Hena Rizvi came to bodywork through her own healing. After a traumatic brain injury and a long recovery, she learned from the inside what it’s like when a nervous system needs to be approached slowly — and that’s the sensitivity she brings to the table now. Her sessions are trauma-informed, intuitive and collaborative, and nothing in them is rushed.
She describes healing as something that happens when people feel seen and supported, and met where they are without pressure to perform or persevere.
What a session draws on
Craniosacral therapy is at the centre of it. Hena has trained through two levels with the Upledger Institute, the second completed this May, and that work is gentle, light-touch attention to the nervous system and fascia. Alongside it she uses somatic-informed therapeutic massage, myofascial release and reiki — she holds a third-degree Usui Reiki certification, and has trained with the Embody Lab in integrative somatic trauma therapy and parts-based work. She finished her 682 hours at the Pittsburgh School of Massage Therapy in October 2025.
Who comes to see her
People living with PTSD or C-PTSD, grief, stress, chronic illness, held emotion, or tension the body has been storing for a long time. Her listing also names anxiety and depression, autoimmune conditions, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, chronic pain, headaches and migraines, insomnia, eating disorder recovery and post-surgery recovery, and she works with first responders and veterans. Her care is LGBTQ+ affirming, and she speaks English and Urdu.
If you’re not sure whether this is the right kind of work for you, you can book a free 15-minute consultation call with her first.
Wholde, and how to book
Wholde is a community care space Hena founded at 901 Western Avenue, a short walk from Allegheny Commons, where she practises alongside other licensed massage therapists and holistic practitioners. Sessions are by appointment only. Street parking is available on Western and Galveston Avenues, and the nearest bus stops are Western Ave at Manhattan St and Western Ave at Allegheny Ave.
The treatment room is up a flight of stairs. If stairs are hard for you, mention it at intake and she can see you on the lower level instead; the first-floor bathroom isn’t fully ADA compliant.
Hena keeps part of her practice for sliding-scale clients. If a reduced rate would make sessions possible for you, just say so when you get in touch.
Her Pennsylvania licence, MSG016657, is verified against the Department of State, the same as every listing here.