A little more about me and how I got here...

     After more than 15 years of working in public health and medical research, I woke up one day and found I needed to change the focus of my work. Though I was working for movements inspirational and aspirational in nature - the reality of my day-to-day involved spending hours, days, weeks, months, even years in meetings, or on conference calls or on conference calls about meetings. I remembered the reason I started working was because I wanted to work with, and help people. But I was beginning to feel working for populations just wasn't the same as working with people.  I realized I yearned to make positive health changes that were tangible in the world around me. I was thinking globally, but I needed to find a way to act locally.

     So I left the US (of course) and traveled through South Africa, Ghana and finally landed in Thailand.  In Chiang Mai, I decided to study traditional Thai massage and began what I did not realized at the time, was the start of my new path. After completing my studies in Thailand, I returned to New York and enrolled into the Swedish Institute of Massage Therapy, our nation's oldest massage therapy training program. There I studied Shiatsu, a traditional Japanese style of massage and Western Medical Massage Therapy.
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     After graduating from the Swedish Institute, I established a private practice primarily working with athletic personal trainers and their clients. Soon afterwards, I was given the opportunity to become a personal fitness trainer with an area of expertise built upon the foundation of my decade-long yoga practice. As I was integrating my knowledge and skills in massage therapy, the practice of yoga, athletic personal training and public health, it became clear to me I was still missing something.  I realized my clients needed me to become something I had dreamed of as a kid but had forgotten in adulthood - a Chinese Medicine Doctor. So with the dreams of little kid and the hopes of an entrepreneur, I fulfilled a childhood fantasy and enrolled into the Masters of Acupuncture program at Tri-State College of Acupuncture.  There I studied Trigger Point / Dry Needling, Kiiko Matsumoto style Japanese Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine and Classical Chinese Acupuncture.
     Now my work is dynamic, holistic and multi-pronged in approach.  Health, wellness, healing, recovery, and training all require a strategy and plan that involve flexibility, strength, conditioning, mobility, freedom from pain, nutrition, rest and relaxation.  It is my aim to help you at whatever stage you need, be it acupuncture, massage, strength training, cardio conditioning, flexibility training, or nutrition.

     My goals are:
  • to provide you with expert, compassionate, effective care
  • to educate, empower and build up your capacity to be healthy, happy and successful, however you define it
  • to provide you with a safe, nurturing environment to explore, heal, release and grow

     Over the years I've worked with professional athletes, actors/musicians (some famous, some not), marathoners, triathletes, personal trainers and Manhattan's elite, driven, accomplished go-getters. This has given me the experience, knowledge and skills to provide you with the best service.  This will give you an added edge in accomplishing your goals - be they better health, injury recovery, athletic training or stress management. I'm also great at working with those who are just getting into physical training.  I have coordinated with personal trainers, chiropractors, doctors and other health care providers over the years, to maximize performance, prevent injury and speed recovery. I am goal oriented just like you!  

I have extensive experience working with special populations including women, BIPOC/communities of color, LGBTQI communities, and youth/young people.

I look forward to working with you!

Edd Lee MS LAc LMT