Gary Au
I’m Gary, and I’ve spent over a decade chasing lasting fixes for your tightness, aches, and pains.
Growing up in Queens, NY, I worked desk jobs to put myself through college and the usual aches and pains I'd gained over time got harder to ignore. After several failed bouts with physical therapy and even a neurologist, I tried to figure it out myself.
That’s when I found The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies. I became deeply interested in the body of research around chronic pain and decided to attend Massage Therapy School in 2013, graduating from the extended program at Cortiva Institute in Hoboken, NJ.
I honed my craft at boutique gym and spa Equinox helping busy New Yorkers with a lot of pain - mostly actors, entrepreneurs, athletes, and dancers eventually earning my Tier 3 status. Meanwhile, I also became Kiehl’s Spa 1851's Lead Therapist and even ran my own private practice.
Though my clients were willing and able to return often, I grew frustrated that sessions felt repetitive—relief came, but faded fast. I wanted solutions to last.
So I hunted for answers everywhere: Orthopedic Massage, Neuromuscular Techniques, Myofascial Release; then Structural Integration and Cupping. I earned certifications in Chinese Medical Massage (Zheng Fu Tui Na) and Neurolymphatic Work (Be Activated and RPR). I even obtained my Personal Training Certification with NASM and my FMS Level 1 to explore the connection between strength training and chronic pain.
In 2020 my wife and I decided to move to the Lehigh Valley, where she grew up, to put down roots and raise our family.
Everything changed when a colleague introduced me to Fascial Counterstrain, a surprisingly gentle technique that yielded incredibly deep and lasting changes in the body. It allowed me to zero in beyond muscles—think spinal ligaments, nerves, even bones. I was finally starting to see my client's bodies change and shift without repeated sessions or exercises.
Today, I continue to study Fascial Counterstrain under Brian Tuckey who developed the technique. I can weave it into your Swedish or Deep Tissue massage for a boost, or go all-in at your call.
When not working, I’m fiddling with a deck of cards, tackling homeownership’s endless to-do list, hanging out with my wife Amy, and keeping up with our toddler Elliott and his brother Charley the labradoodle.