Awaken your body’s natural medicine.

Breath and awareness-based touch soothe your nervous system and restore your sense of wholeness.

A relaxing room with a massage table covered in a beige blanket and a green sheet, a window with dark curtains, a small table with lamp, a mirror with an ornate frame, and a white door. The room has a light-colored wall and carpeted floor.

Your body is a temple. Each session is a ritual honoring the wisdom and unity of mind, body, and spirit.

Welcome to Temple Ritual Bodywork, a space for soothing the nervous system and reconnecting with your body’s natural ease.

I’m Joanna, and I believe that feeling good in your body transforms how you move through the world. Through slow, intentional Esalen® massage, I offer space for you to remember that your body is allowed to rest. To feel good. To be held without performance or shame.

Your body carries its own medicine, a natural pharmacy of oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins are released through compassionate touch. I’m here to help you access that wisdom.

Your body knows how to heal- it just needs time, space, and compassionate touch to remember.

Come as you are. Your body will do the rest.

All sessions are grounded in professional, non-sexual touch and clear consent.

Book now
A woman with wavy blonde hair, wearing a black t-shirt, smiling, standing in front of a white brick wall.

Joanna Morgan, LMBT #22082,
Certified Esalen® Massage Practitioner

My path to massage started with fascination for the body's innate ability to heal. When I experienced my first Esalen session, everything changed. Now I hold sacred space for your healing journey - whether you're in recovery, rebuilding, or simply reconnecting with your body. You belong here.

Learn more about me

I hold space for anyone seeking healing & belonging,

especially for:

  • Survivors of abuse and violence

  • People in recovery from addiction

  • The LGBTQIA+ community

  • Anyone rebuilding after incarceration

  • Those healing from religious trauma

  • Anyone the world has marginalized

Your body carries its own medicine- oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins are naturally released through compassionate touch.

This work invites your nervous system to soften and your body to remember its innate capacity to heal.

Your body is a temple - even when the world treated it otherwise.

Two women are sitting on chairs in a room, having a conversation. The room has white walls, a decorative mirror, a small table with a lamp, and a closed door. The woman on the left wears a green jacket and jeans, and the woman on the right wears a black shirt and pants.

What clients are saying:

“My nervous system is always at the core of my challenges. Joanna is specifically trained in quietly powerful techniques for releasing tension, pain, anxiety, and stored trauma. With regular appointments, I have gained better body balance, stress relief, increased joy, muscle relaxation, better sleep, reduced inflammation, and even greater efficiency and creativity in work. (My mind is more free to focus.) Joanna is skilled in creating a thoughtful, safe environment, adapting to her clients needs. Very positive energy moves through her gifted hands. RECOMMEND!!”
— Betsy B.
“I had the pleasure of receiving an Esalen Massage from Jo at Temple Ritual Bodywork. I knew it was not a typical massage but rather a nervous system reset which I knew I needed. The work was mesmerizing and completely relaxing. The movements of the Esalen Massage moves like water but her strokes keep you connected. I promise you’ll be listening to yourself snore. You have to try it!”
— Shelley J.
“Jo is absolutely wonderful! Her presence is so warm and welcoming, and the way she embodies Esalen massage truly feels like peace. She carries such a sense of calm, and you can feel that peace flow through her massage style. I highly recommend her to anyone who wants to feel more alive, refreshed, and deeply cared for.”
— Lee M.

Benefits of Massage Therapy

Every body is different. Not every style of massage will resonate with every body. We all have unique needs, preferences, and ways we process touch. I encourage you to explore until you find the therapist and modality that truly feel right for you. Below are some of the physical, emotional, and energetic benefits of massage therapy. While many benefits can be experienced from your first session, research shows the effects deepen and become more lasting with regular bodywork.

Important Note: While massage offers significant mental health benefits, it is not a substitute for professional psychological and/or psychiatric care, particularly during crisis. This work is most powerful when used alongside appropriate mental health support.

  • Musculoskeletal System:

    • Can reduce muscle tension and chronic pain

    • Can improve flexibility and range of motion

    • Supports posture and body alignment

    • May support recovery from injuries and surgery

    • Can reduce inflammation and swelling

    • May alleviate headaches and migraines

    Circulatory & Lymphatic Systems:

    • Improves blood circulation and oxygen delivery to tissues

    • Supports lymphatic drainage and circulation

    • Can help lower blood pressure and can lead to long-term improvements in blood pressure levels

    • Supports immune system function

    Nervous System:

    • Activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest)

    • Can reduce chronic pain through endorphin release

    • Improves proprioception (body awareness in space)

    • Can enhance sleep quality and duration

    • Supports nervous system regulation in response to stress

    Other Physical Benefits:

    • May improve digestion

    • Supports respiratory function and deeper breathing

    • Supports release of dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin (feel-good chemicals)

    • Can reduce adrenaline & cortisol (stress hormones)

    • May reduce symptoms of chronic conditions like fibromyalgia and arthritis

  • Stress & Anxiety:

    • Can decrease cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones)

    • Can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression

    • Provides safe space for emotional processing and release

    • Helps break cycles of rumination and overthinking

    Mood & Wellbeing:

    • Can increase production of serotonin and dopamine (feel-good neurotransmitters)

    • Enhances overall sense of wellbeing and contentment

    • Supports improved self-esteem and body image

    • May help reduce symptoms of PTSD and trauma responses

    • Creates feelings of being cared for and held

    Cognitive Benefits:

    • Supports focus, decision-making, and mental clarity

    • Can enhance memory and cognitive function

    • Helps reduce mental fatigue and burnout

    • Supports creativity and problem-solving

  • Embodiment & Presence:

    • Deepens mind-body connection and awareness

    • Helps you feel more "at home" in your body

    • Enhances ability to be present in the moment

    • Supports grounding and centering practices

    • Increases awareness of breath and sensation

    Emotional/Energetic Release:

    • Allows space for stored emotions to surface and release

    • Invites movement where energy has felt stuck - creating shifts in perspective through embodied experience, not mental analysis

    • Supports trauma release held in body tissues

    • Creates opportunity for spiritual insights and realizations

    • Honors the body as sacred temple