Ever thought about enlisting the help of a massage therapist before your wedding or event? In this Get to Know segment, I’d like to introduce Anthony Zillmer, owner and therapist at A2Z Massage Therapy! It might be the perfect way to ease up on those pre-wedding jitters!
So, did you always practice massage therapy? How did A 2 Z Massage Therapy and Essentials get its start? What do you enjoy most about your practice?
I came to massage therapy after years of touring the country doing musical theatre. After living the “dream” I found that the theatre lifestyle wasn’t a great fit for me so I found a niche in massage therapy where I can use my knowledge of body mechanics and postural awareness to help people in their everyday lives.
I’ve always gotten great joy from helping others. When I was pursuing the theatre I liked to help transport people to a place where their troubles melted away. Now, as a massage therapist, I get to literally melt peoples stress away and help them to live well from day to day. My biggest inspiration is my clients without a doubt. I always get a kick out of seeing the transformation from before the session to the blissful daze afterward. Also, the human body is fascinating! Every session is like starting from square one because there’s such consistent and dynamic change that happens from day to day. So it keeps me on my toes, which is where I like to be.
There are so many massage therapy practices out there. What separates yours from others?
In private practice, I often get asked what makes me different from Bliss or Massage Envy and I always answer with another question: “If you want artisanal coffee do you go to Starbucks?” The answer, of course, is no as you’d choose a little bistro tucked away from heavy traffic. The same applies to massage therapy–I’m that little known secret that surpasses expectations of massage. When you get a session from me I take the time to do a complete evaluation of any issues and truly customize a treatment to achieve your wellness goals.
When you hire A 2 Z Massage Therapy you can depend on me from start to finish. I’m completely client focused and not about to just “go through a routine” but will always aim to exceed your expectations.
So where is A 2 Z located?
My company began in the Chelsea Mews Guesthouse, which is probably one of the most interesting brownstones in all of Chelsea. The owners were very kind to me when I started up and gave me a very ornately decorated room to do my sessions in as long as I help them from time to time. Unfortunately, my practice grew too quickly and I couldn’t function in the space any longer. Luckily, I had a connection to a fantastic podiatrist, Dr. Ethan Ciment, who just happened to have a room for me and I’m still there!
What kinds of services and products do you offer? Anything for wedding couples?
Massage is a great addition to any bridal shower or bachelorette party! I also have an esthetician and a makeup artist I work with for a bridal shower/bachelorette party package. Get a facial, massage, have your makeup done and then hit the town looking and feeling fabulous! Also, as weddings are wonderful occasions and the start of a couple’s journey together, they can also be very stressful. Having a massage therapist on site for the day of the wedding can be a great way to warm up cold feet and disperse wedding-day jitters. Plus, every bride wants to feel like royalty on her bridal shower and wedding day. One of the best ways to pamper yourself is massage therapy and you and your bridal party will love you for it!
I’m also happy to announce that I’ve also just launched a product line of dead sea salt scrubs with A 2 Z Essentials and will have custom blended massage oils in a month or two as well! Currently the scrubs are only sold out of my practice but I’m looking to get more of a presence around the city.
So let’s say couples wish to enlist you as part of their wedding preparations. What would you recommend that they keep in mind?
When adding massage to a wedding day agenda the most important thing is scheduling. The rule of thumb is “ladies first” because they need more time to finish makeup and hair and I do the massage before they look fantastic and not smudged from being in a face cradle.
What types of clients do you most enjoy working with?
I tell people that I can massage anyone who can fog up a mirror. In all honesty though, my ideal client is someone with a wellness goal. My favorite thing is to see someone progress session by session and achieve what they’ve set out whether it be gaining more flexibility, getting to sleep easier, or just having less back pain.
As someone who uses Anthony on a regular basis, I can vouch for his “magic hands”. He keeps me in top form during wedding season, when I’m walking around lugging 30 pounds of camera gear, 10-12 hours a day. In the winter months, he works out all those shoulder and neck kinks. If you want a gorgeous neckline in your gown, you need to have open and relaxed shoulders.
