Angela M. Paddock LMP
720 E. Washington St., Ste. 108, Sequim
683-3490/461-1974
Hours by appointment, available weekends
Are you a weekend warrior who’s overworked your muscles in sports or yard work? Or an office worker or parent stressed out by your responsibilities? Or perhaps you deal with chronic pain from a disorder such as fibromyalgia?
Licensed massage practitioner Angela Paddock can pacify your muscles in mutiny with with several types of massage therapy, individualized for you and your specific complaint.
This month Paddock is marking her 25th year as a massage therapist in Clallam County, having graduated from Seattle’s Brenneke School of Massage in 1991. For some years, she was an independent contractor with several local chiropractors, but is happy to be in the office she moved into earlier this year.
“I’m doing really, really well here,” she said, noting she picked up 39 new clients last year. “I’m also ecstatic that my longtime clients have followed me through several moves,” Paddock added, from her office decorated in soothing colors and Pacific Northwest-inspired artwork.
Whether it’s for stress relief, muscle tears or soft tissue injuries, a massage by a veteran practitioner like Paddock can make you feel like a new person.
Infectiously upbeat, the 48-year-old Paddock said, “I tell people I don’t fix things — I just help your body to feel better. I do what it takes.”
Paddock offers massages of 30, 60 or 90 minutes, noting, “I really like doing an hour massage but people often don’t have the time or money. The 30-minute appointment is to work through one particular issue and it is a very thorough massage.”
A full body massage of 60 or 90 minutes includes the back, the fronts and backs of the legs, the arms, neck and head.
Paddock urged, “It’s your hour, you choose what parts you want to focus on.”
When a client schedules by telephone, Paddock asks what the issue is that brings him or her to the office. At the appointment, she further interviews with questions about the client’s injuries, surgeries, medications and the issues to be addressed.
“I ask questions so we’re on the same page as far as expectations,” Paddock said. “I let the client undress to a comfortable level and get underneath the sheets and start working. I like to stress that I want biofeedback on how it feels — I usually can tell but clients should let me know if I’m going too deep — I need to know because people have different pain tolerances.”
Paddock explained, “Massage is a workout — I’m milking out the waste products which mimics contracting and relaxing the muscles. A little stiffness afterwards is OK but it shouldn’t be much or last long. If it does, this means that I went down a little too deep, so I won’t the next time with that client. I always ask how they are feeling and tell them to drink lots of water to flush their body with everything I’ve loosened up.”
Massage isn’t just a workout for Paddock’s clients — 25 years of kneading and manipulating muscles has put a strain on her upper body, so much so that she had to have bicep repair surgery.
Paddock is a Labor & Industry-approved provider and she’s working on becoming a Personal Injury Protection provider, specifically to treat soft tissue damage for people injured in vehicle accidents.
“Auto insurance has started covering massage more because it decreases the need for medication and physical therapy and reduces stiffness and lingering pain and swelling,” Paddock said.
“I genuinely want people to feel better but I’m not a miracle worker. I like dealing in humor and health and I do like to give off a positive air. I have clients I’ve worked on for 25 years and I want them to know how grateful I am,” Paddock said.
