Is your Jaw dragging you down?
TMJ, jaw pain, jaw clicking, lockjaw, full/blocked ears — these are all connected.
One of the biggest things we see in clinic at Josephine Studio is wāhine dealing with severe jaw pain. Jaw tension can create patterns right through the face, leaving clients feeling stressed, puffy, and like their face is being pulled down — and it could be. The jaw is the largest muscle in the face, so when it's heavy and tight, it causes big issues. Many have tried it all — Botox, night guards, magnesium, even chiro or osteo work directly on the joint.
At Josephine Studio, we work holistically, so we'll never say one treatment is the be-all and end-all. But when we step back and look at the bigger picture, we can start to get to the root cause of the pain and actually change the body's stress response — so it stops defaulting to holding and clenching, causing pain that so often ends in drastic measures just to manage it.
So how does Ora Facial Release actually help?
Facial massage releases the muscles that have been holding on tight — not just the masseter (the main jaw muscle), but the temporalis (temples), SCM and platysma (neck), traps, and all the muscles that connect into the jaw. This allows for a full release, not just a partial one.
When needed, we also bring in intra-oral (buccal) techniques as the cherry on top of the treatment, working directly inside the mouth to release the deeper jaw muscles that can't be reached from the outside alone.
During your assessment, we look at where fascial restrictions may be contributing to the problem, along with lifestyle factors, posture, and breath. Sometimes that means releasing fascia in the stomach or upper back too — it's all connected.
The first treatment is usually a mix of release work and some tender spots, because we're working to release muscles that have been holding on for months, sometimes years. You'll usually feel like your face has had a workout — in the best way. On top of this, we activate the lymphatic system to depuff the face, boost circulation, and relax the nervous system, so your skin, mind, and body are glowing for days after.
In our experience, results after the first massage for this kind of pain tend to last around a week. After 2 treatments, about 2 weeks. After 3, about 3 weeks — and so on, until we build toward a maintenance plan. We're reprogramming the body's default stress response to clench or hold.
How many sessions will I need?
Everyone is different, but most of our clients with severe jaw pain need a series of 6–8 appointments, starting around 2 weeks apart and gradually spacing out, before moving to a maintenance plan of monthly to 6–8 weekly.
Here's what some of our clients have had to say about jaw pain and Ora Facial Release at Josephine Studio:
[client testimonials here]
Ready to get to the root cause of your jaw pain?
Lisa has been trained and is mentored by Josephine and is currently welcoming new clients — book in here today.
Josephine has rare appointments available, or you can join her wait list.
We hope to see you soon — ngā mihi.
