About Lauren
Lauren is a queer practitioner who is passionate about the arts and social justice. Inclusion is at the heart of her work; she particularly wants people who have felt like outsiders to feel welcome and seen when they come in for massage therapy. This includes folks in her LGBTQ+ community, Black and brown communities, the disability community, and any/all intersections. Lauren is a lifelong learner and experimenter who loves meeting new people, hearing their stories, and building relationships.
In addition to being a licensed massage therapist, Lauren has been a licensed clinical social worker in Chicago for over a decade, working in healthcare and community settings. She has extensive social work training and experience working with people with disabilities and chronic illness as well as people dealing with the effects of trauma. Lauren discovered the impact of body-based healing when faced with burnout and health challenges, which led her to massage therapy as a career.
She holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology with Music Minor (Kenyon College), a Master’s in Social Work with Clinical Concentration (University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice), and a Diploma in Massage Therapy (Estelle Medical Academy).
When not at Outside-In, Lauren enjoys dancing, live music, traveling, being outdoors (usually in or near bodies of water), and spending time with her partner, friends, family, and animals (she currently has two awesome cats :)).
About Outside-In
Lauren specializes in Swedish and deep tissue massage and tailors treatment to the unique situation of each client. Swedish massage techniques involve light to medium pressure and focus on general relaxation. Deep tissue massage techniques involve medium to deep pressure to target specific areas of the body. Lauren engages in continuous learning and is excited to offer additional modalities to her clients.
Lauren is committed to meeting every client where they are and respecting them as experts of their own lives and bodies. Consent is of utmost importance in her practice. Clients have agency over their massage therapy treatment and are encouraged to give feedback.
Lauren is dedicated to providing accessible services. This could mean wearing a mask throughout the session or traveling to the home of someone who has difficulty getting to her location. Please email her (outsideinmassagechi@gmail.com) to discuss your particular situation; talking over the phone or Zoom may be warranted prior to starting treatment. If there is a treatment situation outside of Lauren’s scope of practice, she will do her best to refer clients to a practitioner who would be a better fit.