I'm Alexis. I'm a licensed massage therapist working at the intersection of fascia science and have a deep special interest in neuromuscular patterning. I work exclusively with athletes and highly active adults. If your body is your equipment, this is for you.

I specialize in working with chronic tension rooted in imbalance, so understanding YOUR unique spine and holding patterns is foundational to everything I do. Disc herniations, spinal rotations, arthritis, old injuries that never quite resolved, ALL of it. And because of that, the work we do is rarely symmetrical and is a dynamic experience that can shift as your goals do.

Barefoot, Clinical, and Built for Load

I run a BAREFOOT practice! Yes, barefoot massage with a clinical approach. Using Ashiatsu, Sarga Bodywork, and Thai-inspired techniques, I deliver slow, broad, deeply supportive pressure that reaches dense, well-trained tissue in a way hands genuinely can't. This protects my hypermobile body while offering some of the most effective soft tissue work available. Hands-on work is also blended into sessions for that precise trap and neck work, abdominal work for those pesky hip flexors, or used in any situations where barefoot work is not safe based on your medical history or where precision is needed.

What Therapeutic Massage Actually Is, and What It Isn't

Therapeutic massage is hands-on (and, in my case, foot-on) treatment of your soft tissue. Muscle, fascia, and connective tissue, with a clear purpose: relieving pain, restoring movement, helping you recover and perform, and leveraging the nervous system to to help us get the best possible and longest lasting results we can. It isn't about being pampered, though it sure does feel like it. Unlike a uniform spa massage, this work is intentional and outcome-driven BASED ON YOUR GOALS.  Your goal may be to simply relax, and guess what, that's still therapeutic massage!

Ultimately this starts with understanding what's actually happening in YOUR body in an Intro Session, where you're holding tension, where rotations are, how your toes and feet move - All the way to how an old injury or a decade of unilateral load changed the way you move that we uncover in your 30 minute intake. From there, the work is always unique to you: addressing the specific structures and patterns driving your discomfort rather than just working over the surface. That's why no two sessions look the same, why the work is rarely symmetrical, and can even shift as we uncover new things!

Why I Work the Way I Do

Because I'm just like you! I'm a rock climber, former martial artist, amateur flow artist, and movement enthusiast. I've also recovered from years of chronic headaches with a structural leg length discrepancy, all from the very same foundational tools that I equip all of my clients with.  I viscerally understand how repetitive movement can shape the body.

My approach is built around that truth: repetitive movement shapes the body.

Athletes already understand this. You know what 10,000 pitches, 40 miles a week, or a decade of unilateral rotation does to a body. But the most repetitive movement you will ever make isn't your sport, it's actually breathing.

At rest, you breathe roughly 20,000 times a day. Under load, far more. That's 20,000+ repetitions of a mechanical pattern directly influencing your rib cage, your diaphragm, your thoracic spine, and your intra-abdominal pressure; which is to say, directly influencing your bracing, your force transfer, and how efficiently you move air when it matters most.

Dysfunctional breathing mechanics: shallow chest breathing, breath-holding, gripping, paradoxical patterns all alter spinal load distribution, contribute to thoracic rigidity, and can drive or reinforce scoliotic curves over time. They also cap what your training can actually give you. The spine doesn't exist in isolation from the pressure system surrounding it. The pressure system molds it. When that system is dysregulated, the structure compensates. Every day. 20,000 times. Then you go add load to it.

Rib cage aside, I place a huge emphasis on jaw and foot function. These three go hand in hand. Your feet are your only contact with the ground! Every single lift starts there. You can't work the feet without influencing everything up the chain. You can't work the jaw (and athletes clench, constantly, under load and under pressure) without influencing everything down it. And you can't work the rib cage without influencing shoulder and pelvic stability, which is to say: without influencing how you sprint, throw, press, and rotate.  Even if we don't work the feet or the jaw in your session, just know it may come up as we continue to work.

Sessions are extremely intentional, personalized, and collaborative. Before or after your session we may explore breathwork, postural awareness, mobility work, or simple movement strategies you can carry into training and into daily life.

I prefer to work alongside your coach, trainer, and your PT, not around them. Massage is one input in a system, and it works best when the rest of the system is doing its job.

This work is not for everyone, and I mean that without judgment. I'm happy to help you find someone who's a better fit if needed, because the best massage therapy is safe and appropriate for your unique body.

For more insights, and a little inspiration, follow along on social media where I share elaborations on deeper conversations I've had with friends, family, and clients. 

Alexis McPherson, LMT

Who I Work With

I work exclusively with people who are already VERY active. 

Athletes in season and off: endurance, strength, field, court, combat, and everything in between
Movement professionals: coaches, dancers, instructors, and anyone whose body is their instrument
Lifters and hybrid athletes: managing training load and recovery
Active adults and teens with postural imbalances or managing TMJD, headaches, or mild joint hypermobility related to connective tissue disorders, or functional scoliosis (If you have a connective tissue disorder, please reach out FIRST)

IMPORTANT:

New Clients: REQUIRED please check your email after booking for your medical history forms. These MUST be filled out within 24 hours of booking. Forms that are not received will result in your appointment being cancelled with a refund. If your appointment was booked within my 48 hour cancellation window, you WILL NOT be refunded.

Pressure & Treatment Guidelines: Sustained deep / heavy therapeutic or barefoot work is only offered when paired with active participation, which may include regular movement, progressive or stabilizing load, or working directly with a trainer or physical therapist. When participation is not in place or tissue indicates adjustment, sessions will remain lighter and more general for safety and effectiveness.

Modality and pressure is indicated by medical history and tissue quality FIRST and preference AFTER. 

Barefoot bodywork may be blended modalities or transition to hands on depending on goals and precision needed even if a specific session type was booked.  

Looking for Medical Advice? Please consult a sports medicine doctor, chiropractor, or physical therapist. Massage therapists cannot provide any medical advice.

Gratuity-Free Practice: Tips are NOT accepted. Any contributions are pooled in a "Pay it Forward" pot to fund low-income sessions.

Location: Private office inside Step Up Sports Medicine. Appointment only.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY: Emilio Mesa — Denton, TX