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Posts Tagged ‘Chicago massage’

Meet Mysti Cobb-WWM Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer and Pilates Instructor

Posted in Health and Wellness, Massage Therapy, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 30, 2010| 1 Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

I recently had a fantastic massage from Mysti Cobb at our Working Well Massage station inside Whole Foods Lincoln Park. One of the reason I like getting massage from Mysti is that she knows her anatomy and kineseology. When I told her I was having pain in my wrist and my pecs were tight, she knew exactly where to work and how to position me on the massage chair to get maximum exposure of my pectoral muscles. (She sat me facing away from the chair as opposed to how you would normally sit, facing the chair.) I have had experience both receiving and giving massage for chronic tension and injury rehab, and Mysti has had similar experiences as both a patient and a massage therapist.

Mysti Cobb-smiling and providng pain relief at Working Well Massage. Image by Sue Shekut

A personal trainer and Pilates instructor as well as a massage therapists, I think Mysti brings more to the massage session than your average massage therapist. (Or course, we don’t have any average massage therapists in our booths!) Since Mysti is female and has a fantastic smile,  some people think Mysti is a lightweight massage therapist. Those people would be sadly incorrect! Mysti is STRONG and can give super deep tissue massages or she can back off the pressure and give a more gentle relaxation massage. For me, I go to Mysti for deep work though!

Mysti hard at work, concentrating on releasing muscle tension. Image by Sue Shekut

Mysti Cobb’s Bio

Tall and lean, it’s no surprise that Mysti’s passion for movement began in her ballet classes at age 4.  Her years of practice and love of dance led  to a full dance scholarship with the Joseph Holmes Dance Company in 1993. Unfortunately for Mystia, she later tore her ACL while studying at Millikin University and that put an end to a full-time dance career. After six months of physical therapy and rehabilitation, Mysti realized strength training was a new way for her to incorporate movement into her daily life and career.  In 2003, Mysti began studying at the Personal Training Institute in Chicago. In 2004, Mysti completed her personal training (NSCA) certification. Between her dance injury and experience as a personal train, Mysti decided to  add a therapeutic and healing dimension to her work by becoming a licensed massage therapist in 2005 through the Soma Institute of Clinical Massage Therapy.

While rehabbing, dancing and strength training,  Pilates had been an core element of Mysti’s personal fitness routine. In2009, Mysti became certified through the Body Arts and Science program as a comprehensively certified Pilates Instructor. For Mysti, the Pilates certification has added analytical and intuitive tools to help her clients gain strength, eliminate pain, and fine tune body alignment, finding focus in their sessions which carries over into their daily lives.

You can try out a massage session with Mysti at Whole Foods Lincoln Park every Tuesday from 4pm to 8pm. But come in soon because with skills like these, Mysti tends to book up fast!

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From Russia with Love-Spotlight on Yuriy Dmytrenko

Posted in Health and Wellness, Massage Therapy, tagged , on May 27, 2010| 1 Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

You may ask, who the heck is Yuriy Dmytrenko? Is he a Russian gymnist? A well known swimmer? A famous soccer player? Well, he’s a little bit of all the above–AND, he’s a fantastic massage therapist.

Yuriy waiting for his next client at Whole Foods Gold Coast

Yuriy works at both Working Well Massage chair stations in Chicago. You can meet Yuriy at Whole Foods Gold Coast or at Whole Foods Lincoln Park. One of the things I really like about Yuriy is that he combines the strength of an athlete with old world gentlemanliness of his native land–Russia. Yuriy can give really deep massages or he can be gentle and relaxing. After a massage, I can count on Yuriy to help me put my coat on, help me pick up my groceries and give me a nice smile and hug!

I asked Yuriy to tell me a bit about his background and he shared his story with me. Now I am sharing it with you! Yuriy was born in Russia and completed the Russian Institute of physical education in 1992. He taught high school physical education classes and trained young people in gymnastics, swimming, personal training and soccer while teaching. He moved to the U.S. and became a personal trainer,certified through the ISSA. In 2002 he graduated from the First Institute of Massage in Glenview and in 2008 he became a United States citizen!

