The Work We Do: Elyse Ray, Massage Therapist

Hi, I’m Elyse Ray. I’m a licensed massage therapist. I’m also certified as a fitness trainer and I’m located in Riverhead on Roanoke Avenue.

I’ve been a massage therapist for 20-plus years now and a fitness trainer for about 10 years. They do go hand-in-hand, whether it’s strengthening the muscles and stretching them out, or getting a massage, where you’re helping to facilitate healing. 

Primarily, my clientele are those who have either immediately injured themselves or who have been suffering from a long-term injury. I work with them on trying to take them to a new level of range of motion.

I do primarily medically based. I do also those who just want to come for relaxation, but sometimes the relaxation they need is going to help release some of the tension and the tightness that they’re dealing with in their bodies.

I became a massage therapist, actually, because I had a family member that probably could’ve benefited from having a massage therapist.

Well, definitely, stress plays a big part into tensions and a lot of that will come into the neck, into the chest, shoulders, even hands.

I just love educating [my clients] and showing them how their body works. I can’t tell you how many times after a series of treatments with a client, they can finally say, “Wow, I noticed that I’m able to lift my arm higher than I used to without the pain,” or, “I’m able to get up and down the stairs better” because I worked on their knees more.

To hear that, really, makes it all worthwhile.

“The Work We Do” is a News-Review multimedia project profiling workers around Riverhead Town.