About Us

Meet Carlie.

Carlie Hickson, RMT

The Nest is a pregnancy & postpartum registered massage therapy in Nelson BC that focuses on maternity massage, infant & children’s massage, and more.

Carlie is a Registered Massage Therapist and owner of The Nest Registered Massage Therapy practice. She was born and raised in Nelson BC and couldn’t be happier to have established her practice in this community.

Carlie’s treatments incorporate a variety of modalities including myofascial release, scar tissue and post-surgical treatment, lymphatic drainage, cranial sacral therapy, and therapeutic exercise. She has a passion for working with individuals during pregnancy and continuing care during the postpartum period for both parents and infants.

Carlie has taken extensive training to be able to support mothers, parents, infants and families throughout their childbearing years and beyond. Carlie offers perinatal massage therapy for pregnant and postpartum folks, infant craniosacral therapy, infant massage therapy and breastfeeding (chest) support for newborns and infants after birth for general support, for infants with feeding challenges, and other conditions.

Specific manual therapy care for complex post-surgical conditions, lymphatic conditions, women’s health conditions, and care for trans and gender-diverse folks is also a primary focus of Carlie’s. These offerings include care after a mastectomy, reconstructive surgery, cesarean scar massage, abdominal surgeries, cosmetic surgeries, swelling, prolonged healing and more.

Carlie strives to provide evidence informed massage therapy care from a patient centred approach with the whole person in mind.

Carlie’s Specific Experience & Training

Pregnancy & Postpartum

- Paula Jasper’s RMT Trainings – Part 1: Pregnancy, Part 5: Cesarean Section Treatment, Part 6: Breast Treatment
- Holistic Treatment of the Pregnant Body
- Breastfeeding Course for Health Care Professionals: Breast Feeding and Chest Feeding Support
- Julie Garehardt’s Craniosacral Therapy & Infant Mind Body Training (2 years, CST certification & Infant CST certification)
- Physiologic Baby Care – Innate Traditions
- Best for Baby Osteo: Infant Intraoral Treatment & Treating the Infant Cranium
- Gold Learning Symposium(s) 2020-2025

Lymphatic Drainage & Scar Care

- Dr Vodder Manual Lymphatic Drainage. Full certification (2014)
- Lymphatic Medical Taping (Vodder Schools International)
- Measuring for Medical Grade Compression Stockings (For pregnancy & other swelling conditions)

& More

When Carlie isn’t in her Nest, you might find her spending time with her daughter & husband, exploring the beautiful mountains that surround us, or in her garden.

Meet Adriane Elliott.

Registered Massage Therapist &

Registered Clinical Aromatherapist.

Adriane is joining Carlie in February 2025 and will be covering Carlie’s maternity leave until mid 2026.

Adriane Elliott is a Registered Massage Therapist with the College of Complementary Health Professionals of British Columbia (formerly the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia) and a member in good standing with the Registered Massage Therapists Association of British Columbia. Adriane’s path to Massage Therapy began with an intensive study of Yogic philosophy and practice, aligning anatomy with spirit. In 2008 Adriane began practicing Rebalancing bodywork – an extension of the renowned work of Ida Rolf, Milton Trager, Moshe Feldenkrist. Her formal training at the Alberta College of Massage Therapy deepened her integration of functional orthopedic assessment and therapeutic treatment. Adriane’s treatments layer a balance of deep tissue, myofascial release, and detailed therapeutic massage that assist her clients in obtaining an ease in movement, and a grounded and centred connection to self in support of thriving life.

Adriane is an also Registered Clinical Aromatherapist with the Canadian Alliance of Aromatherapy, and a member of the Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists. In her work she focuses on evidence based, therapeutic prenatal/postnatal aromatherapy; providing natural aromatic remedies to some of the uncomfortable sensations felt during the childbearing continuum. _Please note – Clinical Aromatherapy is currently unavailable for booking at this time, but appointments will be up on our booking site soon._

In 2022, shortly after the birth of her second child Adriane began intensively studying postpartum health, with a holistic view of the maternal body/mind. Subsequently she began training with midwife Rachelle Seliga, CPM of Innate Traditions, and completed her extensive year long Postpartum Care Certification, and is presently in continual mentorship studying advanced postpartum care. These teachings have greatly informed her life and work. Adriane is a member of the Doula Services Association of British Columbia.

Please direct booking inquiries to hello@adrianeelliott.com or 240-354-8907

Adriane’s website can be found here

Learn More

Our Clients at The Nest

I have seen many RMT's over the years, and Carlie is one of the best. She is very knowledgeable, especially around women's health issues. As a health professional myself, I have referred multiple pregnant and postpartum clients to Carlie with full confidence in her treatments and the education she provides.

Mel M

I began seeing Carlie for massages in January of 2019. I consistently would book with her bi-weekly since the time of first meeting her because I love the way she worked so much. Carlie is intuitive in her healing touch, has a great warmth to her personality, and consistently met my needs for RMT care. I highly recommend connecting with Carlie if you are looking for a great massage backed with a lot of knowledge and skill, and want to work with someone who genuinely cares about your wellbeing.

Samantha B

Finding Carlie as my massage therapist and lymphatic drainage practitioner was a blessing in my life. She is a talented and gifted professional who treats with an intuitive touch. She was able to work magic on my general muscle weariness from yoga and was a god send when I injured my wrist! I was new to MLD (manual lymphatic drainage) when she suggested it for inflammation in my wrist and I was sold when it made such a difference reducing the inflammation related to my injury. I highly recommend her for both massage and MLD.

Darcy A

Carlie was my massage therapist during my pregnancy and through to my postpartum time. She also cared for my baby soon after birth when my baby had challenges latching during breastfeeding. Her care and close attention to my baby’s needs throughout the treatments made all the difference for our feeding journey. Our appointments during my pregnancy felt incredibly supportive in many ways. She is caring, kind and an incredible massage therapist. She addressed my pain with great skill and knowledge and is just a generally wonderful person to be around. This care continued through the postpartum period and beyond. I still see her as my massage therapist now!

Amy N

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Apple Tree Orchard

The Nest Massage Therapy is part of a collective of practitioners located at Apple Tree Maternity in Nelson BC.

Carlie works alongside Joanie Mercier, a pelvic floor physiotherapist. Her practice is called Wildberry Physiotherapy. You can check out her website here:

Wildberry Physiotherapy

Together, The Nest Massage Therapy & Wildberry Physiotherapy are called AppleTree Maternity, which is the name of our online booking site through JaneApp.

online booking

We are a family friendly clinic. You are always welcome to bring your little one to your appointment if you do not have childcare. Sometimes baby’s nap (sometimes!), sometimes parents sit in a semi-reclined position on the massage table holding or feeding their baby, sometimes baby & mama lay on their sides resting on the table during their massage. We make it work!

The Clinic in Nelson BC

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We are located in Apple Tree Maternity Clinic in Nelson, BC On the unceded territory of the Sinixt, Syilx & Ktunaxa.

Photo by Jamie Perchie