Massage + Reiki · Los Angeles. I’ll find the knot you didn’t know was there.

Therapeutic massage, intuitive massage and Reiki. I’m especially good with chronic pain and with musicians, and I often work on body and soul in one session.

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Always one-on-one. Always private.

Cara smiling, sitting on her massage table outdoors in the golden hills outside Los Angeles.

Intuitive · Restorative · Transformative

The practice

Easygoing in the room. Precise on the table.

Portrait of Cara, smiling, in a denim jacket. — Cara, Founder, The Healing Umbrella, Los Angeles

I’m Cara. I do massage and Reiki, often in the same session. I work with a lot of musicians and a lot of people living with chronic pain, so I know what a tour, a studio day or years of the same ache can do to a body. I also see plenty of people who are neither.

I like specific problems. Tell me where it hurts, what you do all day and how you’re sleeping. As I massage, I tune in to each area and notice what it’s holding, physically and energetically. Sometimes a tight shoulder is just a tight shoulder. Sometimes there’s more in it, and we work with that too. I call that intuitive massage.

You don’t need to know the lingo or believe anything in particular. Show up as you are. I’ll explain what I’m doing if you want to know, and I’ll stay quiet if you’d rather drift. Good work doesn’t need a lot of ceremony.

Talk soon, Cara

Intuitive
I listen with my hands. Where you feel it and where it’s coming from aren’t always the same place, so the work follows what I find.
Restorative
Careful, specific work on the places that hurt. I use deep pressure where it helps and a lighter touch where it doesn’t. Chronic pain and repetitive strain take patience, and I have plenty.
Transformative
Energy work is how I reach the layer underneath the muscle. It can shift something that’s been stuck for a long time.

Sessions

From deep tissue to deep quiet.

Three ways to work with me, from mostly muscle to harder to name. Not sure? Start in the middle.

Body

Soul

Therapeutic Massage

Focused work for pain that won’t quit.

Deep tissue and slow, steady pressure on the exact spots giving you trouble. I’m good with chronic pain and with the repetitive strain that comes from instruments, desks and hauling gear. We go as deep as is useful, and no deeper.

What it feels like: Firm and specific. The kind of pressure that finds the knot and stays with it.
Session lengths: 60 min, 90 min, 120 min
Good for: Chronic pain
Repetitive strain
Neck & back tension
Post-tour recovery

Ask about this session

Signature

Intuitive Massage

Massage and Reiki in one session.

A full massage with Reiki built in. As I work each area, I tune in to what it’s carrying and shift between hands-on muscle work and energy work as needed. It’s where I do my best work, physically and on the soul plane.

What it feels like: A great massage that pauses now and then, when my hands settle on a spot and something lets go.
Session lengths: 60 min, 90 min, 120 min
Good for: Pain with a story behind it
Stress held in the body
Pre- or post-show
Feeling stuck

Ask about this session

Reiki Energy Healing

A massage for the soul.

Light touch or no touch, fully clothed, very quiet. I work with the energy around and through the body to help it settle and let go of what it’s been gripping. Many people find it’s the most rested they’ve felt in a long time.

What it feels like: Warmth, a gentle heaviness, sometimes tingling. Plenty of people fall asleep, and that counts.
Session lengths: 60 min, 90 min
Good for: Pre-show nerves
Burnout
Big life changes
Trouble switching off

Ask about this session

Body map

Where are you holding it?

Pick the place that’s been talking to you. You’ll see who usually feels it there, what I do about it and what energy work has to say.

Choose an area

Shoulders

Who brings it to me: Drummers, guitarists, parents carrying kids and gear and desk workers with their shoulders up by their ears.
How I work on it: Deep, steady work across the tops of the shoulders and around the shoulder blades. It’s where I find most of the knots people didn’t know they had.
Energy notes: In energy work, the shoulders are often associated with responsibility, and with carrying more than your share.

