FALL CITY – Nestled in a forest above the lush wilderness of the Valley is a serene escape.

That escape, called Heavensfield Massage, is where licensed massage therapist Cossette Dawna Rae has combined her love of the wilderness, people and massage to create a uniquely Snoqualmie Valley experience.

Dawna Rae was turned onto massage as a client. There was a time she experienced a rough point in her life and found the uplifting nature of massage to be extremely rejuvenating. Through bodywork, Dawna Rae began to feel more alive. She then planned to take that enthusiasm and create a phenomenal experience for massage.

Dawna Rae is a recent graduate of the Northwest School of Massage and believes that her education allowed her to understand the physical effect massage has on an individual, as well as the psychological healing is can produce.

Unlike most graduates, Dawna Rae decided to open her own practice and act as sole massage practitioner. Near the end of her massage education, she was given the idea of giving massages outdoors.

“It was an event for me to get body work done outside,” Dawna Rae said. “I felt much more relaxed, and believed the massage had much more of an experience attached to it.”

After receiving her diploma, Dawna Rae was determined to combine Mother Nature with the healing power of massage. She opened Heavensfield in June and has already gained an incredible response.

“Where I work in the forest is extremely soothing for me as well as the client,” Dawna Rae said. “Many people explain to me that unlike many other massage experiences, their troubles are left at the door, and I also find I enjoy my surroundings so much that I therefore give a better massage,” Dawna Rae stated.

At Heavensfield there is a variety of massages and bodywork offered including hot stone, Swedish, deep tissue, craniosacral, shiatsu and jin shin do, as well as reflexology.

The ambiance at Heavensfield is fulfilling and soothing; the treehouse where the massage takes place is similar to that of a child’s dream fort. In the forest below are deer and birds, and in the evenings, a screech owl may be heard. The breeze has an incredible affect on the experience, creating incredible sounds and multiplying the ambiance of the outdoor massage.

Along with her unique massage experience available at the treehouse, Dawna Rae is launching another idea that would allow individuals to enjoy nature while gaining complete relaxation and rejuvenation. The concept is “luxury camping” and is based around the idea of an outdoor spa that is also a bed and breakfast. The camping site is located on the Heavensfield property, found just outside of Fall City. A fitting image of the experience would be sleeping in a queen-size bed placed in a tent outdoors.

Dawna Rae, along with continuing to develop her massage practice, will also be studying to be a psychologist in the coming years. She hopes to eventually work with stress and trauma victims and believes that she is up to the challenge.

“I find that already people tend to open up to their massage therapist, which I really hope to foster through my work and I hope to develop that sort of an atmosphere, both through psychology and massage,” she said.

* For information about Heavensfield Massage, call (425) 417-0406 or visit www.heavensfield.com.