This logo is my massage Statesboro.

For many years I wondered what kind of logo I would have if ever I owned a company. I’d look around town and see lots of logos that I have recognized my whole life. Logos that don’t even need to include the company name anymore because everybody knows what you get when you see those symbols.

In 2000 when I was fresh out of massage school I started my first business, and it occurred to me that I needed to get all kinds of stuff like shirts, pens, business cards, etc. with a logo on them so that people would know me and my business just by seeing my symbol. My massage school had a great logo that incorporated a classic Greek column along with its name. I knew that I wanted a logo that had something timeless like that. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find a symbol that could effectively represent my work. A few years ago, while looking at ancient cave drawings online, I found a petroglyph of a hand and there it was… almost. It was somewhat like the “Devine Hand” but it was the right hand, it didn’t have the colors, and the swirl in the palm went the wrong way, but I had found my inspiration. I just had to do a little work on it because all those characteristics exemplify who I am determined to be as a therapist. If you stick with me I will explain each element of the “Devine Hand.”

The Hand

 The obvious reason the logo is a hand is because we normally use our hands to apply the art of massage. As mentioned above, the petroglyph that was the source of my inspiration was the right hand. In traditional Chinese medicine the right half of the body is considered to have masculine energy, which has aggression among its characteristics, and aggression has no place in a massage environment. The left side of the body is the feminine side and has nurturing among its characteristics. That is how every aspect of a massage should be, so the left hand is a better representative of my work. If you look at the Yin/Yang symbol you will notice that it has a little dot of masculinity in the feminine side and the masculine side has a little dot of femininity in it. That is because nothing has purely masculine or feminine qualities, there must be a balance. For this reason I have this left hand tattooed on my right arm. I also find it important to wear this expression of balance since I am a male therapist. This left hand is a symbol of the nurturing side of my soul, the place where my work originates. The color of the hand itself is black like the hand in the cave picture that inspired the “Devine Hand.”

The Swirl

Swirls represent different things in different cultures. This swirl is the energy flow of my massage. It is always very important to make sure that energy is flowing in the right direction. If you consider the direction of massage strokes you will find that Swedish strokes tend to move toward the heart. The reason for this is to promote the flow of blood and lymph. This increases circulation which affects the removal of metabolic waste and the distribution of nutrition to the body. If you ever watch water going down the drain you will see that it moves in a counterclockwise direction (in the northern hemisphere) pulling the energy into the drain. The swirl of the “Devine Hand” has energy flowing out from it, therefore; it goes in a clockwise direction.

Peaceful nurturing energy flows from my hands, not to overpower, to invite healing. This way I can provide healing energy for you, without pulling energy from you. You are there to receive a healing treatment, not to have your energy sucked away. Also, this is the direction of the flow of time itself. We must move forward, not backward in time. It is okay to look back at where we have been, but it is imperative that we move forward in time toward the healthy people we are becoming.

The Color Blue

Blue is my favorite color, and it is also the color associated with water. Water is absolutely amazing! It can clean our bodies, conduct electricity and carve canyons. Most things dissolve in water and it is your body’s main ingredient. When I lived by the New River in southwest Virginia, one of my favorite things to do was sit on its banks and watch the water flow. The sound of its power washed all of my troubles away. I watched as the water contoured and reshaped the land that attempted to contain its flow. Sometimes, on cold winter days, the icy water would slow down as it would freeze along the banks, and the river appeared to be resting. When things warmed up in the spring and after a strong storm, the river would awaken with a power that loosened dirt and washed away debris, revitalizing the river valley and bringing new life. Early in my career, as I studied different modalities of bodywork, I learned to let my hands move like water. When you receive your session, I hope you notice that whether my hands are calm and slow moving, like the black waters of the Ogeechee River, or powerfully eroding discomfort from your body like the Colorado River patiently carving its way through Arizona, they have a flow that is influenced by refreshing blue water.

The Color Gold

Okay, maybe you call this yellow. To me this represents our life-giving sun. The sun is the greatest generator of energy in our solar system. When I was a massage student, I found myself drained of energy while practicing acupressure. My teacher guided me to ground myself and become a conduit instead of “giving” my energy away. In this spirit, I view the golden comforting light energy of the sun coming into the top of my head and moving out through my hands in order to provide you with the warm, life-sustaining, golden energy of the sun. That is why this color is within the clockwise swirl that sends energy to your body.

Final Thoughts

The “Devine Hand” isn’t just a picture of a hand that I can put on shirts, hats, gift certificates and other fun stuff. It is a representation of the work I do. My hands are influenced by the nurturing energy within my soul as they transfer the warm, comforting light of the sun pouring out of my hands like water to stimulate healing and the regeneration of your health.

Special Thanks To

Jennifer Allen who captured these concepts perfectly in the final design of this symbol, and

https://www.winkypproductions.com/

 Angie Leaf who tattooed it on my right arm, where it remains as a constant reminder of my purpose as a facilitator of healing.

http://www.fallenleaftattoos.com/ 

Thank you for allowing me to be a healing part of your life’s journey.