Presenter: Eren Bartsch LMT MA60175828
Class Format: In-person, Hands-on
Class Info: The abdomen, chest, and sternum are often missing from massage school curricula, so many LMTs avoid these regions altogether, preventing clients from getting work done in these important areas.
We'll cover the anatomy of the anterior trunk, indications and contraindications for working here, and take an honest look at breast tissue itself: what it is, who has it, and why so many practitioners avoid working with it. We'll also spend real time on boundaries and how informed consent works when you're moving into unfamiliar territory with a client.
This is not a breast massage class and we won't be demonstrating or practicing any breast-specific techniques, but we will talk plainly about why breast-specific work matters and what it involves. This class is a great starting point if you're considering taking a breast massage class in the future.
In addition to lecture and discussion, I'll demonstrate abdomen and upper chest massage techniques, and then you'll have time to practice them with a partner, with hands-on feedback from me as you go. Come prepared to spend real time at the table and leave with techniques you can incorporate into your practice right away.
What to Bring: Bring a massage table, a top and bottom sheet, a pillowcase (used to keep the chest/breasts fully covered during abdominal techniques), and unscented massage oil or lotion.
About the Presenter: Eren has been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 2010 and has been teaching continuing education since 2019. In her practice, Bellingham Integrative Massage, she focuses on pain, injury, and post-surgical treatment with techniques rooted in visceral manipulation and neural manipulation.
Eren currently teaches Chest & Breast Massage Therapy and Intraoral Manual Therapy, both 16-hour CE courses developed for Washington State practitioners, with an external pelvic floor course currently in development. Eren's teaching is built around a simple idea: most massage therapists want to be able to work in the areas their clients actually need, but some important regions (chest/breasts, intraoral, pelvic floor) require additional training most schools don't provide. Eren's classes exist to remove those obstacles, giving LMTs the anatomical knowledge, legal framework, and hands-on skills to work confidently and competently in areas that are otherwise off-limits.