About

Thank you for visiting.
It’s been quite a ride!

I came to massage via a circuitous route that meandered through coffeeshops and biochemistry labs, photojournalism and activism, a wedding photography career and a public art practice that resulted in the largest piece of public art in the city (the 85,000 sq ft How Philly Moves mural @ PHL International Airport.)

Sometimes, the most roundabout routes are the best…

It was late in life that I started to learn about my body.

No one had ever taught me how to care for this one thing that is… well… me. My work life cultivated major asymmetries and stresses that I’m still working through.

Somewhere along the way I started to connect to dancers and performers who were better versed in caring for their own bodies and each others’. An introduction to yoga via Studio 34 was transformative. At some point I began being on the receiving end of some amazing bodywork.

Massage allows me to bring some of the skills that I’ve long cultivated (deep observation and listening, an intuitive sense of spatial relationships, practices of community caretaking, and finding ease with any body) and apply them in a way that complements and contrasts with the life of cameras, computers and crowds that I’d built for myself.

I love that massage allows me opportunities to work with one client at a time, in a manner that is slow, deliberate and often silent. That it is grounded in the immediate here and now, with just the body and not machines. That it is collaborative, with your breath and presence actively participating in the session. And I am honored by the sacred responsibility of caring for fellow human beings and the trust placed in me by those who come to work with me.

Having completed my formal training at the Philadelphia School of Massage and Bodywork, I have been fully licensed to practice in Pennsylvania (license # MSG013959) since 2020 and am a member of the American Massage Therapy Association.

I offer my services by appointment in West Philadelphia along with seasonal workshops. I also occasionally volunteer my services for special events like an annual chair massage offering at the Hub of Hope.

Massage remains a part-time practice for me, which I do my best to balance with my other roles as a block captain in West Philly and as organizer & facilitator of Walk Around Philadelphia.

You can find out more about my other work at:
www.jjtiziou.net

Here’s what some of my clients have to say…

  • JJ is an outstanding massage therapist. The combination of his knowledge, compassion, intuition and technique manifest in bringing healing on a number of levels. I’ve been a massage therapist for 30 years and feel very fortunate to have found a massage therapist with his gifts. I went in having had chronic knee pain for at least a month and left the session pain free. What a relief and how much more energy I feel not having to deal with nagging discomfort! JJ created a very safe, respectful space and gave me some helpful tips in self-care between sessions. I recommend him enthusiastically!
    Kevin Hulbirt
  • I’ve had hundreds of massages in my life, but none of them have even come close to being as fantastic as JJs. I have Parkinson’s and I’m therefore someone whose body is turning inward. JJ immediately understood what I needed, but even more remarkably, he was able to give it to me. He devised a kind of massage for me that is based on Thai principles and which counterbalances my body’s involutions by opening everything up. It has been a revelation to me that a massage could work this way, but JJ is a remarkable person in every respect.
    Lolly Silverman
  • JJ was a pleasure to collaborate with when offering chair massage for our company holiday party. JJ thought of everything which really eased my planning and coordination stress! He is incredibly thoughtful and immediately had staff feeling at ease. JJ’s kindly manner made for a memorable event and his expertise meant that he provided individuals with takeaway tips to help them long-term. Thank you JJ – we hope to invite you back again!
    Kayla Fell