Rolfing® Structural Integration in the Capital Region
Rolfing® Structural Integration is hands-on work with the body’s connective tissue (fascia). Over a planned series of sessions, it helps the body organize itself around a vertical line, so that standing and moving take less effort. At Bodywork Professionals, the work is done by Nick Pavoldi, LMT, an Advanced Certified Rolfer™ who has practiced structural integration since 2001. He sees clients one day a week at each of our four studios: Latham, Niskayuna, Saratoga Springs and Clifton Park.
$200 per session · Call 518-MASSAGE (518-627-7243) · Phone consultations welcome
What Rolfing Structural Integration is
Dr. Ida P. Rolf was a biochemist, and she started from a simple observation. Gravity acts on every body for its whole life, and the body adapts to it. An old injury, a habit, a job or a sport leaves a pattern in the fascia, the continuous web of connective tissue that wraps and links muscles, bones and organs. Over time those patterns become the shape we live in.
Rolfing Structural Integration works directly with that web. The practitioner applies slow, specific pressure while the client often moves, breathes or shifts weight. The aim is to restore length, space and balance between the parts of the body, so the whole structure stacks more easily in gravity. The goal is not to fix a single spot. The goal is a better-organized whole, in which the spot that hurts often stops carrying more than its share.
The work follows a template: the ten series. Dr. Rolf designed it so that each session prepares the body for the next. It is a framework, not a script. Every session is adapted to the person on the table.
The Dr. Ida Rolf Institute is the organization that trains and certifies Rolfers. Only practitioners it has certified may use the terms Rolfing® and Certified Rolfer™. Learn more at rolf.org.
How it differs from massage
Massage and Rolfing both work with soft tissue, but they have different aims and a different shape.
| Massage | Rolfing® Structural Integration | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Relaxation, recovery, relief of tension in the moment | Lasting change in how the body is organized and how it carries itself in gravity |
| Structure | Each session stands on its own | Sessions build on one another in a planned sequence (the ten series) |
| Your role | Mostly passive; you lie on the table | Active; you may sit, stand, walk or make small movements during the session |
| Assessment | Where does it feel tight? | How do you stand, walk and breathe, and what pattern is holding that in place? |
| Pressure | Ranges from light to deep | Slow and specific; it can be intense, but it is always adjusted to you |
Many of our clients get both. Regular massage works well alongside a Rolfing series, and after one.
The ten series
Traditionally the work is done as ten sessions. The first seven are the structural phase. They release and reorganize the body region by region. The last three are the integration phase. They tie those changes together so the body works as a unit.
- Session 1: Breath and the front of the body. Freeing the superficial layer of fascia, especially around the ribs, shoulders and hips, so breathing has more room.
- Session 2: Feet and lower legs. Establishing a stable relationship with the ground: the foundation everything else stands on.
- Session 3: The side line. Relating the hip girdle to the shoulder girdle and finding the body’s front-to-back balance seen from the side.
- Session 4: Inside of the legs and the pelvic floor. Building support from the inner line of the legs up into the base of the pelvis.
- Session 5: Core and abdomen. Working with the deeper front of the body and the muscles that connect the spine to the legs.
- Session 6: Back and spine. Freeing the back of the body, from the legs up through the sacrum and spine.
- Session 7: Head, neck and face. Bringing the head to rest more easily on top of a better-organized body.
- Session 8: Lower body integration. Relating the pelvis and legs to everything above them.
- Session 9: Upper body integration. Relating the shoulders, arms and ribcage to everything below them.
- Session 10: Whole-body integration. Bringing it all together into one coordinated whole.
You don’t have to commit to all ten in advance. The first session is a good stand-alone introduction to the work, and many people decide after it.
Who it helps
People come to Rolfing Structural Integration for many reasons. Common ones include:
- Long-standing discomfort that hasn’t resolved with other approaches, especially when it seems tied to posture or an old injury
- Posture and alignment, including the slump that comes from desk work, phones, driving or years of one-sided activity
- Athletes and active people who want easier, more efficient movement and better balance side to side
- People in physical professions, such as musicians, dancers, tradespeople, parents and bodyworkers, whose work depends on how they use their bodies
- Anyone curious about their own body, who wants to understand how they stand and move and to feel more at home in it
Rolfing Structural Integration is not a medical treatment. It doesn’t diagnose or cure disease, and it doesn’t replace care from your physician, physical therapist or other provider. If you are managing a medical condition, recovering from surgery or are pregnant, call first so Nick can talk through whether the work is a good fit right now.
