I enjoy working with Mary because she is skilled in a variety of different massage techniques. The receptionist at her place of business is very nice and always extremely helpful. I strained my back in karate and was stuck for about two weeks. I got relief with just one session with Mary and I was very pleased. If you are looking for a massage therapist that really knows anatomy then Mary is the one to work with.
Jackie StCyr
I have been consistently exercising for 20 years with focus on weightlifting. For the last two years I have had left shoulder soreness. The soreness would come and go. I have worked out through it the last 2 years, and I have seen 2 doctors to diagnose the issue. Without scoping the shoulder or surgery the doctors offered little relief and x-rays revealed not much. I did not want to go down the surgery path. After hearing about Mary Regan I visited her and had her treat me. The results are outstanding. The shoulder soreness gradually subsided and flare up's where far and few in between. Working out is a major hobby and passion of mine and I owe a lot of thanks to Mary for her allowing me to lead my lifestyle as I am accustom to. Mary is well educated in her field and her expertise are superb. She is thorough, detailed and offers explanations as to why she is doing what she is doing during her treatments. I would recommend anyone with pain, discomfort or soreness throughout the body to seek out Mary Regan for a consultation or treatment as it could change your condition. Keep in mind these massages are meant to treat the specific ailment and do just that. I thank her for her expertise and devoted work.
Daniel Forte
I met Mary in a pilates class that we were both taking. Through casual conversation I mentioned that I had chronic neck, shoulder and back pain. She relayed that she was a massage therapist and gave me her card. I'd been through physical therapy and had numerous massages, but still was in so much pain that I lived off ibuprofen, which started giving me stomach issues. I scheduled an appointment with Mary and immediately knew that it was no ordinary massage. She made a thorough assessment of my body alignment, muscle tone and problem areas. I'm a surgeon and I'm still baffled with Mary's knowledge of the body. It was an hour of utter satisfaction. I'd never had a massage where I felt complete release of muscles that were causing pain. Needless to say I was hooked and scheduled regular massages and never felt better. Eventually, I got to the point where I didn't have pain anymore and took a brief hiatus. Slowly I started back sliding and worked myself back to my miserable baseline. Fortunately, Mary has been able to help me get back on track and even provided exercises for me to do at home and in the OR between cases.
Outside of Mary's phenomenal massage therapy skills she is also an expert in healthy living. Her positive outlook on life helped get me through a painful and at times devastating divorce. Her enthusiasm and joy is contagious. I'm a single mother with a hectic work schedule. I'd convinced myself that I didn't have time to cook and was spending a small fortune on take out. In her pleasant, unassuming way, Mary provided me with a few easy recipes over a massage. The recipes were delicious and healthy. So needless to say, I've rekindled my love for cooking and my daughter and I are happier and healthier preparing and sharing meals together. I'm truly grateful that I took Mary up on her offer and scheduled that first massage. She has been a blessing in so many ways. My quality of life is significantly better due to her positive influences.
Dr Monica Christmas
I had the great pleasure of being a client of Mary Regan this year. She is a massage therapist of genuinely exceptional professional skill for whom I can easily write an enthusiastic testimonial.
I give the heartfelt compliments in this letter based on long experience. I have received massages on a weekly basis for the last 15 years from five different regular therapists in Chicago, in addition to others while on vacations. I have carefully chosen these therapists and have worked with some very talented individuals. There is no doubt that Mary is among the very best of the best of Chicago massage therapists.
Mary has a truly amazing touch that immediately reduces my muscle tensions, takes the discomfort out, and relaxes me profoundly. Of equal importance to me, the effect of her skilled touch is greatly enhanced by her demeanor and presence. She simply radiates a sense of well-adjusted calmness that allows me to turn myself over to her completely.
She is a rare gem.
I recommend her to you wholeheartedly. Chicago’s loss is very much Houston’s gain in the world of massage.
Benjamin B. Lahey, Ph.D.
Irving B. Harris Professor of Epidemiology, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Neuroscience
Department of Health Studies (MC 2007)
University of Chicago
I came to Mary in January with muscles more akin to cement than human tissue, and I’m 27. Athletically speaking, 2011 and 2012 were banner years for me, and I loved every minute of it. I ran four half-marathons, biked 3,000 miles, and completed an Olympic triathlon. When I wasn’t running or biking, I was in the weight room. Most importantly, I never developed a routine for stretching my upper body. Despite all that, I never thought much about massages until my muscular tension started causing nasty “coat hanger” shaped headaches and tingling pain down into my hands.
Over the course of roughly three months, Mary literally dug in. She started targeting likely trigger points and working to turn crusty muscle into living, human tissue. Before every session, she asked questions about my workouts, taught me to keep track of movements that generated pain so I could learn to listen to my body, and always made me learn a new stretch to do at home. As she came to know me better, she subtly suggested changes to my diet, accompanied with cooking strategies to make them happen.
To my mind, I posed a tricky problem because I needed deep tissue massage strength combined with comprehensive knowledge of the muscular and nervous systems. I’d managed to anger the small, stabilizer muscles just as much as the bigger ones, and probably impinged a nerve or two. I came back to Mary again and again because she has both. It’s not just that Mary’s hands are strong, she also knows exactly where and how to target the muscle.
Put simply, I value exercise because I enjoy physical challenges. Working with Mary has been the best thing I could have done to ensure I can exercise for a long time. Approaching the second week of May, I am able to complete a new and improved version of my favorite workouts. Now, my workouts include the stretches she taught me, a greater ability to listen to my body, and a different approach to diet and recovery. When I first stepped into her office, I just assumed I’d be getting a massage. But I ended up with a vastly expanded fitness toolkit that will hopefully keep me working out for as long as I live.
Matt Monahan
As a long-term sufferer of tension headaches, I've become willing to try anything once, no matter how strange or uncomfortable. How wonderful it was to discover that one of the most helpful treatments out there was not inly painless but pleasant. I still don't understand how a series of gentle touches can leave me feeling like my skull fits together better than before, and soothe away a persistent throb that has been immune to massive doses of analgesics... But I'm not questioning it anymore! Mary is an incredible masseuse overall, but of all the kinds of healing I've had at her hands, this one feels the most like magic.
Emanuelle Burton
When I first started working with Mary, I was a mess. I had been diagnosed with a leg length discrepancy, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, flat feet, and I had a host of neck and shoulder issues from years of sitting hunched over a computer. Mary began by easing my most acute pain through targeted massage of the painful areas and the opposing muscles that I didn’t even know were sore or overused. Much of this deep massage work was painful, but it was worth it. By having Mary work on my hips and ankles, I regained ranges of motion that I thought were long out of my reach. Once my range of motion was increased, my muscles could work properly and stop being part of the dysfunctional feedback loop of pain and immobility.
While my hips and ankles were my primary concerns, Mary also worked on my neck and shoulders, which were very tight from years of computer work and neglected posture and were causing chronic pain. Over several sessions, Mary was able to release some of the deeper muscles that are part of the shoulder, and once again my range of motion increased as my pain decreased. Through working on my shoulders, Mary and I realized that my jaw problems were related to my neck and shoulder issues, but they were not resolved by working only on these areas. So, Mary switched gears and used CranioSacral massage techniques to relax the muscles in my head and ultimately to relieve the tightness in my jaw.
By working with Mary, I have benefited from her expertise in various massage techniques, and my body is now much more functional and pain free for it. I also learned a lot about how my body is put together and how to keep it working well. Working with Mary was truly a healing experience.
Kristel Clayville
