hi, i’m Jude
(they/them)
a massage therapist in Doylestown, PA, offering thoughtful, trauma-informed care for queer, neurodivergent, & hypermobile bodies.
I’m always learning – through the wisdom of my clients’ bodies, through ongoing studies in movement and anatomy, through the rhythms of the natural world. If you're looking for a healing approach that's thoughtful, personalized, and rooted in understanding, I’d love to talk. Let’s work together to find relief, restore connection, and create balance in your body and mind.
my story
I became a massage therapist to give queer & neurodivergent people a safe, affirming place to receive bodywork. When I started massage school at Montgomery County Community College in 2024, I didn’t know anything about hypermobility. But getting several Swedish massages from my classmates every week quickly destabilized my joints, relaxing muscles that had been working overtime to compensate for loose ligaments.
When getting massages was giving me chronic pain instead of relieving it, I knew something was wrong. Eventually, I discovered that I had Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and that my body had been masking my joint symptoms with chronic, painful muscle tension. My body didn’t need to be relaxed - it needed to be stabilized.
After graduating from my massage program, I studied under another hypermobile massage therapist, learning myofascial and neuromuscular techniques specifically tailored to the needs of hypermobile bodies.
Intentionally applied myofascial techniques balance tension in the body without destabilizing it, while neuromuscular therapy releases painful trigger points (or “knots”) that cause chronic tension and referred pain patterns. I also incorporate Thai massage techniques, thoughtfully adapted for hypermobile bodies — these can help hypermobile folks regain bodily awareness and improve their proprioception.
Using a blend of myofascial, neuromuscular, and Thai massage techniques, I craft customized sessions that meet my clients exactly where they’re at, supporting them through chronic pain, surgical recovery, mobility issues, and the everyday stress of navigating the world with a marginalized identity. My work simultaneously feels grounding and targeted, therapeutic and relaxing. I prioritize consent, communication, and clarity.
Every step in the process – from booking your appointment, to filling out my intake form, to the way we communicate during your session – is thoughtfully designed with the needs of queer, neurodivergent, and hypermobile individuals in mind. Bodycraft is a place where you can feel welcome, seen, and accepted exactly as you are, without needing to defend or explain yourself. I already understand, and I can’t wait to meet you.
I’ve been studying herbalism at Bluestem Botanicals for the last year and am excited to find new ways to incorporate herbs into my bodywork practice. I’m also in the process of becoming a Certified Personal Trainer so I can support my clients in building stability and strength through corrective movement.
Since becoming a massage therapist, I’ve immersed myself in research on connective tissue disorders, and learned that transgender people are 18.5x more likely to have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome than cisgender people, and that people with ADHD and Autism are 438% more likely to have a connective tissue disorder like EDS than a neurotypical person.
Working with queer and neurodivergent clients, I saw them all coming in with the same symptoms – symptoms that were familiar to me, too – digestive issues, joint pain, muscle tension, chronic migraines, fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression, autoimmune conditions, severe allergies, dysautonomia. Many of them had never heard of hypermobility, or were under the impression that it was so rare that there was no way they could have it.
The more I learned, the more I was able to understand my own health journey in a new way. I finally had an explanation for a lifetime spent bouncing between healthcare specialists who were treating my symptoms as discreet issues, instead of seeing the connections between them (pun intended).
I came to understand how all of these issues are connected to each other, and how, in the context of massage therapy, they require a very different approach than what you’ll find in any massage franchise, or most private massage studios.
My own journey has led me to the work I do now. I offer neuro-aware, trauma-informed, gender-affirming therapeutic massage for bodies that others have deemed “too complicated.”
outside the studio
I live in Doylestown, PA, with my two cats and two lizards. I’m a writer, musician, and an artist. I especially love film photography, experimental animation, poetry, creative non-fiction, singing, songwriting, and playing guitar.
I like to spend as much time as I’m able riding my bike, wandering wooded mountains, and swimming in rivers and creeks. I love foraging for herbs and mushrooms, gardening, and crafting potions & remedies of all kinds (including herb-infused oils that I like to use in massage sessions!).
Before massage school, I studied creative writing at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina. I’m originally from Richmond, Virginia, and also spent a bit of time living in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, enjoying my time surrounded by the ocean, hills, coyotes, and deserts.
I’ve previously worked as a boarding school teacher & houseparent, environmental educator, farmer, and chef, always drawn to work that asked me to lead with both my hands and my heart, that required my total presence. Despite feeling pulled a dozen different directions, nothing quite fit until I found bodywork.
I’m always learning – through the wisdom of my clients’ bodies, through ongoing studies in movement and anatomy, through the rhythms of the natural world. At the heart of everything I do is a deep love for this work. If you're looking for a healing approach that's thoughtful, personalized, and rooted in understanding, I’d love to talk. Let’s work together to find relief, restore connection, and create balance in your body and mind.