About Nick
Nick Pavoldi went to massage school the day after his 18th birthday. That was in 1995, at the Suncoast School of Massage in Tampa, Florida. He became nationally certified in 1996 and earned his New York State massage license in 1997.
His introduction to Rolfing came as a client. In 1999, as a runner with a knee injury that nothing else had helped, he tried a Rolfing ten series. He has said it felt as though the practitioner understood what his body was asking for, even though Nick couldn’t put it into words himself. By the end of the series he knew what he wanted to do next.
In 2000 and 2001 he trained at the Guild for Structural Integration, in Kauai, Hawaii and Boulder, Colorado. His teacher was Emmett Hutchins, one of the original teachers Dr. Ida Rolf appointed herself. The Guild taught the work the way Dr. Rolf taught it: as a logical progression in which each session builds on the last. That template is still the foundation of everything Nick does.
He was practicing on his own in Latham by 2001. In 2005 he founded Bodywork Professionals, a group of practitioners devoted to their craft. In 2023, after the Guild for Structural Integration became part of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute, Nick was certified by the Institute as a Certified Rolfer™. He holds the Advanced Certified Rolfer™ credential. Find him in the Institute’s directory of New York Rolfers.
More than twenty-five years after his own ten series, Nick still sees clients every week, now at all four of the studios he built.
Where and when
Nick sees Rolfing clients one day a week at each studio.
| Day | Studio | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Latham | 578 New Loudon Rd, Latham, NY |
| Tuesday | Niskayuna | 1343 Balltown Rd, Niskayuna, NY |
| Wednesday | Saratoga Springs | 409 Maple Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY |
| Thursday | Clifton Park | 1789 US-9, Suite A, Clifton Park, NY |
One number reaches every studio: 518-MASSAGE (518-627-7243).
Doing the series at one studio keeps your sessions on a steady weekly rhythm. If your schedule calls for it, you can also move between studios.
Price and booking
- $200 per session
- Sessions are booked as 55 minutes and usually run a full hour.
- Most clients do the ten series. You pay per session, and there is no up-front commitment to all ten.
- Phone consultations are welcome. If you’re not sure whether Rolfing is right for you, call and talk it through before you book.
Book a session or call 518-MASSAGE (518-627-7243).
Frequently asked questions
Does Rolfing hurt?
It has a reputation for it, but the work is much gentler than it was in the 1970s. Some moments can be intense, especially where the tissue has held a pattern for years. The pressure is slow and always adjusted to you, and you are part of the conversation the whole time.
How often should I schedule sessions?
Weekly or every other week suits most people. That leaves time for the body to absorb each session while the series keeps its momentum. Ten sessions usually take two to four months.
Do I have to do all ten sessions?
No. The first session works well on its own as an introduction. Most people who keep going choose the full series, because the sessions are designed to build on one another.
What should I wear?
Underwear or athletic wear you can move in, such as a sports bra and shorts. Part of each session involves standing and walking so Nick can see how you move, so wear something you’re comfortable in.
How is a Certified Rolfer™ different from other structural integration practitioners?
“Structural integration” is a general term, and many schools teach versions of it. Rolfing® and Certified Rolfer™ are trademarks of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute, which Dr. Rolf founded. Only practitioners the Institute has trained and certified may use them. Nick trained in Dr. Rolf’s original lineage with Emmett Hutchins and is certified by the Institute.
Will the results last?
The ten series is designed to bring lasting change in how the body is organized, not short-term relief. Many people keep noticing changes in the months after the series ends. Some come back now and then for a tune-up session.
Can I use insurance or my HSA/FSA?
Rolfing sessions are not billed to health insurance. Call us about receipts and HSA/FSA questions.
Rolfing®, Rolfing® Structural Integration and Certified Rolfer™ are trademarks of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute and are used by Nick Pavoldi as a certified member.