When your car’s check engine light comes on, you call a mechanic. If your body needs tuning up, consider making an appointment with Nichole Cross.

At her business The Body Mechanist, located at 3229 Cranberry Highway, the experienced massage therapist treats clients from all walks of life seeking pain relief.

Cross specializes in “trigger point therapy,” which essentially focuses on the problematic muscle or muscles with deep tissue massage. In addition to average people with aches and pains, her clients include mixed martial artists, commercial fishermen, fitness junkies and others who “keep messing up their bodies with hardcore activities, who want to keep going.”

Essentially, Cross says massaging the irritated muscle increases blood flow to the area, reducing pain and restoring mobility.

“If a muscle is just a little bit inhibited the other muscles have to work differently, and it creates all kinds of havoc,” Cross said. “People think this is a luxury, but it’s not. That’s why I call myself the body mechanist. This is about helping your human machine.”

Now open for five years, The Body Mechanist’s success was recently recognized by the Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce. Cross earned the organization’s “Better Mousetrap” Award, which honors area businesses that appear to be headed for long-term success.

While she appreciates the recognition, Cross said seeing clients walk out of the shop in less pain is why she does what she does.

“People have told me, ‘I feel taller, I feel drunk, I feel high,’” she said. “I tell people I’m the best drug dealer in town because massage releases serotonin and dopamine, similar to some drugs. Except I’m legal.”

Cross said she has built the business on the back of her extensive training, which sets her apart from others.

A Wareham native, she earned a degree in massage therapy in 2003 from Baker College in Clinton Township, Michigan. From there, she studied under a Bonnie Prudden Myotherapist, where she discovered her passion for trigger point work.

“That opened up a world I never even knew existed,” she said. “I thought I was going to learn how to rub a body. Instead, I learned a whole new language. I mean, there are over 700 muscles in the body.”

Since then, she has kept up her education, continually honing her skills. And she ensures her staff are taking courses regularly, too.

The Body Mechanist is not just for massage. It offers many aesthetic services, including facials and waxing. Cross described that aspect of the business as her “second love.”

With the business growing, Cross said she is looking to move to a larger location in town sometime soon. Until then, clients can expect to find her at the current shop, helping people feel their best.

“This is your human machine,” she said. “Spare parts are never as good as the original.”

For more information on The Body Mechanist, visit www.thebodymechanist.com.