From the Saint Sophia Website:

Welcome to Saint Sophia!

As we travel through life we might experience ourselves moving along a health continuum. At any given time we are somewhere between high level wellness, the optimum, and real body discomfort. Our health is not what defines us, but its influence on our sense of self, and our peace of mind is tremendous.

Our bodies are designed to work hard for us, moving us toward greater health but sometimes, disruptions occur and we start to notice stress. Muscular and emotional tension, and fatigue become familiar. Our enjoyment of life and sometimes our health becomes impacted. At these times massage can be a great benefit. Just by restoring relaxation, our bodies are able to move us back to health.

Be kind to yourself. Give yourself a break. Take a deep breath. Spend a few minutes relaxing, restoring and rejuvenating.

Your body will thank you.

Our Mission

The mission of Saint Sophia is to honor and respect the personal life journey that each person is on and lend a helping hand. The massages, music, and movement therapies at Saint Sophia are all designed to be peaceful, comfortable and rewarding for both body and mind. All massages are for relaxation, stress reduction, and healing.

Our emphasis is on serving the needs of the "walking wounded" whether it is from sore muscles or stress or to aid those in recovery or living with chronic conditiions.

We have a special love for those far from home, whether tourists, villagers, or people recently moved to Alaska.

Our Services

Relaxation Massage | 60.00/Hour
A head to foot full body integrating swedish style relaxation massage with special attention to those tight muscles that hold tension in the face, scalp and neck. Range of motion for fingers and toes with reflexology points touched. Medium and light pressure with long strokes to activate your parasympathetic nervous system so you can be rested and refreshed. It has been proven that this type of massage decreases adrenaline and speeds healing responses by activating the immune response.

Upper Body/Back Massage | 80.00/Hour
Upper body work that includes myofascial stretching, friction, and deeper work along the erectors and scapula all the way up to your neck. This is not your relaxation massage but specific work to loosen fascia, relieve taut bands, loosen the scapula and its muscle attatchment points, and also work on the neck, scalp, and sacrum. Tissue warming techniques, including infrared heat, allow this work to be done without any heavy pressure, but this is specific work and is probably not going to be a massage that puts you to sleep.

Hot Stone Massage | 60.00/Hour
Smooth rounded basalt rocks, heated in pure organic coconut oil soften your muscles and help relax your whole body. This massge is warming and feels wonderful on a cold winter day...or a cool summer evening. It is also great for stress relief. Because the stones are most effective when heated to 115-120 degrees, this massage is not given to women who are expecting or persons with edema. Sorry!

Pregnancy Massage | 50.00/Hour
Pregnancy massage helps to relieve headaches, back pain and insomnia that can become an annoyance in the last 6 months of pregnancy. Warmed coconut oil with lavender and jojoba soothe the skin and help relax tension. Special positioining is done with pillows to keep you comfortable. Permission will be needed from your doctor or midwife if you are expecting twins or other multiples or you are experiencing high risk pregnancy.

What We Do

We are a home for tried and true Swedish Massage.

The Swedish Massage is a wonderful massage for relaxation, activation of the immune system, and de-stressing. We mix other modalities with Swedish Massage if they benefit you.

As a complementary therapy to your medical or other treatment, we work with you and your primary care provider to optimize your health care experience.

Specialty areas:

* General Wellness
* Pregnancy
* Range of Motion
* Arthritis
* Osteoporosis
* PTSD/Anxiety
* MS, Fybromyalgia
* Menopause
* Depression
* Cancer Recovery
* Meditation/Breath
* Stretching bodywork

this is a general and limited medical massage practice

Our Owner

Mary Catherine Barker, LMT, AAS is the owner of Saint Sophia and a licensed massage therapist in the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska. She is an active certified and insured member of the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals.

Her passion for personal and environmental health led her to graduate from the Licensed Practical Nursing program at UAA, and then from the Matanuska Susitna College in Agriculture. She completed her massage education at The Career Academy Massage Therapy Program, the longest program in Alaska and the only one currently recognized by The US Departent of Education as a nationally accredited program.

Her many years experiece in nursing at Providence Hospital and API had a profound effect on her. Her work during the 1970's with the critically ill and injured in the ICU and NICU gave her an immediate realization of the important benefit of touch in both achieving wellness and in peacefully accepting the end of life. She was fortunate to have taken a class led by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in the early 1970's.

Her family moved to Nome, Alaska in 1919, but she was raised in Juneau and Fairbanks. As an adult in Alaska she has lived in Kotzebue, Juneau, and Anchorage. Her massage studio reflects that heritage.