Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer June.
Hi Jennifer, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My path as a bodyworker began in my early 20’s with a friend offering the gift of massage. My body had been deeply affected by multiple childhood car accidents, every moment my body was struggling to recalibrate and find fleeting comfort.
It was obvious to her, chronic pain was negatively influencing my quality of life and personal expression.
That first massage experience was challenging, liberating and transformative.
It pushed boundaries of personal space, bodily autonomy, my comfort zone in receiving touch and opening up to let go under gentle, nourishing contact.
Massage worked! But the financial means to access massage on a needed basis was beyond my income.
A few weeks later, I discovered flyer advertising a weekend self massage course.
Day one was difficult, bike ride to Market East Station, a train ride out to Doylestown. The classroom had a sparse, dojo like atmosphere, no chairs, no pillows, just a thin cotton mats on a barely carpeted floor snd a chalkboard. Students were stretching, bending, twisting, inhaling and exhaling forcefully, and pounding on our bodies in new and awkward ways. An 8 hour class was followed by a return train to Center City and chilly Bike ride home to South Philly.
I felt unconvinced until morning. The alarm went off, got out of bed and as I stood at the mirror, a realization occurred.
I had not gotten up unassisted or without great pain in years. Day 2 of class was non negotiable.
From there I enrolled in a 300 hour Zen Shiatsu Acupressure course.
2027 marks my 30th year of being a professional bodyworker.
Over the years Ive completed upwards of 2,500 hours of coursework in the healing arts including a prenatal massage internship with my then pregnant massage instructor.
Work life has given me opportunities to work in hospitals, homeless shelters, medical offices, acupuncture practices, resorts, day spas, outdoor events, and in client homes. I now operate a practice in the South Philadelphia of Pennsport alongside my partner of 10 years.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been very bumpy indeed. This practice has been built incrementally without bank loans, investors or grants. My early coursework was paid for by participating in pharmaceutical studies, submitting scholarship essays, and work exchange opportunities.
Covid was particularly challenging but nothing prepared me for an office flood in the summer of 2021. A nighttime storm left my massage studio under 6 inches of sewage. The landlord refused to clean and remediate the biohazard in adjoining space leading to a toxic mold situation.There was no option but to open a temporary home studio and start from scratch. With the help of a friend a fundraiser was started and the community helped raise funds for new equipment and relocating the practice. A client working in commercial real estate made it her mission to find the perfect landing place for South Philly Wellness. With her help I expanded from a single 10×15 studio to an incredible commercial courtyard with a bilevel office space featuring 3 treatment areas, and free parking in South Philadelphia!
With the expansion, my life partner Jes shifted gears from traveling event support, to full time service practitioner.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At South Philly Wellness we offer a comprehensive holistic massage and bodywork experience drawing on global traditions to enhance modern lifestyles.
Our focus is on Womens Wellness- preconception through empty nest.
The intention behind our work is to help clients manage stress, ease chronic pain patterns and feel empowered in their bodies.
South Philly Wellness is known for cultivating a healthy estrogen forward healing space where we implement indigenous approaches. along with western science to address female reproductive discomforts, fertility, prenatal, and postpartum care.
I am very proud of the intensive specialized education Jes and I have amassed around female anatomy and physiology. This allows each of us to understand the nuances and changes human body undertakes during these phases of life. With that knowledge we can successfully offer solutions to concerns like round ligament pain, sacral discomfort, plantar fasciitis carpal tunnel, headaches, migraines and tmj during pregnancy and postpartum recovery.
Clients appreciate our dedication to learning, the willingness to travel down rabbit holes researching uncommon conditions and techniques. The vibe here is all about body positivity and living life authentically with love.
Listening attentively, honoring client experiences without judgement, supporting larger bodies, creating a cozy space to grieve and transcend trauma or physical limitations, and a warm welcome for our LGBTQIA community set us apart from our peers in corporate spa culture.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
The ability to use rituals of touch to remind people that they ARE already whole and masters of their alignment raises us all energetically.
Pricing:
- Reflexology for fertility $130.00
- Abdominal therapy intake $225.00 Return visits $130.
- Prenatal Massage and Bodywork services $130-170
- Postpartum Massage $130-170
- Postpartum Reset Ritual $280.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.southphillywellness.com
- Instagram: @Sphillywellness
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/southphillywellness
