December Philanthropy: Where We're Giving

meals on wheels: food and friendship to San Francisco's homebound elderly

kiva.org: loans that change lives

wikipedia: the free online encyclopedia

Join our Kiva Lending Team!

I want to invite you to join our lending team, Apothecasf, on Kiva, a non-profit website that allows you to lend as little as $25 to a specific low-income entrepreneur in the developing world. You choose who to lend to - whether a baker in Afghanistan, a goat herder in Uganda, a farmer in Peru, a restaurateur in Cambodia, or a tailor in Iraq - and as they repay the loan, you get your money back.

If you join our lending team, we can work together to alleviate poverty. Once you're a part of the team, you can choose to have a future loan on Kiva "count" towards our team's impact. The loan is still yours, and repayments still come to you - but you can also choose to have the loan show up in our team's collective portfolio, so our team's overall impact will grow!

See you on Kiva!
Kirsten

What exactly is "deep tissue" massage?

A great question, yet the answer is unfortunately so often misunderstood. More often than we'd like, we've had clients come in complaining about massages they have endured before finding us. These "deep tissue" massages left them feeling bruised, battered and more stressed than when they came in. They want to know: Is this what deep tissue massage is all about? Does massage have to hurt to be effective? The answer to both questions is NO and NO. Apotheca's deep tissue therapists, who are properly trained in this work, know that deep tissue massage doesn't just mean working "harder" on the muscles. Deep tissue methods are concerned with working the fascia, a seamless web of connective tissue that covers and connects the muscles, organs, and skeletal structures in our body. By slowly and methodically working this connective matrix--which goes from a gel state to a liquid state when warmed-- a qualified therapist can release chronic patterns of tension and pain. This work can be painful when it is attempted by someone who only knows how to manipulate the muscles themselves. Specific moves, stretches and hand placement can free and mobilize places that regular muscle massage may not be able to get to. The bottom line: Please don't let anybody tell you that deep tissue work simply must hurt to be effective. It is true that in many cases, deep tissue work can be intense. But it should never leave you feeling bruised or abused.

What should I realistically expect from my massage?

Many people ask for more and more pressure, even as they curl their toes and wince in discomfort. They are under the mistaken impression that if their therapist just pushes hard enough, she or he can get rid of all their knots in one session. Alas, they are wrong. Not only will your knots not go away if you approach bodywork from this macho perspective, but you will likely end up with new knots on top of the old. The fact is that undoing chronic knots and tension built up over a lifetime takes time and work. Regular massage is an integral part of a well-rounded wellness tool kit, but it is just one piece in that proverbial "balanced diet" that includes exercise, work on your posture, stress management, plenty of water, a good diet, lots of sleep, and finding (and making time for) the things that make you truly happy.

Dancing and Cupcakes and a Raffle to Benefit Rocket Dog Rescue on August 28

We've donated a Signature Facial to be raffled off during a fun event benefiting Rocket Dog Rescue next Thursday. Rocket Dog Rescue is a great organization that really helps wayward doggies. This party looks like it will be a lot of fun and the list of raffle prizes is amazing.

For those of you reading who can't attend, there is information about buying raffle tickets in the post linked below.


Come Raise the Woof for Rocket Dog Rescue at Mighty in SF!

When: Thursday, August 28 2008, 6:00pm - 10:00pm

Where: MIGHTY

Read the full post on yelp.com here.

Apotheca Now Offers Same-day Appointments

No more waiting- if we have something open you can book a session right away. Visit our online schedule to see what appointments we have open, or join us on twitter.com for information about same-day appointments, specials and discounts.

Returning for Duty

Kirsten is returning for skincare sessions starting August 22. I've missed you all and I can't wait to catch up with you, hear what's been going on, and give you a knock-out treatment. To make your appointment,

visit our online scheduler.

New Discounted Packages are Here!

At long last, our new packages are available now. We have four great options to choose from: two massage packages, a skincare series, and a sampling of some of our favorite treatments, all at a nicely discounted rate.

Packages make it easy and affordable to get on schedule with the monthly treatments you've been planning!

Click here for packages and rates.