John H Parks, LMT

I contacted John on a Sunday morning after waking up with a stiff neck and pain so severe that I couldn’t turn my head or move at all. He was able to fit me in that afternoon and spent 90 minutes working on my neck, and it was amazing! The next day I was able to move and was almost pain free.
I recommend John and his trigger point therapy to anyone who is looking for some real bodywork. This isn’t a spa massage, but it is definitely therapeutic and well worth checking out. I have been to several different massage therapists in the area, and John is the best by far – and his prices are great!

I first came across John Parks, almost by accident, when he worked at Wat Massage and I had just moved back to DC and had my back in a twist after setting up furniture in my new place. Little did I realize then, that I’d hit trigger-​point jackpot.
To say that John gives a great massage would be undermining his abilities. Truth be told, he goes far beyond that, with his extensive knowledge of human anatomy, intuitive ability to determine pain points and of course, the fact that he’s a big guy who can knead out knots with ease. He specializes in trigger-​point therapy, something I’d never heard of before, but has worked far better than anything else I’ve tried. This isn’t the sorts you can get at a rainforest smelling spa with patchouli candles and people talking in low whispery voices and handing you chamomile tea. John’s massage is a get-​straight-​to-​knot type which can be a little intense (Mary Kay S has explained it perfectly) but absolutely worth it. Enough for me to say that I don’t see myself going anywhere else for a massage in DC — this is the Holy Grail.
When I say that this is an intense form of physical therapy, I do mean it. I’ve noticed that after a massage (every damn time) my muscles feel like jelly and I practically stumble home to this amazing, deep sleep that follows. So my two cents; try and schedule an appointment on a day when you don’t have a whole lot to do, just to enjoy the peaceful sleep that typically follows.
John now operates independently, and can see clients either at his apartment, which by the way is thoroughly clean and professional, or can drive to your house with his portable massage table. It seems a bit unconventional, but don’t let that deter you. Ultimately I’d pick this over a fancy day spa with therapists who have no clue of what they’re doing. His prices are very reasonable, and the results are priceless!

There was a spot on my left shoulder blade that had been bothering me. Having had bad massages before where very little pressure was applied, I decided to search though Unilocal and this was how I found John. The reviews were fairly accurate. John gives very good trigger point massage therapy. He works out of his place but can also travel to your home. His rates are very reasonable. If you want the water fountain, sauna, shower amenities, herbal tea etc go to places like the Ritz. If you want to feel better go see John.

John is the best there is at locating your sources of pain and digging right in. This, in its essence, is trigger-​point therapy, which is John’s specialty. For those like me, who put up with a certain level of muscular pain every day, trigger-​point therapy is definitely the way to go. And John is your man.
John’s a big guy, which doesn’t hurt in terms of leverage, but that’s not his biggest asset. That would have to be his incredible knowledge and intuition of where your pains will most likely be, and his ability to isolate the offending muscles. The leverage enables him to dig in – it’s up to you to let him know how deep he should go before the pain becomes too much. But just accept it – if you go in there with muscle pain, the act of working it out will not be painless.
The pain John causes is followed by relief — blessed relief when he lets up on the pressure, and the blood rushes into the trigger-​point, and the healing begins. When the massage is over, sometimes I have to head home and lay on the couch for a while, or pull out the heating pad. A hot bath wouldn’t be a bad idea. But in the end I feel better.
Over the many months I’ve been seeing John, my muscles are quicker to release, and less painful over all. I consider that to be worth a million dollars. Thank goodness he doesn’t cost that much.
BTW, John is now operating independently. He will come to your house with a really really nice portable table, or you can go to his place, which is calm and relaxing and as professional as possible.