The arc of Cleveland, Ohio native Kari Iverson’s professional universe continues to evolve and grow.
Iverson first gravitated to massage as a client while working in the stress-filled tech industry, working 60-plus hours a week and experiencing the sensation of chronic pain, something so fierce that she labeled it “a feeling you never forget.”
Iverson tried acupuncture, yoga, even visiting a chiropractor, but nothing helped. Everything changed once she began getting massages regularly. Her pain dissipated, but her insatiable curiosity about the power of massage led her to attend a San Francisco-based massage and bodywork school and form her own practice. She realized that massage therapy “was the only thing that helped my pain,” she says. “It provided me with the relief that doctors weren’t able to give me. I started to feel a little bit better after each massage therapy.”
Iverson was so inspired by the experience that she decided to shift gears and attend San Francisco School of Massage & Bodywork in the Mission District. She graduated in 2017 and began her practice as a side hustle that she balanced out with work in fine dining.
Just a few short years later, it morphed from a side hustle to mobile massage therapy provider that has grown by leaps and bounds, including hosting pop-up events at a number of downtown retailers.
Her latest space at 507 Miller Avenue in Mill Valley. 415-823-2155.
Iverson’s practice recently added free 15-minute Intake calls for anyone who would prefer to talk to her one-on-one before booking their appointment. They are available on her website, same as booking a massage. She’s also added a new 45-minute massage ($130) for the time- or budge-conscious.
Today, Kari’s deep tissue techniques – under the recently rebranded HELLO MODERN – and firm pressure are sought out by her clients from all over Marin, many of whom overcome chronic pain and avoid uncomfortable surgeries by working with her regularly. Her therapeutic techniques do wonders for functional and postural issues related to aging and overuse, and she’s the massage therapist of record for UCSF’s ultrasound sonographers, helping them with their repetitive stress injuries.
“With having my own physical space, I’m able to see more clients,” Iverson says, noting that she retains time allotted to those with medical needs that require massage therapy at their homes. “Not everyone is able to come to me.”
“I really like building relationship with people over time and because I’m able to be that much more effective with my work – they can give me a sense of what they want and need.”