i’ve been in a dance practice since i was two years old, first for pleasure, then professionally. alongside a freelance dance career in nyc, i worked as a physical therapy aid for 5 years. although a rich entry into movement from a therapeutic lens, i continuously felt at friction with the mechanical way of treating the patients, often involving a hard separation between the emotional and physical bodies, not having the patient in a place of bodily autonomy, and with an underlying goal of “fixing”. i then decided back to school for bodywork to find my own way of approaching care.

from 2017-2019 i studied massage at pacific college (nyc, usa), and i am a new york state licensed massage therapist. at pacific college, i participated in internships at joffrey ballet school and nyu langone hospital’s center for women with disabilities. within this time, i also completed my foundation training in biodynamic craniosacral therapy at stillpoint (nyc). from 2019 until its closure in 2021, i began practicing bodywork at thirdroot, a community health center in brooklyn, ny, oriented around healing justice. in 2021, i began working with, and learning from, hyp-access, a disability justice organization creating access care for folks on the hypermobile spectrum. both third root and hyp-access have been pivotal guidances in my learnings of disability, healing and transformative justice and i would not be practicing the way that i practice now without their generous, compassionate teachings.

from 2019-2022, i held a private practice in brooklyn, ny, committed to offering a safe space for queer folks to find rest and a wide sliding scale for financial accessibility. i began my journey into organizing free clinics through bodies for bodies, a collective of queer/trans teachers, bodyworkers, and healers of many capacities who offer free/sliding-scale treatments and workshops for the queer/trans community (no longer active). in 2022 i completed a training in the ilan lev method: i no longer practice this work, but carry some of the teachings into my practice today.

in march 2023, i moved to berlin, germany, where i currently live. alongside a (smaller) private practice, i co-organize the bodywork community salon, a group of queer bodyworkers, somatic practitioners and herbalists offering weekly free sessions to palestinians, community organisers, activists and allies, which has been active since shortly after october 7th, 2023.

Holly Sass Bodywork

Bodywork Session