Seattle Pregnancy Massage — Local services in Seattle

TLDR: I highly recommend Emma for both her massage and doula services. She is extremely good at what she does - knowledgeable, professional, kind and creates a safe space for pregnant people and their families. Hiring her as a doula was the best decision we made!

Massage: I started seeing her for pregnancy related pain in my third trimester and it was truly a game changer for my mobility in those last few months. I had seen a couple of other prenatal massage therapists and Emma was by far the best, both in terms of body work and also the environment. The massage bed she uses is incredibly comfortable for side lying massage with pillows specifically designed to support alignment and comfort while on the table (other places I went just used regular pillows and Emma’s setup made a big difference for comfort). She is also very cautious and considerate about implementing COVID safety protocols and is vaccinated, which I really appreciated as a pregnant person at higher risk. She is deeply knowledgeable about the pregnant body and seeing her helped me be as mobile and pain-free as possible leading up to delivery. She books up quickly so I would recommend booking multiple appointments out early! I didn’t do this and was kicking myself for a few weeks :) Although she was awesome and was able to get me in last minute a few times off her cancellation list. Her prices are extremely reasonable for the market and she provided me with invoices that I was able to submit to my insurance company for reimbursement. I have been seeing her for postpartum massage since delivery and she is so considerate about different needs for the post partum body (back/shoulder mobility from nursing and lifting, positioning on the table to accommodate recovery, etc). As a doula client, I also receive a discount on prenatal and postpartum massages.

Doula services: My husband and I were so grateful to have Emma as our birth doula! We felt so well supported from the moment we signed up with her. She is deeply familiar with labor and delivery practices across Seattle hospitals/birth centers and was able to prepare us for what to expect and how L&D were being managed during COVID. We had two virtual meetings prior to delivery (I think these are usually done in person but we did virtually because of the pandemic): the first to talk through our birth preferences, plan and learn about the process and discuss ways that we feel supported; the second was a postpartum/newborn preparation session. Both were incredibly helpful and gave us a safe space to ask all of the questions (big and small) that we had going into delivery and postpartum as first time parents. She linked us to great evidence-based resources, suggested different ways to prepare for birth (eg, spinning babies), helped us think through our birth plan (and then prioritize when labor went in a completely different direction), and identify questions to ask our OB before, during and after labor. During labor, she struck the right balance of providing physical/emotional support and giving space when needed. When we got to critical decision points, she helped us feel empowered to ask questions, request time for decision making and think through our next steps. She captured incredible photos during our unexpected c-section and supported us both through that experience by telling us what to expect from start to finish and being there for us (holding my hand while husband went with baby and supporting me emotionally). Postpartum, she checked in regularly to answer questions, see how we were doing as a family and connect us to resources. We are so grateful to Emma for her support and cannot recommend her...

Let me start by saying that this review is not commentary on Emma’s proficiency and skill as it comes to body work — based on the rave reviews and the fact that she came highly recommended to me by a friend in the field strongly indicates, to me, that her work is excellent, and I do not wish to speak negatively on that.

Secondly, I am hoping that my experience was, perhaps, an anomaly, but it’s been sitting with me and I feel the need to share because the experience has impacted me (in a sensitive, uncomfortable time at that). This is more related to customer service as opposed to anything else.

I booked an appointment mid-December and the earliest appointments available were about four weeks out, so I picked a time that seemed kismet— the day before my baby shower; I had entered my third trimester and it has been a painful experience full of bodily discomfort; I figured “a massage right before my baby shower, while far out, sounds like glorious timing to unwind and settle back into how wonderful this experience is.”

I planned time off, ended up having a horrid week (adding that just for context), and had strongly looked forward to the session, more and more as the day was closing in.

It was cancelled via text/email the morning of for a reasonable circumstance. I was told I needed to reschedule but was not told what that process looked like. I emailed her that evening asking for information on next steps. I received no answer. I tried again four days later and the next evening after that, decided to message the business via Facebook. I shortly received an email with a message that ‘thanked me for my patience’ but was thoughtful written... there was a link attached to reschedule and I was honestly shocked to find that instead of there being a process to prioritize a cancelled appointment, I had to start from scratch at choosing an appointment time, with the next availability being two weeks out (that’s three weeks after my original appt and seven weeks after I booked/pre-paid). On top of that? There was a possibility, she revealed, that the next appointment could be cancelled too (due to duties that are justifiable and I DID/do value her transparency in this regard).

I’ve already been living with pain, I’m sure that’s extremely relatable to many prenatal massage clients, but I felt like this was an inequitable process for rescheduling and have been incredibly disappointed with the way this turned out.

I WAS offered and promptly given a refund upon request. I was also given recommendations but the ones I could see pricing for? Not as financially feasible for me as her prices. For the others? One was just a name/number and the remaining, I couldn’t find pricing for — I have anxiety and having to ask about prices and/or cold call a stranger is a process I am not keen to participate in, especially in a state where I already feel more stressed on top of continuing to be in growing discomfort.

I did appreciate her attempts to direct me to other services and when I engaged with her, she was absolutely pleasant, transparent, and attentive, which is why I gave three stars. I am absolutely certain that this would be a five star review if things went a little differently.

If anything, a goal here is to note that a cancelled appointment may not be promptly rescheduled and it appears that you will not be prioritized if...

I went to Emma for both pre and post natal massages religiously. Regardless of pregnancy I've always liked deep tissue massages to really get into my knots. During my third trimester I went to Emma twice a month which I always looked forward to and saw as my reward and relief from carrying another LIFE and those extra pounds everyday. My swollen feet and hands felt SO GOOD because Emma would really squeeze and kneed and push that extra fluid out of them. She would pick up on whether I'd been going to the gym the last couple weeks based on how my back muscles felt and compliment me for strengthening them. Every time I would come out feeling lighter and brighter physically and mentally. I also scheduled a post-partum massage two month after BB. It was again a reward for myself for making it 2 mo and doing a good job. Even though it was hard to take time for myself, I'm so glad I did. By then I was healed but also starting to get the aches/stiffness (different from pre-) for healing in bed and carrying for BB. She knew exactly what areas I needed. Her expertise on being dedicated to pre- and post-natal massage is apparent. She says "post-natal" is forever ;) and that I've earned it, so I plan to keep booking her as my...