A look at being a massage therapist: a talk with Jeannine V.

I greet Jeannine, wrapped in her long black shawl, her curly hair waving on both sides of her luminous face. Her reputation precedes her, and I am excited to learn more about her. From the beginning of our conversation, her eyes and deep voice appeal to me. She’s sweet, and the words flow naturally out of her. We go from English to French without really paying attention.

As a massage therapist for 6 years at Bota Bota, her path is a long one, learning about life, others and herself. A way of life that gives her the reason to do what she does: massages to help others heal.

Jeannine tells me that the customer care starts from the moment she discovers the writing on the information sheet. Between the lines and shapes of the letters, she perceives with disconcerting precision, the personality of each client. An understanding of the person’s expectations follows: their pains, the areas they wish to focus on, among others.
Jeannine is aware of the necessary trust between herself and the client. She tells me about Lomi Lomi Nui, a massage offered at Bota Bota, which allows the awakening of the spirit inside the body. A way of extracting everything that is not in harmony with our body and mind. “I speak to the soul, I ask the body if it accepts me and I listen”. She begins a dialogue with the body, her hands holding it from under, allowing it to trust her touch, so that it can abandon itself completely. The process of letting go then begins.
Each massage is different, and Jeannine insists on the fact that that it requires openness and concern from both parties. “Often people will come with an idea in mind, they expect me to fix them, but it’s important to know that it’s a job for both of us, it takes two to tango”.

A massage, for her, is sacred; an invisible contract between her and the person, which she must honor. Like the mind, the body speaks and Jeannine listens to it. “I’m known for my ability to make people cry”, she laughs. Each being bears their pains and successes, and this will guide the massage that she is about to give. “I understand people”, having herself been through ups and downs, Jeannine is very sensitive to the energies and stories of those who end up on her massage therapy table. “The ego distracts, but the body tells a story. It doesn’t lie “.

2018 will have been a year once again, filled with emotions. A year to close chapters and open new ones. 2019 promises to be brighter, open to new opportunities.
“What I would say, and that’s what I tell myself too, is: with everything going on during these 365 days, it’s important to trust our inner voice. It will guide us”. An invitation to be honest with ourselves and to look for what is missing; a long and difficult exercise that often bears fruit. With stars in her eyes, Jeannine tells me about a new love in her life; a man, who appeared in her life after several years of internal quest, like an answer.
“This voice guides me every day, even with my work.” It’s everywhere, it is simply about paying attention and accepting what it has to offer.

“I like people, I like the human factor and the human condition,” she confesses with a smile. For Jeannine, this profession goes far beyond a simple job: it is an act of generosity, time and love for people who find themselves on her path.

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