Mending Hands

One of the best massages I’ve ever had! I received a prenatal massage from Melissa today and am so thankful I did! The space itself is super cute and very clean. She was so thorough in figuring out my needs and offers aromatherapy at the end which was a nice bonus. :) If you’re pregnant, she provides «The Pillow Throne» room. Yes, it is as awesome as it sounds. I’m so happy to have found a masseuse I can use regularly! She books waaaay ahead of time so make sure you make your appointment in advance!

Though chronic pain can negatively impact one’s quality of life, I am so grateful to have found Melissa, whose knowledge and refined skill set have served me well in my quest to minimize pain and keep moving! Now in her new, lovely and inviting studio, Melissa delivers a professional product as evidenced in the way she both practices her craft and runs her business. I have found her to be a kind and caring practitioner who listens and thinks creatively.

This is about as good a massage as I have ever had. Melissa is meticulous about both scheduling and planning each massage according to your needs. She also has the necessary equipment and knowledge to ensure that if you have a condition that prevents you from traditional face down or face up, you can still get a comfortable, effective massage on your side.

I had my second massage with Melissa today and it was still the best massage I have ever had. I have had massages all over the world, but she is the best. Right amount of pressure, great office, very nice personality and very professional.
She will be my regular visit when we are in our second home in Sarasota. Can’t wait to be back in December! Highly recommended.

Fabulous massage with Melissa. My two-​hour massage put me to sleep on the table, and now I feel like jelly. For a highly stressed-​out person, Melissa found all the spots «kneeding» attention. I highly recommend Melissa, very professional and knowledgeable. Thank you Melissa!

If you want to have a real, professional massage, Melissa is perfect. She is top notch, lovely and one of the best therapists in town. She also makes you feel so comfortable and her setting is serene and peaceful for the weariest of those in need! I highly recommend Melissa.

Melissa Finley’s practice is located in a clean, professional office building centrally located off the main road. She is one of the best therapists we’ve ever experienced– she gets to know you and caters her style and technique to your preferences. She is caring, compassionate and clearly experienced in massage. We give her our highest recommendation.

This is my second review for Melissa and her business. I get massages about once a month so where ever we are traveling I get one there or I find different people in my local area. Hands down Melissa is the best! I have had massages in Thailand, Costa Rica, New York, LA, San Francisco, Palm Springs (I did find an amazing guy in Palm Springs but he moved– so that is exactly my point that Melissa is the best and she was right where I left her a year ago) and I can honestly say she is the best! When my husband and I look forward to coming to our time share we look forward to our massages with Melissa. Melissa gets it right. The pressure, the room temp, the bed is amazing. She remembered us and our conversations we had a year ago so we feel like we are visiting an old friend.
She is so good that she books fast so make sure to make an appointment in advance! Can’t wait for next years massage already!

I am a florist and spend a lot of time on my feet. My back pain was bothering me even in my sleep. I started to look for a good therapist in the area and decided to schedule an appointment with Melissa based on her great reviews. I am very glad I did! Melissa’s calm and friendly personality made me feel at ease the moment we met, and the massage session was so relaxing and healing I left her cozy office feeling 100% better. I always look forward to my next session!

Melissa is both professional and knowledgeable. I went to her for pain from the neck to the foot in my right side from plantar fasciitis which I had been struggling with for a year and a half. Her approach is gentle but mindful. She was quickly able to determine where my trouble spots were knew how to work on them without making me jump off the table. She is very open to working with other professionals (acupuncture, chriopractic) to help you heal. I have had many massages and she is by far one of the best.

I was able to get that facial in December — and again she’s so awesome she’s very busy but she was able to accommodate me and get me in before my birthday. I loved it! The atmosphere was so soothing and the products she used were soothing. My skin felt wonderful when she was done!

Melissa was so good I immediately bought a massage gift certificate for my boyfriend for Christmas.

It feels fantastic to be pain free! I was in terrible pain due to a recurrence of an old injury to my rotator cuff along with flare up of carpal tunnel which was keeping me up night after night. Melissa quickly determined my problem as something a bit different and within a few weeks has me completely pain free and sleeping great with no residual flare ups.
I am sleeping great and have resumed an active lifestyle.
Update: we just returned from a two week trip to Paris and came in to see Melissa to work out the kinks after all the walking, steps and time flying. We would have cancelled our trip if we had not been going to Melissa who got us both in tip top shape before we left.

After packing, moving to a new home, and then unpacking my back finally said enough. Thank goodness that I found Melissa at Mending Hands massage in Sarasota. I met with her last night and I am feeling so much better.
She was both professional and knowledgeable. She listened to my complaints and concerns and then after the massage she gave me some self care tips to help me to work out some kinks on my own between appointments.
It was a very relaxing massage as well as a therapeutic massage. I didn’t know that you could have both at the same time!
I highly recommend Melissa and Mending Hands if you are looking for an amazing massage in Sarasota, Florida.
Her hands are like magic.

