Joshua Noro (野呂) Polier, LMT Shidôshi
Joshua is a native New Yorker who was first introduced to massage therapy in his childhood when, as part of a semi-typical Japanese upbringing, he performed on and learned about body-work from his elders. In 1991, at the age of 15, he began studying a tradition of classical Japanese martial arts, which shares a strong emphasis on principles essential to massage therapy: pressure points, anatomy/physiology, body alignment/awareness, body-work, self-preservation, and longevity. In 1994, after graduating from Horace Mann in Riverdale NY, Joshua attended Oberlin college but soon returned to NYC to start a martial arts school, "The Benevolent Heart Dojo", and to pursue an IT career. While the Benevolent Heart Dojo has flourished since 2000, the burst of the Dot-com bubble was a blessing in disguise as it afforded Joshua the opportunity to transition his career to massage therapy which had been a lifelong interest. Joshua enrolled in the Swedish Institute of Massage Therapy in 2002. Since completing his training and licensing as a Massage Therapist, Joshua has worked in spas, sports clubs, private and corporate settings(including Google & The Sports Club LA UES). Joshua has found massage both highly rewarding and aligned with his lifelong passion for Martial Arts.
Joshua is an extensive world-wide traveller having travelled to a broad swath of Europe and Asia, and he has lived in Paris, France for over a year. The primary impetus for much of his travels is to experience and study martial arts and body-work from the best instructors and practitioners from around the world. Joshua annually spends approximately 2-3 weeks in Japan for studying martial arts and massage and has traveled internationally as often as half a dozen times per year for training opportunities.
Drawing upon his worldwide exposure and martial arts practice, Joshua's style of massage is both dynamic and fluid incorporating a wide variety of modalities and techniques. Moreover, he treats his clients in an individualistic manner by shaping the massage/healing experience around the clients' needs, preferences and pathologies. Joshua is constantly striving to evolve and improve on his skills and knowledge.
Other than 1 on 1 Massage Therapy Sessions Joshua is available for:
- Couples massage & group massage classes, including massage parties
- Massage in corporate settings, including parties, fundraisers and events
- Private martial arts training and group martial arts training
- Personal training focused on reaching your individual fitness goals
- Therapeutic Corrective Exercise Programs: focused on proactive preventative regimens & chronic pain relief
- Flexbility training - utilizing neuro-muscular techniques.