REGISTERED MASSAGE THERAPY

RELEASE TENSION.
RESTORE MOVEMENT.
KEEP TRAINING.

At Shield Athletics Burlington, Registered Massage Therapy is built around your body, your activity and your goals.

Sophie Hotchkiss, RMT, provides individualized hands-on treatment to help you move, recover and keep doing what you love.

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Hands-on treatment built around how you move.

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BOOK WITH SOPHIE →

MASSAGE THERAPY AT SHIELD

YOUR TREATMENT
SHOULD REFLECT
YOUR LIFE.

A competitive athlete two days out from a game, a runner building mileage, a hockey player between practices, and someone whose shoulders have crept up around their ears by Thursday all need different things from the same hour.

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Sophie tailors each treatment to the individual, considering:

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Where you are experiencing tension or discomfort

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How you move and train

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Your current activity level

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Previous injuries

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What you need your body to do next

The goal is to help you leave feeling better, moving better, and better prepared for what comes next.

HOW WE APPROACH YOUR CARE

ASSESS. TREAT. PREPARE.

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Your appointment begins with a conversation about what you’re experiencing, how you move and what you want to accomplish.

Sophie looks at the muscular tension, soft-tissue restrictions and mobility limitations that may be contributing.

ASSESS

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Targeted hands-on treatment focuses on the areas that need attention most.

Your treatment adapts as your body, activity level and training demands change over time.

TREAT

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Treatment is designed to support what comes next.

Where helpful, your care can connect with rehabilitation, mobility and strength work happening elsewhere at Shield.

PREPARE

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WHAT CAN MASSAGE THERAPY HELP WITH?

TARGETED CARE FOR ACTIVE

& EVERYDAY BODIES

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TARGETED CARE FOR ACTIVE & EVERYDAY BODIES

MUSCULAR TENSION

✓ Neck and shoulder tension

✓ Back and hip tightness

✓ Training-related soreness

✓ Repetitive-strain discomfort

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MOBILITY & MOVEMENT

✓ Restricted soft-tissue mobility

✓ Tightness limiting range

✓ Reduced flexibility

✓ Movement compensations

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TRAINING & RECOVERY

✓ Between-session recovery

✓ Post-training soreness

✓ Competition prep & recovery

✓ Managing training load

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INJURY &
REHAB SUPPORT

✓ Soft-tissue injuries & strains

✓ Post-injury recovery

✓ Tension from altered movement

✓ Support alongside rehab

Massage therapy also works well as ongoing maintenance, not only as a response to a problem.

BUILT FOR PEOPLE WHO MOVE

FROM COMPETITIVE ATHLETES

TO EVERYDAY MOVERS

FROM COMPETITIVE ATHLETES TO EVERYDAY MOVERS

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ACTIVE ADULTS

ATHLETES

For people who train regularly, play recreational sport, or want to maintain mobility and stay active.

For athletes who need their body ready for the next practice, workout, competition or training block.

For athletes who need their body ready for the next practice, workout, competition or training block.

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For people who train regularly, play recreational sport, or want to maintain mobility and stay active.

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INJURY RECOVERY

For individuals using massage therapy as part of a broader rehabilitation strategy.

For individuals using massage therapy as part of a broader rehabilitation strategy.

EVERYDAY LIFE

For people dealing with muscular tension, stiffness, physical stress, or the accumulated demands of work and daily life.

For people dealing with muscular tension, stiffness, physical stress, or the accumulated demands of work and daily life.

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THE SHIELD ADVANTAGE

YOUR MASSAGE THERAPIST

IS PART OF A BIGGER TEAM.

At most clinics, massage therapy is a standalone service. At Shield, Sophie treats inside a full performance and rehabilitation team:

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Registered Massage Therapy

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Physiotherapy + Sports Rehab

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Chiropractic + Sports Care

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Sports Medicine

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Strength + Performance Training

Not every client needs every service. But when something in your treatment suggests another set of eyes would help, Sophie can say so, and the person she’s referring you to is down the hall rather than on a waitlist somewhere else.

ONE CLUB.
COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT.

ONE
CLUB.
COMPLETE
DEVELOPMENT.

BOOK WITH SOPHIE →

MEET SOPHIE HOTCHKISS

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REGISTERED MASSAGE THERAPIST

Sophie is a Registered Massage Therapist and a triathlon coach.

She works with athletes, active adults, and people managing the tension of everyday life. Treatments are hands-on and built around what you need that day, whether that’s recovery between games, working through an injury, or relief from something that keeps coming back.

She uses deep tissue techniques often, and can move to a lighter, more relaxation-focused treatment when that’s what your body needs.

The goal is straightforward: help you feel better and keep you moving.

BOOK WITH SOPHIE →

YOUR NEXT STEP

DON’T KNOW WHICH

TREATMENT YOU NEED?

DON’T KNOW WHICH TREATMENT YOU NEED?

You don’t have to.

If you’re unsure whether massage therapy, physiotherapy, chiropractic care, or another service is the right place to start, our team can point you in the right direction.

Looking specifically for Registered Massage Therapy?

Looking specifically for Registered Massage Therapy?

BOOK WITH SOPHIE →

Not sure where to start?

Not sure where to start?

TALK TO OUR TEAM →

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • A regulated healthcare profession involving the assessment and treatment of soft tissues and related structures of the body through hands-on techniques.

  • No. Sophie treats athletes, active adults, people recovering from injury, and anyone looking to manage muscular tension or maintain mobility.

  • Treatment is adapted to the demands of your sport and activity level. Rather than running a standard sports-massage protocol, Sophie works from what your body is dealing with right now: your symptoms, your training and what’s coming up.

  • Yes, when clinically appropriate. Having those services in the same building makes them far easier to coordinate.

  • A referral is generally not required to see a Registered Massage Therapist in Ontario. However, individual insurance plans may have their own requirements for reimbursement.

  • No. Plenty of Sophie’s clients book when nothing hurts, for recovery between training blocks, to stay on top of tension that tends to return, or to stay ahead of an old injury.

  • Sophie will discuss your concerns, activity level, relevant history and goals, then focus treatment on the areas and objectives identified during your assessment.

  • 5065 Benson Drive
    Burlington, Ontario
    905-319-9659

    We proudly serve Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton and surrounding communities.

RECOVER WITH PURPOSE.

Massage Therapy at Shield Athletics

The right treatment should fit the life you’re actually living.

BOOK WITH SOPHIE HOTCHKISS, RMT →