Isaac Islas, LMT

My approach to bodywork is focused, intentional, intuitive, therapeutically informed, and often slow. Each session is shaped by your needs, with the intention of creating lasting, felt change — not just temporary relief.

Techniques I may use include:

• Long, steady holds
  To allow for deep relaxation and the release of held tension

• Bone tracing
  To gently guide awareness through your structure and reconnect you with your body

• Myofascial release
  To work through adhesions and encourage natural realignment

• Functional Range Release™
  A science-backed manual therapy technique designed to assess, treat, and rehabilitate soft tissue while improving movement and reducing pain

• Cupping therapy
  To break up stagnation, increase circulation, and support lymphatic drainage

• Vibration therapy
  To reduce pain by stimulating nerve endings and facilitating quick contract-relax cycles across soft tissue chains

• Tapotement / Deep Tapping
  To stimulate circulation and loosen soft tissues

While I do offer deep, focused therapeutic massage, this does not mean you should expect a “no pain, no gain” approach — quite the opposite.

I believe the body responds most effectively when the nervous system feels safe. You should be able to breathe fully and relax throughout your session. If you find yourself clenching or holding your breath, your body may be bracing — reinforcing patterns of restriction and pain, rather than releasing them.

Any session you book — with me or anyone else — is your time.

While I bring professional training and experience, you know your body best. Trust your intuition. If something doesn’t feel quite right, or if an adjustment could improve your comfort or the outcome, I encourage you to speak up.

Ask questions. Give feedback.
You’ve lived your life — and that makes your body unique.
True care should always be collaborative.

My first experience of healing touch came not through training, but through presence — the grounding massages my parents gave me when I was sick or sore from sports. Their hands offered calm, care, and connection. That early imprint taught me something I now bring to every session: safe, attuned contact can do more than soothe muscles — it can restore trust in the body.

As I’ve grown, I’ve come to understand how rare that kind of safety can feel — especially for those who’ve experienced trauma, neglect, or chronic stress. Many people carry the weight of disconnect, unsure if their body can truly soften, receive, or let go. I’ve seen how nervous system-informed touch can be a turning point — not just physically, but emotionally.

This work is my way of offering what I was lucky to receive:
A space where your body is welcomed exactly as it is.
A space where you’re reminded that change is still possible, and you don’t have to brace forever.

In a culture where men are often taught to outsource their needs to porn, performance, or substances, I offer something different:

A space where:

• Touch is safe and nonsexual

• Self-care is allowed — not earned

• Shame has no place

• Healing begins with permission to receive

Whether you're an overwhelmed dad, struggling to feel like enough in your relationship, or feeling isolated, depressed, and/or numb — I’ve been there. I know what it's like to carry all of that in silence.

My experience in men's groups has brought meaningful healing into my own life, and I carry that insight and care into my work — offering a grounded, nonjudgmental space for men to reconnect with their bodies and their worth.

Massage can be a way back to the body.
To enough-ness.
To real care.

“Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past.”
— Bessel van der Kolk

This quote reminds me that real healing begins with presence. When we bring attention to how we physically feel — even in small ways — we loosen the grip of old patterns and create space for change. My work invites this kind of awareness gently and at your pace.

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“Your same thoughts lead to the same choices, the same choices lead to the same behaviors, the same behaviors create the same experiences, and those same experiences produce the same feelings and emotions — and those emotions drive your very same thoughts.”
— Joe Dispenza

This mirrors what I see and experience in the body every day: the loops we live in — emotional, mental, physical — are deeply connected. But we’re not stuck. I offer bodywork that helps interrupt the loop, reconnect you with your breath, and remind your body what ease feels like.

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Aaand last but not least — sometimes the simplest practices or phrases to remember are the most impactful:

Slow down. Look up.

Use it or lose it. Motion is lotion.

Remember to Breathe.