The treatments combine very localized massage techniques with gentle stretches and relaxation exercises. Afspaending is oriented toward the individual, and can be applied successfully to people of both sexes and all ages. It's an excellent way to develop coordination and flexibility. You will learn to move with ease and with decreased strain on your muscles and joints. Whether work has you stressed out or your muscles are sore after a long hike or bike ride, Afspaending may be able to help you. The goal is to assist you in relaxing, and to improve your overall functioning.

Kirsten Hansen is a native of Denmark. She completed the three year training program at "The Body and Relaxation Therapy Institute" in Copenhagen in June of 1985, and is certified by The Danish Ministry of Education. She has practiced for 21 years in America, dividing her time between doctor's offices, and her own private practice. Kirsten is now offering Afspaending sessions to the guests of The Inn. To ensure treatment availability, it is recommended that you reserve your appointment prior to your arrival at the Inn. Just call our toll free number at : 1-800-286-9718 and ask for Kirsten.

Help For An Aching Back

I had my doubts about the strange-sounding, obscure Danish massage technique that inn owner Kirsten Hansen said would unlock my tight hips and back. 

After an hour on her mat, I still couldn’t pronounce it, but I didn’t care,  I was hooked:  I could walk, pain-free.

At the Inn at Walnut Bottom, Hansen, a state-certified massage therapist, practices what she calls afspaending, which “unbuckles” or relaxes strained and tightened muscles.

Developed in Denmark in the 1920s by three women with backgrounds in theater and dance, the therapy seems to have stayed close to home.  Hansen, trained in Copenhagen, believes she may be the only American practitioner.  No state or national massage organization could define afspaending or locate a practitioner.

No matter:  Hansen’s brand of bodywork — she’s been practicing it in the United States for 12 years — feels good.

Afspaending doesn’t employ traditional methods — no undressing, no oils, no piped-in sounds of ocean waves.  Typically performed in multiple sessions, it incorporates massage, stretching and behavior modification to teach clients how to live a more balanced, stress-free, painless life.

I explained to Hansen that an old back injury still caused pain and tightness that radiated down one leg.  It was so bad that, after a day walking hilly Cumberland, I felt like gravity pulled me into a troll-sized ball.

She winked, holding up one finger and pointing to the mat on the floor of her stark white therapy room.

She put me on my side, propping me with pillows to ease my spine into proper alignment.  This, she said, was the “universal rest position” — on one side with one leg and arm crossed over the body and propped on cushions.

Silently, Hansen rubbed away the tension in the knotted areas, using slow, short strokes.  In the worst areas, she used gentle acupressure techniques.

Then she rolled me to my back and pulled my limbs into place until she was sure my spine was straight.  She walked me through some stretches, then had me sit on a wooden stool while she prodded my spine into perfect sitting posture.  She manipulated my head and neck, then taught me the correct way to rise from the stool — abs in, use the thighs, pretend you’re a long, lean line.

The finale:  Take a deep breath, raise the arms, rise on the toes, let the arms float down.

“Your shoulders now rest beautifully on you back,” she said.

In one session, no aches, no pain.  The bliss lasted for days.

- From "The Baltimore Sun "
by Erika Hobbs

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Another import from Hansen's native Denmark is afspaending, which means unbuckling, and is recognized in northern Europe as a preventive and therapeutic form of physical treatment. As Hansen guides your limbs through a series of movements, your aches float away and your body learns how to position itself to let go of your tension. Hansen offers this treatment to guests for an extremely reasonable rate and has already developed an enthusiastic following in a state senator and her staff, who schedule sessions whenever they visit western Maryland.

- From "Blue Ridge Country Magazine"
by Su Clauson-Wicker

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Inside Advice

Sometimes it pays to whine a little, especially when you are in a place as accommodating as the Inn at Walnut Bottom. Arriving at the inn the evening before they had arranged for me to begin bicycling the towpath, I complained of a very stiff knee. Innkeeper Kirsten suggested to our group that I would be a good model for her to demonstrate her specialty: A Danish massage technique called Afspaending or "unbuckling." The therapy works with the specific muscles and ligaments, but combines it with teaching. Kirsten explained why my knee was stiff and gave me exercises to continue as I traveled. I descended the stairs to breakfast almost nimbly the next morning and biked 13 miles of towpath before lunch. So if you have a charley-horse from your day's hiking, or biking, ask Kirsten about a massage session.

- From "Adventure Guide to the Chesapeake Bay"
by Barbara Radcliffe Rogers & Stillman Rogers

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If exploring the terminus of the canal in Cumberland on your way to points further west, be sure to try the Inn at Walnut Bottom, 120 Greene St., Cumberland, MD 301-777-0003 or 800-286-9718, for it's historic charm, proximity to the canal, and friendly staff, who go out of their way to make you feel at home. The Inn consists of two adjoining townhouses, one built in 1820, the other in 1890. It's 12 guest rooms are decorated with antiques and period reproduction furniture. Complimentary bicycles are available for those wishing to spend the day exploring the canal. Afterward, indulge yourself with a Danish bodywork treatment called " Afspaending", offered by the Inn for an additional fee. Hour-long sessions are given by Innkeeper Kirsten Hansen, a native of Denmark, who is certified in the technique.

- From "Maryland Delaware Travel Smart"
by Shelia Kinkade