Zoe Burton is a licensed massage therapist at SF Custom Chiropractic’s Financial District location. A graduate of the San Francisco School of Massage and Bodywork, Zoe continues to draw on her education and continues with educational opportunities by retaining lasting ties with her alma mater in order to provide her patients with the most up to date treatment modalities. Zoe is a native of Michigan and moved to San Francisco in order to pursue her passion for massage therapy. She draws on her experience and education in order to blend deep tissue massage, sports massage, and Thai massage techniques to provide a customized, healing session for each patient.
Zoe is a highly skilled massage therapist at SF Custom Chiropractic.
To learn more about Zoe, here is a brief Q & A.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was kind of like a Midwestern Berkeley – a very liberal college town.
What first drew you to massage therapy?
I first became interested in massage because I suffer from chronic digestive problems and muscle and joint pain that wasn’t improved by the many doctors I saw over the years. I began to try other avenues, and bodywork emerged to me as a powerful way to relieve pain, truly relax, and cultivate a healthy awareness of sensation in my body. I have learned a lot through my own work, and I wanted to help others who also struggle with discomfort in their bodies. I love working with people hands on. Touch is so healing, and my teachers have shown me how profound the power of skilled touch can be to create ease in the body.
What is your favorite book?
I love to read! My favorite book is The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. It is beautifully written, with beautiful details that are very relatable.
What are some of your other passions?
I love to help others connect to and learn more about their environment. I am involved with San Francisco’s Park and Recreation department. I help to teach kids to connect with and care for the world around them; by empowering them to be stewards of their surroundings, they can be much more part of the world and feel like they can make a difference. I also love to be out in nature for bike rides and hiking trips.
What are the benefits of massage therapy?
Massage works with soft connective tissue, including skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Massage is particularly effective with chiropractic work and exercises to repattern movement. Massage therapy helps to integrate the structural changes that chiropractic work achieves. Bones and muscles are supported by musculature that can pull the skeleton out of balance; massage can help to rebalance those muscles to cause a lasting change. Massage is also a great stress reducer. Less stress means decreased anxiety, better sleep, and improved energy and concentration.
Who can benefit from massage?
Massage is beneficial to anyone who craves relaxation and is experiencing pain or discomfort from repetition motion, injury, or poor posture. Massage helps people improve their posture by finding ease and balance in the way they carry themselves. Massage can help athletes prepare for and recover from strenuous workouts. No matter what you do, a simple conversation about the discomfort you wish to change and your lifestyle can help determine how massage can benefit you. For example, a new mother who constantly picks up her child may find new discomfort in her shoulders or back. This repetitive motion can create great strain on the body and massage therapy can help.
I work with each person where they are at. I integrate deep tissue, sports massage, and Thai stretches into Swedish massage to create change. Deep tissue massage is not painful or hard massage, it is slow deep massage that causes a variety of sensation and works with the body in layers. I look forward to working with you!
To make an appointment with Zoe for a diversified and relaxing massage experience, contact our office at (415) 788-8700.
