The honest truth: Summer in Alexandria is physically demanding in ways most people don't notice until something starts to hurt. Massage isn't just a treat — for people who spend their summers active on the lakes, it's maintenance.
Summer looks relaxing. Your body disagrees.
People talk about summer vacation like it's rest. And sometimes it is. But for anyone spending time on and around the lakes in Alexandria, summer is actually a season of repetitive physical stress that your body isn't used to.
Think about what a typical lake weekend involves:
- Long car rides — even a 2-hour drive from the Twin Cities compresses the lumbar spine and tightens the hip flexors in ways that take days to undo
- Boat seats — hours sitting on a pontoon or fishing boat with minimal back support, absorbing vibration and engine chop
- Water activities — water skiing, tubing, and paddleboarding all recruit muscles in your core, shoulders, and legs that don't get much work the rest of the year
- Hauling gear — coolers, kayaks, beach chairs, life jackets, a week's worth of groceries into a cabin
- Sleeping somewhere different — cabin beds, air mattresses, pull-out sofas. None of them are your bed.
- Sun exposure and dehydration — heat and dehydration tighten fascia and increase muscle cramping
Do this every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day and your body accumulates a significant amount of tension. Most people call it "getting older." A lot of it is just unaddressed summer wear.
Why massage works differently in summer
The physical demands of summer are different from the postural stress of a desk job. Summer creates a different kind of tension — more in the hips from boat seats and car rides, more in the shoulders from paddling and water sports, more in the low back from hauling things.
Thai bodywork is particularly effective for summer bodies because the assisted stretches address hip flexors, IT bands, and thoracic spine — exactly the areas that get compressed and tight from a summer of lake activity. Deep tissue massage is the move for people with specific tight spots — a chronically sore shoulder from water skiing, a stubborn knot between the shoulder blades. Swedish massage is the right call if you've been going hard and just need your whole body to reset.
How often should you book in summer?
For people who are highly active on the lakes all summer, once a month is a good baseline. If you have a specific area that's been giving you trouble, bi-weekly sessions for a few weeks will address it more effectively than one long session.
Many of Katie's regular clients book their summer appointments in a block in May — four or five sessions spaced through June, July, and August — so they're never chasing availability when they need it.
Book Your Summer Sessions
Katie's calendar fills up fast once summer hits.
60, 90, or 120-minute sessions available · 815 Broadway, Alexandria MN
See Open Appointments →A lot of Katie's clients are people who've lived in the Alexandria area their whole lives — people who are on the lake every weekend from May through September. They've learned that regular massage through the summer isn't a luxury. It's what lets them keep doing what they love without everything hurting by August. Book early. Summer slots go fast.