As English is not his native language, sometimes Yuriy may appear shy or gruff. but if you speak to him, his whole face lights up when he smile and does his best to alleviate your tired and tense muscles. I recently had a client tell me “I love Yuriy” because he is so sweet and such a  good massage therapist!

I respect Yuriy for coming to a new country where he did not speak the language and working his way through U.S. based training to become a personal trainer and massage therapist. And, he legally obtained citizenship and continues his English language studies to improve his speech and comprehension of English. It’s an honor to work with Yuriy and always a pleasure to get a massage from him too!

Picture of Yuriy massaging client, Pete Skarnulis

Try Yuriy’s massage at Whole Foods Lincoln Park on
Mondays from 4-8pm
1550 N Kingsbury, Chicago, IL

or at Whole Foods Gold Coast on
Wednesdays from 4-8pm
30 W Huron, Chicago, IL

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Introducing a New Working Well Massage Therapist: Dennis Frymire

Posted in Massage Therapy, Stress Management, tagged , , , , , , on February 26, 2010| 2 Comments »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

I’ve been performing chair massages in the Chicago area for the past 10 years or so. In 2001, I opened my first chair massage station in Whole Foods Gold Coast. Since then I’ve opened several chair massage stations in and around the Chicago area. As a massage therapist and former corporate trainer and writer, I had a number of different “bosses” and I’ve learned from each of them.  I’ve learned to select good team members and treat them with respect, provide them with good working conditions and give them the opportunity to promote themselves.

The Working Well Massage chair stations provide an excellent opportunity for good massage therapists to meet new clients. The in store massage stations also give massage clients a chance to meet and sample the work of a variety of talented massage therapists at a reasonable rate.

Who are these talented massage therapists at Working Well chair massage stations?

In the coming weeks, I will be introducing some of them to you. This week, I am introducing Dennis Frymire, a recent addition to our Lincoln Park team.

Dennis gives  a really powerful deep tissue massage and can also scale back his pressure to give a nice relaxing massage. For those that want deep pressure and a skilled therapeutic massage, I highly recommend Dennis!

Dennis Frymire, Licensed Massage Therapist, Actor

I interviewed Dennis about his interest in massage, his style and his education. Read on for Dennis’ story:

Dennis Frymire

I came into a massage therapy as part of a lifestyle overhaul I realized I needed after my mom passed away in March of 2008. My dad passed away in 2002, and both of them leaving us at such relatively young ages made me realize that I needed make some changes in how I was living, and massage therapy came along with that. At the time I was considering different massage schools, a co-worker in my office had just graduated from The Soma Institute, and she highly recommended the school.

Having trained at Soma, I approach massage more from a clinical and therapeutic aspect. I give a great wellness massage, but I love helping clients with specific knots and stresses that they need to have worked out. One of the reasons I love giving chair massages is that they often have that specific focus on a problem area for the client. As I continue to grow and hone my skills, I am very interested in exploring sports massage further.

I currently massage with Working Well Massage at the Lincoln Park location at 1550 N. Kingsbury.
My hours at the chair massage station are:

Thursdays from 12 noon to 4 p.m.
Saturdays from 12 noon to 4 p.m.

I also give chair massages to club members at West Loop Athletic Club. I also make outcalls to private clients under my own business, Better Life Massage & Bodywork.

I am also an actor, director, and performer around Chicago. As part of a way of giving back to the Chicago theater community, I offer my massage services to fellow actors and performers at a heavily discounted rate.

Note: Although Dennis looks very serious in his professional headshot, he’s a very laid back, easy-going guy. If you meet him in person, he will likely be smiling! Stop by and try a massage with Dennis on Thursdays or Saturdays from 12 noon to 4p.m. at the Lincoln Park chair massage location at 1550 N. Kingsbury.

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