Rolfing and
Structural Integration
in Clifton Hill
Individualised structural bodywork with Nicholas Barbousas, drawing on more than 30 years of clinical practice. Based at 167 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill, serving Melbourne's inner north.
Monday · Tuesday · Friday
Hands-on work with your whole
structure, not just the sore spot
Rolfing Structural Integration is hands-on work with the body's connective tissue and movement patterns. Rather than treating a sore spot in isolation, it looks at how your whole structure organises itself: how you stand, how you move, and how the different regions of your body share the work of being upright.
Over time, bodies settle into patterns. Some of those patterns serve you well. Others quietly load certain areas until they complain. Rolfing works with those patterns directly, through slow, specific manual work combined with movement and awareness, so that standing and moving can become easier rather than something you have to hold together.
It is methodical, unhurried work, and most people find it a very different experience from massage or adjustment-based therapies.
Thirty years of clinical practice,
taught in plain language
Nicholas Barbousas has practised Rolfing Structural Integration for over 30 years. Alongside clinical practice, he has spent 27 years teaching manual and movement therapy at postgraduate level, including convening a university myofascial release program, and he is the author of The Posture Solution.
That teaching background shapes the clinical work. Sessions are explained as they happen, in plain language, so you leave understanding your own pattern better than when you arrived.
Five things that set the work apart
It looks beyond where it hurts
The place that complains is often the place doing extra work for somewhere else. Sessions examine the whole pattern rather than chasing the symptom.
Posture is treated as an adaptable system
There is no perfect position to hold and no posture police here. The aim is a structure with more options, so your body can meet what your day asks of it.
Sessions move between observation, hands-on work and re-checking, so we both see what changed rather than assuming.
Some people come for a single session, some for a short series, some for occasional maintenance. There is no automatic ten-session program to sign up for. What we do depends on what your structure presents and what you want from the work.
Rolfing is not a cure-all and no reputable practitioner should promise specific outcomes. What you can expect is careful work, clear reasoning and an honest opinion about whether this approach suits what you're dealing with.
You don't need a diagnosis to book
Tension or aches that ease with treatment but keep returning
Wanting to move and breathe with less effort
A sense of being stiff, restricted or effortful in everyday movement
Recovering ease after injury, alongside other care
Concerns about posture, at a desk, in sport, or with age
Curiosity about their own structure and how it works
If you’re unsure whether Rolfing fits your situation, get in touch before booking and ask
Queens Parade, Clifton Hill
The clinic sits in the Queens Parade shopping village, an easy reach from Fitzroy North, Collingwood, Fairfield, Abbotsford, Northcote and the wider inner north.
The route 86 tram stops on Queens Parade close to the clinic, Clifton Hill Station is a short walk away, and there is [time-limited] parking along the Queens Parade service road and in nearby streets.
The practice room is on the second floor and is reached by several stairs. If stairs are difficult for you, contact me before booking and we'll talk through whether the space will work for you.
Practice days are Monday, Tuesday and Friday, from 17 August 2026.
Entry instructions, parking details and FAQs on the clinic page
An hour of careful, explained work
A session runs for about an hour. We begin with a conversation about what's going on and what you want from the work, followed by observation and a few simple movement checks. The hands-on work happens on a treatment table, working slowly and specifically, with your feedback guiding pace and pressure throughout. Wear comfortable clothing you can move in; we'll discuss options that suit you when you book.
Sessions finish by re-checking what has changed and, where useful, one or two practical things to notice or practise between sessions. Nothing is left mysterious. If you want to know why something is being done, ask, and you'll get a straight answer.
In their words
"My shoulder was killing me from excessive computer use but doctors and physios had not been able to help me … by the end my shoulder pain was gone and I simply felt like I had one complete aligned body."
"Nick was very honest and upfront with me, saying if I didn't notice any relief after 3 sessions, it probably wasn't going to help me … He got me back running in such a short time, even soft sand."
"I am in the Natural Therapies industry myself and with a chronic problem I have seen a lot of bodywork practitioners. I can honestly say I have never known of anyone as skilled and effective as Nick."
Booking
New and returning clients are welcome. Appointments are available Monday, Tuesday and Friday and bookings are made online through the usual system.
Book a session