Jaw

Who brings it to meVocalists, horn players and anyone who clenches through stress or grinds at night.

How I work on itSlow, gentle work on the jaw muscles and temples, plus the neck and shoulders that feed into them.

Energy notesIn energy work, the jaw is often linked with things left unsaid. A big yawn as it softens is very common.

Neck

Who brings it to meGuitarists and bassists under a strap, producers leaning into a screen and anyone who sleeps on planes.

How I work on itCareful, specific work through the neck and upper shoulders to ease the pull of a head that lives forward.

Energy notesIn energy work, the throat is often linked with expression and being heard.

Shoulders

Who brings it to meDrummers, guitarists, parents carrying kids and gear and desk workers with their shoulders up by their ears.

How I work on itDeep, steady work across the tops of the shoulders and around the shoulder blades. It’s where I find most of the knots people didn’t know they had.

Energy notesIn energy work, the shoulders are often associated with responsibility, and with carrying more than your share.

Forearms, wrists & hands

Who brings it to mePianists and keys players, drummers, guitarists and anyone who types or mouses all day.

How I work on itDetailed work through the forearms, wrists and hands, then up into the neck and shoulders, which often play a part.

Energy notesIn energy work, the hands are often linked with giving, receiving and making things.

Chest, ribs & breath

Who brings it to meVocalists, horn and wind players and anyone whose breath goes shallow under stress.

How I work on itGentle work through the chest, ribs and the small muscles between them to give your breath more room.

Energy notesIn energy work, the chest is often associated with the heart center, openness and connection.

Lower back

Who brings it to meBassists under a heavy strap, drummers, crew on load-in, new parents and people who sit for a living.

How I work on itA lot of my chronic pain work happens here. I work the low back, glutes and hips as one area, since they tend to tighten up together.

Energy notesIn energy work, the lower back is often linked with feeling supported and secure.

Hips

Who brings it to meDrummers on the throne all night, long-haul flyers, runners and cyclists and performers who move hard on stage.

How I work on itDeep work around the hip flexors, glutes and outer hip to help free up how you sit, stand and move.

Energy notesIn energy work, the hips are often said to hold old emotion. If something surfaces here, that’s okay.

Legs & feet

Who brings it to mePerformers who stand for a whole set, servers, nurses, hikers and anyone who’s walked an airport end to end.

How I work on itThorough work on the calves, arches and heels. It’s the part people ask me to do twice.

Energy notesIn energy work, the feet are often linked with grounding and feeling at home in your body.

This is a general guide to how I work, and it isn’t medical advice. The energy notes are common associations in energy work, so take what’s useful. If something’s new, sharp or worrying, please check with your doctor first.

For musicians & their teams

For load-ins, red-eyes and four shows in four nights.

Playing music is physical work. Hours of the same motion, gear on your back, bad sleep, airport food and a nervous system that’s been switched on since soundcheck. I know how that goes, and I plan sessions around it.

On the road
Overnight flights, bus bunks and hotel beds add up fast. I work out the travel stiffness, and we can time sessions around soundcheck and flights.
Before and after the show
Before, lighter work to loosen up and steady nerves without making you sleepy. After, deeper work and Reiki to bring you down off the adrenaline.
Instrument strain
Fret hands, picking wrists, drummer shoulders, the producer hunch after twelve hours at the board. I know where different instruments pull, and I go straight there.
Voice, breath and nerves
For vocalists and horn players, I work the jaw, neck, ribs and the muscles that move your breath. Reiki often takes the edge off the night-before nerves.

Plan around your tour dates

I think of energy work as
a massage for the soul.

Cara

Take a breath with me.

Follow the circle for a few rounds. Your shoulders will probably drop on their own.

Breathe in: 4 seconds
Hold: 4 seconds
Breathe out: 6 seconds

Kind words

Heard on the way out.

Sample quotes for now, to show the layout. Real words from clients are on the way, with names kept private.

