Photo by Nusta Spa
Brad Drummer massaging a client with his Signature Massage: Interpretive Touch.
Forget everything you know about massages. Brad Drummer, owner of Nusta Spa, is breaking the bounds of traditional massage with his Signature Massage: Interpretive Touch. His pre-med background as well as his acting and performing experience have given him an almost intuitive sense of the body. As I was getting on the table, Brad says, “This will probably be the deepest massage you’ve ever had, but you won’t feel pain.” I tried to imagine how I could feel the effects of a deep tissue without the pain, but I found out soon enough.
(Photo by: Nusta Spa)
The Spa Lounge at Nusta Spa.
(Photo by: Nusta Spa)
The Spa Lounge at Nusta Spa.
He starts out the 50 minute session with a “warm-up” to get the body loosened up and ready for his unconventional approach to stress relief. Once the warm-up is complete, Brad encouraged me to “treat my limbs like they were those of a rag doll,” and to let him do all the work, and work is exactly what he did.
The purpose of this massage, in addition to relaxation and stress relief, is to restore our bodies to our natural selves, even if only for 50 minutes. Brad says, “We have so many layers of images that we train our bodies to adjust to. Depending on where we are or who we are interacting with, we alter our body language to fit the situation.” The muscle firings it takes to regulate our adjustments takes us further from a natural walk, posture, and stance.
Brad’s technique is designed to make the client let go, and let him take over to help restore the body’s natural rhythm. He moves, vibrates, shakes, and floats the limbs around to test the movement, and get more in touch with the muscles. He also uses what he calls a pulse motion on particularly tight muscles to help to loosen and release. Like many others, I tend to carry my stress in my shoulders. Brad put his thumbs on the pressure points in my shoulders and pressed down and released in one quick motion. His pressure increased, and the push sent my body towards the end of the table and back up into his thumbs, but I felt no pain. “You may not know how deep I went, but it took me 10 seconds to get my thumbs out of your shoulder,” says Brad after the massage.
(Photo by: Nusta Spa)
The LED purple lighting in a treatment room.
(Photo by: Nusta Spa)
The LED purple lighting in a treatment room.
I walked out of the treatment rejuvenated, relaxed, and comfortable, something I rarely feel after a deep tissue massage.
To top it off, every treatment room comes with it’s own LED (light emitting diode) colored lighting. Not only can you choose your favorite color to be on during the massage, but the ambient lighting also includes the healing properties of Color Light Therapy, and it uses almost 75% less energy than a regular bulb. I recommend the tranquil blue that makes you feel like you’re underwater. The Signature Massage is $120 for 50 minutes.
Nusta Spa is on 1129 20th Street, NW. Tel: 202.530.5700
Visit Nusta Spa's website for a full list of their treatments.
Share