Brooke Thomas
ABOUT ROLFING
A Thoughtful Approach
Modern Rolfing integrates contemporary understanding of fascia, movement science, and manual therapy.
While deeply rooted in hands-on work, it also emphasizes awareness and adaptability—helping the body learn new, more efficient ways of moving and organizing itself.
For many clients, Rolfing Structural Integration becomes not just a form of bodywork, but a process of developing a more resilient and functional relationship with their body for life.
Common Questions & Answers About Rolfing
How Does Rolfing Work?
Rolfing® Structural Integration is a system of manual therapy and movement education that works with the body as an integrated whole.
Rolfing uses precise, hands-on soft tissue mobilization of the fascia, combined with guided movement to gently release restrictions in the fascia and help reorganize the body’s structure. The goal is not simply short-term relief, but improved structural balance, coordination, and ease of movement that can be sustained over time.
How is Rolfing Different From Massage?
Most forms of massage work by gliding over the muscles, and often focus on relaxation or localized symptom relief.
Rolfing differs by working within the deeper myofascial system, and by taking a broader, structural approach.
Sessions are guided by an understanding of how different regions of the body influence one another and how the body organizes itself in gravity.
Does Rolfing hurt?
This is everyone’s favorite question. Most new clients arrive nervous and leave saying, “I don’t know what I was so worried about.”
Rolfing varies in pressure from light touch, to deep work which can feel briefly intense. But it is not rough, abrasive, or injurious.
There’s an important difference between “good pain”—the sensation of stuck tissue opening—and “bad pain” from injury. Rolfing doesn’t cause bad pain. The work is collaborative, always adjustable, and today’s approach is slow, precise, and based on the principle that less is more.
What is a Rolfing session like?
At the start of a Rolfing session, I observe you standing and walking to understand your body’s patterns and needs for balance and openness.
Most of the session is spent lying or sitting on a massage table while I work slowly and manually to release soft tissue, tracking your responses through touch, observation, and verbal check-ins.
Sessions focus on myofascial release, postural organization, structural balance, functional movement, and body awareness.
What do I wear?
Because sessions take place lying down, seated, and in walking, Rolfing is done partially clothed.
Most people wear underwear that they’re comfortable in (for women a bra and underwear). If you prefer more coverage, you can also wear athletic shorts and, for women, a tank top. Long and short sleeved shirts, pants (even yoga pants), and shorts of a thicker cargo-type material don't work.
Are there any contraindications for receiving Rolfing?
If you’ve had a recent (within the last 4 weeks) injury that involves tissue damage, such as a broken bone or a sprain with a good deal of acute swelling, then it’s best to wait until your initial healing response has a chance to do its job while you follow up with your doctor through their acute treatment protocol.
If you have had a surgery, it is best to wait closer to 6-8 weeks and to follow the post-operative advice given to you by your surgeon.
What is the Rolfing Ten-series?
Dr. Ida Rolf created the Rolfing Ten-Series to systematically address the entire body. The Ten-series is a powerful tool towards the goal of helping people's bodies to become more open and resilient.
Each session focuses on a specific line of fascial support, while being adapted to each client’s unique needs, rather than applied as a rigid formula.
I do not ask people to commit to the 10-series in advance. I prefer that people try between 1 and 3 sessions so that they can get a feel for how they respond to the work and we can go from there.
Why do you have to work on the whole body?
We focus on the whole body because everything is connected. Treating only symptoms is a short-term fix that often leads to repeated visits.
For example, neck pain is often linked to forward head posture, which forces neck muscles to support excessive weight and results in tension or spasm. Treating those muscles alone won’t last if alignment doesn’t change. Rolfing addresses the entire support system—feet, pelvis, core, spine, and shoulders—so tension can release and stay released. Our goal is simple: lasting improvement.
How far apart are sessions spaced?
When people first seek out Rolfing for a particular issue they usually do a series of sessions spaced 1 to 3 weeks apart until their issue and their alignment has resolved or improved. For most this still winds up being in the neighborhood of ten sessions.
After people have done this initial series of work to get their body more fully aligned, people then do “post-ten” sessions at whatever interval makes sense for them. Some people like to have a regular session set up monthly or bi-monthly, while others will only want or need to get a session a handful of times per year.