I am 7.5 months pregnant and have been suffering from the terrible back pain and sciatica that is normally associated with pregnancy. I tried everything to treat the pain– yoga, acupuncture, cupping, you name it and message was my last resort. Well let me tell you Melissa did the trick! She was methodical, thorough and really worked the pain out of my back and legs. She is immensely knowledgeable in her field and you can tell she really loves making people feel better. I am dedicated to visiting her for the rest of my pregnancy and will continue my treatments with her after the baby is born. I cannot recommend her enough :)

I decided to visit Melissa after reading the reviews here and the material on her very straightforward and informative website and blog. I was able to schedule my first appointment at exactly the time I wanted, and Melissa was extremely generous with her time and attention, allowing several extra minutes before the session for us to discuss my health history and specific physical issues, my personal space issues/​boundaries, and generally get to know each other a little bit. After the session, she offered me a little «takeout» box with a few goodies, and we spent another several minutes discussion some exercises I can do to maintain and improve the conditions that led me to seek her out (for me, pain in my hips, back and hamstrings).
Melissa has a lovely personal energy and confidence, and a clear passion for massage/​therapy, body mechanics and good communication. She was very warm and welcoming, and her home is immaculate — I did not feel that anything was «missing» although we were not in a spa setting. If anything, it seemed more personal and welcoming than a typical commercial/​client setting. I was very comfortable with her the entire time and will definitely schedule another session in the future.

You know, every time I go get a massage and it’s not with Melissa. I kind of regret it. Because it’s not Melissa! She knows exactly how to cater to my conditions and I leave feeling great. I highly recommend her, without a doubt.

I have two specific examples of Melissa being amazing.
1. I’ve never had a facial in my life, but my 30^th birthday was coming up and I wanted to be doing everything I could to take care of my skin. That being said, I was not into the idea of using the irritating chemicals that are involved in so many spa facials. I decided to take the plunge when Melissa started offering natural facials with Origins products, which I already love. The whole process was totally refreshing (and painless!). There are many steps, each one more relaxing than the last… hot towels, scrubs, steaming, moisturizers, toners, etc… and even some light massage in between. I walked away feeling fresh-​faced, fabulous and ready to book another appointment.
2. Remember how I mentioned turning 30? Yeah, well, in that same realm… I completely threw my neck/​back out earlier this year. I had to miss work, could do nothing but lie on my floor and was in terrible pain for days. The first thing I did was call Melissa who talked to me over the phone about things I could do to alleviate the pain before I made it out to Brooklyn to have her do some work on it. I booked 30 minutes for her to concentrate on my shoulders and upper back and I am not exaggerating when I say that the relief I felt was almost instant. She could feel exactly where the trouble spots were and wasn’t afraid to really go deep into my muscles and alleviate the problem. After only 30 minutes, I felt 150% better and was convinced she was a miracle worker. I was back to work the next day and she will be the FIRST person I call the next time it happens!
She’s always professional, with a personal touch (like chocolates after your massage!) and she is extremely talented. Can’t recommend Mending Hands highly enough.

I came to Mending Hands looking for something a little more personal than your run-​of-​the-​mill spa massage.
Melissa and I e-​mailed a few times before I scheduled a session to determine what type of massage would be best for me. I only had Swedish massages in the past, so I wanted to try something different. Together, we decided that I should try the Shiatsu massage.
I’m a little creeped out by what Melissa could feel in my body. She knows when I’m getting a cold before I actually have one, she knows when I’m not drinking enough water, she knows when I haven’t been sleeping enough, when I’ve been jogging more than usual — creepy, right? She used all these observations to give me a massage that was suited to my body’s needs. I’ve never gotten that much attention at my neighborhood spa.
My neighborhood spa also herds clients in and out like sheep. I never felt rushed with Melissa, and she even took time to talk to me before and after the session about my physical and emotional health. I left my evening massage with some delicious dark chocolates and had one of the best nights of sleep I’ve had in weeks. I’ll definitely go back!

I’ve gotten massages before, but until I came to Melissa at Mending Hands I never understood the power and importance of body work. And as a personal trainer I can tell that Melissa has an amazing understanding of the body, so I can be sure that I’m getting just what I need. Often I come to her feeling really tense after a long day of working with clients and sitting at my computer and she knows exactly how to make me feel relaxed, calm, and actually nicely enough a bit taller (which is a big deal for a short girl like me!).
I’ve come to her a dozen or more times and have even sent my husband and a few of my clients there. They all come back to me raving at how amazing she was and how great they feel. They now see her regularly too.
The best part about all of it though is Melissa herself. She has an amazing working knowledge of the body, can do many different types of massage, and she really gets to know you and understand what you’re looking for. I feel so at ease with her and she makes me feel very cared for. You can tell she loves what she does and truly believes in it, because you’re never just a number with her. I never feel rushed and she always takes it one step further by giving me a little tip on my way out the door, like a stretch that I can do to alleviate some of the tension I’m feeling in my neck. I am now a massage devotee and will continue to send my clients to her.