Relief can take many forms. Some find solace in relaxing activities, some through therapies (like massage and acupuncture), while others find relief in laughing with friends or being part of a community. This last notion about community is one we don’t hear many massage practices focus on, but it’s something we consider core to Sollievo. In fact, part of our mission statement is centered on fostering community.

As we mentioned in our first blog, one of the ways we try to share and grow our community is by holding seminars (or even starting this blog). Our goal is to open up channels of communication so that “care” can continue outside of the brick and mortar of Sollievo and reach people in their homes and everyday lives. We offer free seminars on a wide variety of topics – from the benefits of drinking Green smoothies (and how to make them), to the mysteries of energy work to understanding the basics of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. We simply want you, our client and members of our community to take away a nugget of information and use it as you choose – whether it’s to help you become a more educated consumer or help you learn more about a topic you are interested in and want to explore even deeper.

When we opened our doors in June 2007, we started the hunt for property locally, keeping it fairly focused on North Cambridge. We both graduated from the Muscular Therapy Institute (MTI) which was located on Rindge Avenue and later moved to Watertown. MTI was so easily accessible by bus or T and there was plenty of parking in the area… all of which we thought would be important for our business. As luck would have it, there were a few units available on Mass Ave – right around the corner from our Alma Mater – so we planted our roots here.

As many of you know, the space we found for Sollievo is on the ground floor making it possible to serve anyone seeking relief, including our clients in wheelchairs, elderly, and those recovering from injury. To see our vision through, we gutted out the entire office space and built it back up from scratch.  Read more.  So here we had a ground floor, ADA compliant office space where anyone could come in and receive good care, right outside Porter Square in North Cambridge, without the hassle and parking dramas of Harvard and Davis Squares. As you know, parking in Cambridge is a rarity so we feel really fortunate.

There’s no better feeling than being able to give back to your community – for us that’s specifically the community that gave us our foray in to massage therapy. As such, we have partnered with several of the local, small businesses, North Cambridge Arts Association’s open studios, Cambridge Trust Company Friends and Family as well as supporting local schools in their fundraisers, silent auctions and health fairs. It’s been so rewarding to run a business here in Cambridge, a community that we consider home, a community where we live, love, work and play… a community where we now can give back.