I came in with a wrist I’d been babying for two tours. Cara found the spot in about thirty seconds, then spent the hour on everything around it. First show back, I barely thought about it.

Touring guitaristSample testimonial

Halfway through, she slowed right down on my hip and asked if I’d been carrying a lot lately. I had. I didn’t have to explain any of it, and I walked out lighter than I’d felt in months.

Intuitive massage clientSample testimonial

I booked Reiki fully expecting to feel nothing. I cried a little, slept like a rock, and booked again.

First-time Reiki clientSample testimonial

I’ve had back pain for years and I’m wary of anyone who promises to fix it. Cara didn’t promise anything. She asked good questions and checked in on pressure the whole time. It’s the most consistent relief I’ve found.

Chronic back pain clientSample testimonial

Zero pretension and scary good hands. She’s my first call when I’m back in LA.

Recording artistSample testimonial

Questions

Things people ask me first.

What does Reiki feel like, and do I need to believe in it?

Many people feel warmth, a gentle tingling or a heavy, sinking kind of calm. Some feel very little and still get up feeling different. And no, you don’t need to believe in it. Skeptics are welcome, and honestly kind of fun to work on. Plenty of people come for the massage and get curious about the rest later.

What is intuitive massage, in practice?

Massage first, with Reiki brought in wherever it’s needed. While I work on an area, I’m also tuning in to what it’s holding. If your shoulder needs deep pressure, it gets deep pressure. If something under it needs a gentler touch, I’ll shift into energy work for a bit, then pick the massage back up. You never have to explain anything you’d rather keep to yourself.

What do I wear, and what happens in a session?

We start with a quick chat about what’s going on. For massage, you undress to your comfort level and stay under a sheet, with only the area I’m working on uncovered. For Reiki, you stay in comfy clothes. Then you lie down and I get to work. Talk or don’t. Both are fine. Afterward, drink some water and take it slow.

How do I know which session to book?

Look through the three sessions above, or tell me what’s going on and I’ll suggest one. If you’re torn, start with intuitive massage. It covers both ends, so it gives me a good read on what you need. We can always adjust once you’re on the table.

What does a session cost?

It depends on the length and where we meet. Send me a note and I’ll reply with my rates and a few times that work.

Will it hurt?

Deep work can be intense. It should never feel like a fight. I check in on pressure, and you can change it any time. A lot can release without anyone gritting their teeth. A little soreness the next day is common.

Can you come to me, to the studio or on the road?

Tell me what you need and we’ll figure out the setup. Home, hotel, studio and travel are all worth a conversation. Send me the where and when through the form, plus any dates you’re working around, and I’ll come back with what’s possible.

I’m a public figure. How do you handle privacy?

Quietly. The same rules apply to everyone I see. No posts, no names, no stories. I’m happy to sign an NDA, book you under another name or work through your manager or assistant.

Does this replace my doctor or physical therapist?

No, and it shouldn’t. My work sits alongside medical care, physical therapy and whatever else is helping you. If something needs a diagnosis, that’s their department. If you’re dealing with an injury, a condition or something new and sharp, check in with your doctor, and tell me when you book so I can work around it safely.

Massage + Reiki · Los Angeles. I’ll find the knot you didn’t know was there.

Easygoing in the room. Precise on the table.

Intuitive

Restorative

Transformative

From deep tissue to deep quiet.

Therapeutic Massage

Intuitive Massage

Reiki Energy Healing

Where are you holding it?

Jaw

Neck

Shoulders

Forearms, wrists & hands

Chest, ribs & breath

Lower back

Hips

Legs & feet

For load-ins, red-eyes and four shows in four nights.

On the road

Before and after the show

Instrument strain

Voice, breath and nerves

Take a breath with me.

Heard on the way out.

Things people ask me first.

Tell me what’s going on.

Got it, thank you. I’ll be in touch soon. In the meantime, maybe drop your shoulders an inch.