My name is Jessi, and I am so happy you are here! I moved to Portland, Oregon, to attend massage school in 1999, before we had specialty coffee and traffic. I have always loved the magic of bodywork, but it wasn't until I received my first holistic facial in 2006 that I knew I had found my true passion. I have never been more in love with my craft than now. 

 I specialize in well-aging for clients not interested in Botox or fillers. My wholehearted belief, supported by years of working as a facialist, is that stress, stagnation, and neglect age us, not years. I want you to love your skin and make more peace with the aging process through regular facials and customized home care. 

While many estheticians offer a relaxing facial, I'm interested in a profound experience--transcendent, even. My moon is in Scorpio, after all. I intend to facilitate the innate healing of your own body, and I am most interested in the relationship between stress and the skin. When you come in for your first visit, we will begin with a thorough intake process, so I can understand what your skin and spirit need and how I can best help. I attune to your skin and body to meet you exactly where you are, drawing on a broad spectrum of therapeutic modalities, including massage, myofascial release, cupping, gua sha, Thai herbal poultices and lymphatic drainage. Reconstructive Facial Massage is my specialty, and I am proud to draw on my training from both the world of massage and the world of esthetics. 

I live in Northwest Portland with cats. I love riding my bike to record stores, making travel plans, and reading novels in the bath. As an ambient music enthusiast, I love curating the most beautiful, shimmery, hushed soundscapes for the treatment room.

 Click here to book an appointment. Feel free to email me if you have any questions: jessi@vena-cava.co

I look forward to meeting you! 

I am immensely grateful to my teachers:

Rose Minasian, Heather Wade Mills, Signy Erickson, Eric Moya, Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, Dr. Arthur Parker, Renee Stenbjorn, Marlene Howell, Dr. Ethan Johnson, Evan Healy, Dr. Tiina Meder, Dr. Pedro Catalá, Athena Hewitt, Cecily Braden and Kristin Shaw.

I am also greatly indebted to the work in flower essence research pioneered by Dr. Edward Bach, Patricia Kaminski, Richard Katz, Julian Barnard, and especially my flower essences teacher, Ruth Toledo Altschuler. 

As a white person practicing modalities rooted in Classical Chinese Medicine, I wish to acknowledge the great privilege I enjoy of studying and practicing traditions that I was not born into. I am incredibly grateful to my gua sha and cupping teacher, Kellie Chambers, L.Ac., MAOM, Dipl.Ac. 

Most of all, I am grateful to my past, present, and future clients, who teach me daily and allow me the great opportunity to do work I love so much. 

Ethical Statement:

I acknowledge the harm and violence perpetrated by the beauty and wellness industries I participate in. I endeavor to decolonize and reimagine my beliefs around beauty standards, ageism, and ableism. I commit to treating all clients and prospective clients with dignity and respect. I wholeheartedly affirm that each client is the ultimate authority on their own body and experience. I champion body diversity and welcome clients of all ages, genders, sexualities, beliefs, abilities, nationalities, and ethnicities. My treatment space is 100% ADA-accessible. 

Vena Cava occupies the traditional, stolen lands of the Indigenous people of the Lower Columbia, including the Cowlitz, Clackamas, Atfalati, and the Confederate Tribes of the Grand Ronde.