Our Story
We are Meghan Hallowell and Erin Sweeney - licensed massage therapists, anatomy enthusiasts, body conversationalists, and life partners. Over twenty years ago, we met at the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge, MA. There we found kindred spirits in how we experience the transformational role of bodywork in self-care, self-discovery and healing. Throughout our careers we have continually collaborated sharing knowledge, wisdom, and support in our individual practices.
In 2019, we joined our practices to create BodyWise Massage Therapy, an integrative bodywork practice to facilitate wellness and embodiment for any body. We fully trust in your ability to achieve transformational healing and wellness, when given the attentiveness and space to do so. It is our honor to be invited to listen in, offer our hands, and support your journey.
Our Team
Meg
they/them/theirs
Meg brings a unique background and focus to their bodywork practice. As a young athlete, they received therapeutic massage to recover from repetitive joint injuries and tension. Inspired by the healing power of touch and driven to help other people discover their own whole-body connections, they went on to train at the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge, where they graduated in 2002.
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Meg enjoys working with people who would like to develop a deeper body awareness. They are honored by the invitation to witness each client’s individual healing process. Their goal within a session is to provide a safe and nurturing space for clients to release chronic holding patterns of stress from physical and emotional tension. A session with Meg incorporates elements of Muscular Therapy, Myofascial release, ortho-bionomy, and acupressure. Their approach is to listen. Their slow, deep style of work is restorative and relaxing, and clients often report a feeling of “floating” after their sessions.
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Having the unique experience of supporting their wife while in labor with their first born then being able to carry their second child, Meg was able to witness a powerful perspective of birth and postpartum. Meg received additional training in prenatal and postpartum massage, as well as postpartum doula care. They truly enjoy supporting birthing people and their partners during this time, and offer private instruction for comfort measures in pregnancy and birth.
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Along with their practice of therapeutic massage, Meg has devoted much of their personal and professional life to working with youth, and people of diverse abilities. As a former teaching assistant at Perkins School for the Blind, and director of a camp for young people living with HIV/AIDS, Meg has a passion for supporting the care and education of youth with various disabilities and unique challenges. These experiences, combined with their 20 years of bodywork practice, have given Meg a skilled foundation for working with clients of all ages and abilities.
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Erin
she/her/hers
Erin is committed to providing a truly relaxing space for people to discover their bodies’ inherent healing wisdom and to feel supported in their self-care. Her ability to genuinely listen to her clients, her innate compassion and kindness, her vast experience, and her wealth of knowledge about the body combine to create a deeply nourishing practice.
Erin’s passion and expertise lie predominantly with people during their childbearing years. Her 22 years of practice as a massage therapist are enhanced by extensive experience in prenatal and postpartum care. She has attended close to 200 births, supporting the empowerment through labor and childbirth, as well as providing care through fertility challenges, miscarriage and loss. In her bodywork practice, Erin is especially dedicated to helping people heal wholly from pregnancy and birth, whether they are 6 months or 20 years postpartum.
Erin is a graduate of the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge, MA where she also served as a faculty member for several years. She is certified in perinatal massage through her studies with the esteemed Carole Osborne and has served as teaching assistant for Carole’s Boston-based trainings. She is an ALACE trained birth doula* and has studied midwifery through the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance. She is a practitioner of the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy®, a form of massage that addresses the position and health of the pelvic and abdominal organs to restore balance in the body. Additionally, Erin incorporates complementary advanced work in injury assessment and orthopedic treatment, myofascial work, neuromuscular therapy and scar tissue therapy to provide an integrative approach for safe, intuitive, trauma-informed healing.
*Erin is currently on sabbatical from her doula work and is not accepting new clients for doula care at this time. Please feel free to reach out to Erin for other doula recommendations.
Testimonials
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Erin is one of the best massage therapists I’ve ever known. I’ve seen her through three pregnancies and postpartum, as well as long after the postpartum period. She’s incredibly knowledgeable about the body and how it connects with the mind , has very responsive touch, and is a fount of knowledge about pregnancy. She is always calming to talk to. I highly recommend seeing her (whether you’re pregnant or not)! - Lia O
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I threw my back out and was barely able to walk. A friend suggested I call Meg, and they were able to fit me in that day, As a newly referred client, I climbed onto Meg’s table thinking that I’d feel a little better after. They did some physical investigation of my sacrum, and from there planned their approach to work on me. They did something I had never heard of before. They would ask me to identify which movement would cause me less pain, and whichever I said they worked toward that side. I was slightly skeptical of what they were doing thinking that deep pressure point massage would be the only thing that worked.
When they were done, I did feel looser, but nothing earth shattering. The next morning however, I hopped out of bed. I had no pain, and couldn’t believe it because first thing in the morning was when the pain and stiffness were at its worst. I was able to go back to work, and was AMAZED that I was “cured”. I was so appreciative of their scheduling flexibility and that they helped me to realize that "working the pain out” would have been counterproductive. - Emily S
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We are so lucky to have two of the best massage therapists in the world right in our backyard. I have traveled and lived in many places, and have had massage in most of them, but when I started working with Erin, I thought I had found the best. Enter Meg, I’m not sure who is better. A massage with either of them always helps my chronic back problems and makes me fell so much better! - Tamara I
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Meeting Meg at Bodywise has been a complete game changer throughout my pregnancy and postpartum recovery. I started working with Meg in my third trimester of a very long and uncomfortable second pregnancy. I had horrible sciatica pain that radiated constantly and a noticeable limp due to the sciatica discomfort.
After only a handful of regular appointments targeting this pain, my gait steadily improved- so did my mindset AND I successfully went into labor without any back or sciatica pain. Following the birth, due to positions of holding and feeding the baby, I experienced severe pain in my shoulders and neck so intense I could not fully raise my left arm above my head. I called Meg as soon as I could to schedule something. They once again began to nurture my body back to a functional state. It is clear they are passionate and extremely gifted in their craft. Meg takes the time to offer stretches and techniques in between sessions to also alleviate pain.
Prior to working with Meg, I thought of massage as a form of relaxation, now I know the truly healing natures of body work. I appreciated Meg’s calm and comforting demeanor as they compassionately checked in with me before each session to set intentions based on what I needed most. Massage with Bodywise is a true investment in mental and physical well being and something I will continue to budget for. - Lindsay C.