Intuitive Massage in Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona

© March, 2010 by Maureen Herron

Close your eyes and let yourself go. Absorb the penetrating echoes of rushing water through Oak Creek Canyon. Sink into the table, discreetly positioned for privacy at Briar Patch Inn’s Massage Gazebo, as you begin your experience of outdoor massage. Your masseuse is Alba Elena Wejebe. Fall into yourself as Alba covers your eyes with a small pillow. Only the sounds and breaths of the earth and the touch of healing massage are your awareness.

Alba loves the quiet of Briar Patch Inn, and massage is the way she communicates in this space which she identifies as “wordless heart”, intuitive communication of massage. Alba’s been engaged in this service since 1993 when she chose to practice this profession of “loving people”. Wejebe knows the release of endorphins make the client feel well. She likes to work slowly and spends the majority of her practice in Sedona at Briar Patch Inn where clients have a choice of in-room or outdoor massage.

Alba credits the existence and ambience of the outdoor Massage Gazebo to Owner, JoAnn Olson, whose design sensibilities created the elegant dedicated sandstone-floored space, heralded by oversize hand-carved double wooden doors, protected from the elements by a hand-built stone retainer wall; divided by luxurious draperies reminiscent of the Inn’s bath décor; supported by custom cupboards and served by extremely sturdy massage tables complete with arm shelf; option for propane heaters to make outdoor massage an unduplicatable experience on a winter’s day in full view of the breathtaking landscape, or by night swathed by twinkling lights. You can come as you are or ensconced in the plush robe supplied by the Inn. Alba states: “There’s a sense when things are fully congruent that really makes a difference: the sounds, breezes, and the beauty of the Canyon. The outer room of the Gazebo provides a transition for the client to adjust sensibilities before entering the Massage Room.”

Alba uses Alba Botanicals, featuring kukui nuts, and jojoba. She uses jojoba and Shea butter for feet and hands. “When you do a hot stone massage, the therapist needs to be able to slip the stones easily across the body. Jojoba and Shea butter help that process.” Clientele of hot stone massage towel off upon completion of the hot stone massage; otherwise, for other types of massage, permitting the oils to remain on the body temporarily continues to enhance the healing process.

Alba shares the fact that there are modalities for infant massage and/or for small children, stating: “Usually, children take no more than 30 minutes and remain clothed. This decision is totally up to the parent. Often, parent and child will have a side by side massage. You’re never too young to teach a child the appreciation of touch. . .I’ll ask if the child would like the head or hair touched. . .The child needs to be comfortable.”

Since many families visit Briar Patch Inn, sometimes it’s difficult for everyone to have a massage due to the necessity of child care; however, sometimes, parents take turns or choose to do the side by side approach. Whenever or however it happens, clients relish that hour, states Alba, “absolutely being able to receive”.

Alba continues: “The role of water is magical. Oak Creek Canyon as the backdrop really makes the difference in each massage. Primally, the sounds are soothing, responding to a higher experience of yang or release of negative ions with yin. Encompassed by this natural world of sounds and _____, support is even encouraged through the sturdy wooden table, giving clients a sense of strength. The eye pillow allows clients to go toward a quiet space where everything is at peace.”

The busy, racing mind halts. You feel present, connected. Distractions fall away. For now, you have a different sense of what is real and important. You feel part of the whole rather than alienated . . . Alba says, “If I were to give advice, I would say: “Be gentle with yourself. In whatever way you can, nurture yourself by being gentle and kind, as though you were a little child.”

She should know…it was through paying attention to her own intuition that led Alba to discover the world of massage. Understanding herself as a kinesthetic, Alba progressed from a professional ballroom dancer to a student, then practitioner of massage. Her Cuban/Lebanese heritage made her a natural for love of dance and her kinesthetic orientation is a great help in massage therapy. It’s interesting, Alba says, “that the first way we interact when we enter the world is through touch. It’s the main form of receiving information and communicating with the world from birth. For athletes, it’s a very physical thing. For psychics, it’s a sensitivity. Intuitively, the muscles relax when people just let themselves go. Even the arms, as extensions of the body, tell you how you feel about your responsibilities in life and certainly an area to take into your awareness.”

Language of the body is complemented by Alba’s fluency in Spanish, Italian, French and English. A student of anatomy, physiology, massage techniques, contraindications and pathology, Alba is also a resource for those interested to learn relaxation techniques. She’s a firm believer in the tranquility achievable through a stay at Briar Patch Inn and regards her 7 years of service there to date as a privilege. “At Briar Patch Inn, there’s a sense of well being and being connected with everything, with all that is, with nature, and with yourself,” concludes Alba. “That’s the crux of what Briar Patch really offers. For the period of time you are there, you have a sense of that, and it’s an experience you can tap into at will, making life easier anytime, anywhere.”