Living Joy’s purpose is to revive and nurture wellbeing in others through individualized body work, education and care that considers the whole person and honors the complexities of each individual.

Meet Val

Hi! I am a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), trauma-informed Yoga teacher (RYT-500) and the founder of Living Joy Massage and Yoga, LLC with a decade of experience as a body worker.  I found yoga and massage over 20 years ago, and have continually benefitted from both practices, ranging from injury recovery to stress management to increased overall wellbeing, and I'm grateful to be able to share those same benefits with others. The longer I'm in practice, the more I'm in awe of the body’s innate ability to repair and recover, and the way our nervous systems are involved in how we feel and how we heal. I'm passionate about how the body works and repairs as a whole, and approach each treatment with the full body and person in mind, blending modalities to achieve personalized, lasting ease and relief.

 

I teach group classes and private lessons. I specialize in stress and anxiety relief and I’m certified in Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra and trauma-informed. I offer safe, effective, individualized care that meets your needs. Whether you are looking for injury recovery, stress relief or to add a valuable addition to your selfcare maintenance  routine, Living Joy provides a space where you can find opportunities for greater wellness.

Meet Tracy

Hello! My name is Tracy Somers and I am a massage therapist. I am licensed by the state of Illinois, certified by the National Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, and a member of the American Massage Therapy Association. I graduated from Cortiva School of Massage Therapy in 2007 and I have been active in the wellness world since. 

 

I feel so lucky and grateful to be on this path; the human body fascinates me and I love being a witness to its magic. It is my goal to provide a massage that meets you and your body where you are at in the present moment. Massage offers many different ways to help the body do what it does naturally - self heal and self regenerate. Stress, tension and trauma hinder the healing process and can build up in your muscles, tissues and thoughts but massage gives the body an opportunity to calm the nervous system and release that tension. Your nervous system is so brilliant that it will do anything to protect you, whether it is good for you or bad for you so holding a safe space allows your nervous system to simply let go of what is not needed and hold on to what helps you expand. I love receiving, giving and learning massage because there are so many benefits and in this evolved world that we live in, we must evolve with it and be able to move ahead as comfortably as possible, breathe with purpose and live with joy. 

 

I enjoy combining modalities such as relaxation, myofascial release, trigger point release, acupressure, deep tissue, silicone cupping, hot or Himalayan stones and more. I am currently studying Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) which I am very excited about as these give me more tools in my toolbox to share with you. I look forward to working with you.