areas of tension and incorporates passive stretches, joint mobilizations and myofasical release techniques which help her clients move with greater ease and efficiency.
Christine
Originally from Vienna, Austria, Christine came to NY in 1993 to study dance. The transition into studying bodywork was a natural one for her, and she graduated from The Swedish Institute in 2002. As time moved on she found herself drawn more and more deeply towards energy based healing modalities, perceiving that the underlying energetic expressions might be manifesting our physical symptoms and informing our experiences in life. Her primary focus centers around training in Polarity and Craniosacral Therapy from The Life Energy Institute.
She is specific, deliberate and methodical in her work when it comes to the structural needs of the body, yet also able to widen the field of perception to include the energy field expression when encountering blocks and persistent symptoms that won’t easily respond to straight forward “massage” measures or when incorporating a client’s emotional/spiritual needs. Incorporating her energy -based studies allows Christine to hold clients in their wholeness and facilitate their journey of healing and self discovery.
**Please Note: Christine’s passion and focus has shifted more towards sessions seeking an energetic approach. If you desire deep tissue therapy, we ask that you book with one of our other therapists.
Daisy
Daisy originally studied biology and worked in various design fields before a transformative experience with acupuncture led her to explore massage therapy. A recent graduate of the Swedish Institute, Daisy is fascinated by the mind-body connection. She is currently working on a masters in social work and plans to focus on somatic psychotherapy. She favors a whole-body approach to massage, using rhythmic strokes combined with acupressure points to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and help her clients feel grounded, present, and whole.
Jean Rim
Jean
Jean is a seasoned Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) with over 20 years of experience in the art of healing through touch. Specializing in both Eastern and Western modalities, Jean combines techniques from Swedish and deep tissue massage with traditional practices like Shiatsu and Thai massage to create a truly integrative approach. With a deep understanding of the body and a holistic focus on mind, body, and spirit, Jean customizes each session to meet the unique needs of their clients. Whether alleviating chronic pain, reducing stress, or promoting overall wellness, Jean’s intuitive touch and extensive experience offer a therapeutic journey that fosters deep
relaxation and healing.
Jessica
Jessica’s deeply intuitive understanding of anatomy and alignment comes from her experience as a somatic movement practitioner and a dance and theater artist. Her training has encompassed Swedish, Shiatsu, Thai, and Tui Na massage, as well as Klein Technique, Bartenieff Fundamentals and Laban Movement Analysis. In addition to addressing a broad range of injuries and health concerns, she helps her clients find ease and space in their joints, relieve areas of chronic tension, and build more awareness of their postural habits.
Jun
Jun is a graduate of the Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences. She is proud to be a massage therapist, helping people heal physically, mentally and spiritually. Her sessions are a combination of Western and Eastern modalities, including Swedish, Deep Tissue, Shiatsu, Thai, Tui-Na, Foot Reflexology, Polarity Therapy, Myofascial Release and Trigger Points.
HanaKyle
HanaKyle is a movement maven and founder of The Body Hotline. She's worked with people with pain for over 18 years as a massage therapist, personal trainer, and yoga therapist. She leads body-based movement practices for inner and outer strength online via hanakyle.com. In her massage therapy sessions, she seeks a balanced combination of relaxation and therapeutic work, including myofascial release, heat, hot stones, acupressure and shiatsu point work, stretching, and the right amount of pressure to facilitate change for each individual. For the sake of community care, HanaKyle continues to do fully masked sessions and appreciates it when her clients do too.
Noreen
Noreen is a graduate of the New York College of Health Professions’ Massage Therapy program. She also has a BA in Theater Arts from SUNY New Paltz. Coming from a background of theater and dance, Noreen brings a highly intuitive awareness of biomechanics and pain management to her massage. Her training included a wide variety of Western modalities such as Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue, Sports Massage, and Myofascial Release. She was also trained in some Eastern modalities including Thai Massage and Tui Na. Within her treatments, Noreen uses passive stretching and varying degrees of pressure and specific attention to meet each client’s needs. Noreen is passionate about promoting body awareness. She believes in an integrated mind/body approach to wellness, and holds that massage therapy is a wonderful way
to accomplish this.
Quinn
Quinn graduated from the Swedish Institute in 2018.
Through the years he has developed a strong affinity for Thai Massage. In addition to being available at Opal for dedicated Table Thai sessions, his regular therapeutic work has been informed by the techniques and approaches favored by Thai Massage.
Oil and standard Swedish strokes are liberally interspersed with joint mobilization, compression pulses and stretching. He finds that this approach allows him to work deeply, but gradually—which can be very effective for people who have difficulty settling down and letting go. It can also be easily applied to athletes at all stages of training. He comes from running, dancing, swimming and the Midwest.
Shyama
Shyama has been a massage therapist since 1993, when she graduated from Twin Lakes College of Healing Arts in Santa Cruz, California and began her private practice there. Since then, she has worked to restore and support the optimal health and well-being of clients from the San Francisco Bay Area to Martha’s Vineyard, to the Berkshires, to…Brooklyn! Shyama completed her studies for New York licensure at the Finger Lakes School of Massage in 2009. Her evolved sessions now feature strong deep tissue work combined with gentle and powerful energetic balancing in a variety of forms.
She has studied with master teachers on both coasts and utilizes techniques from many modalities, including Swedish, Sports, and Deep Tissue Massage; Trigger Point Therapy; Hot Stone; Jin Shin Do Acupressure; Myofacial Release; Reflexology; Polarity Therapy; and Reiki (level III), to create sessions for clients that support deep relaxation and freedom in the body. She is also a poet/singer, and leads kirtan chanting in yoga studios in New York City and beyond, including daily 7:30am morning Hanuman Chalisa chant practice on her Facebook page,
Thomas
Thomas graduated from the Swedish Institute in 2004 and has been practicing and growing his bodywork skill-set ever since. In 2012 he completed his studies in Chinese Medicine and now practices acupuncture in Manhattan. His acupuncture training has immensely expanded upon his knowledge of the human body and ways to restore a person's well being. He seamlessly moves from Western anatomical approaches to Chinese meridian mapping throughout his sessions. Thomas loves to work in a field where there is always more to learn and finds pain management to be deeply rewarding work. In addition to using his knowledge of Chinese medicine, he liberally uses heat, stretching and acupressure in most of his sessions.