Archives for January 2023

Amy Katz

Amy values listening to the wisdom of the body to return to a natural state of ease. She practices Swedish Massage, Reflexology, Biodynamic Craniosacral, and Barefoot Deep Tissue/Sports Massage. Amy received her training at the Santa Barbara Body Therapy Institute, in 2008. 

Annamaria Russo

Trained locally at Cypress Institute and at Esalen in Big Sur, I have been practicing massage since 2007. Specializing in Deep tissue, Swedish and Esalen style deep body work. It is my goal to create a safe space for relaxation, stress reduction, and healing on a deeper level.

Hunter Villa Gawboy

Hunter is a trans, non-binary, 2nd generation intuitive massage therapist.

As a 2nd generation therapist, their work is influenced by a lifetime of familiarity with the practice. As a kid they learned to understand what a deep support for wellness massage can offer. Through first-hand experience as an active child they directly felt what relief it so often brought to their own aches and pains and restless legs. Growing up they started to integrate the practice into their own life, at first more casually trading with friends and family for many years as they developed a closer and closer relationship with the art. 

Eventually, they began to note a certain lack of accessibility for many folks in their own communities who don’t always feel comfortable in mainstream settings of Wellness and they developed a drive to finally become professionally certified so they could use their skill set as a professional trade and offer more access to the benefits the work provides as such. As they continued their journey, they received affirming feedback from peers that their massage made a difference for those in their community who were able to receive it, and that their goals resonated with many.

A graduate from Cypress Health institute in Santa Cruz, they were formally trained in elements of primarily Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue, Polarity, and Craniosacral in 2019.  

While Hunter’s background supports a certain comfortability in providing a firm hand with some pressure if desired in the work, they find a special joy and satisfaction in being able to listen to the client and meet them wherever they are at.  

They love learning and understanding how each bodies’ needs are so unique and different from one another, and figuring out how to meet those needs and how they change over time. Their utmost passion is to help one’s body feel more fully integrated so we can all feel more wholly embodied and connected to the inherent resources inside of us.

 

Silas Littlefield

Silas believes that everyone deserves to feel safe and at home in their own bodies. As  a transgender man (female to male), he personally appreciates the importance of receiving continued body work for our own unique and continued authentic transformation. He graduated an 850 hour training for massage in Portland Oregon, at East West College Of The Healing Arts in 2011, where he focused his studies on Deep tissue and Structural integration. He is also trained in Swedish, Thai, and Trigger point therapy modalities. Since graduating, Silas has worked in a medical massage clinic, working with doctors and clients to rehabilitate acute and chronic injuries. He also has had his own private practice for over five years, where he grew his intuition in body work. His work is focused and therapeutic by nature, with plenty of space for intuitive restorative movements. Silas believes his purpose as a massage therapist is to hold space for the body’s inherent knowledge of how to heal itself and to find more restful states of being.

Skylar Stumpf

Dr. Skylar Stumpf has over 5000 hours of graduate-level training; studies were completed through Five Branches University Graduate School of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine. Skylar holds a Doctorate and Masters of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine with a specialization in Asian medical bodywork, and is licensed as an acupuncturist and primary care provider in the State of California, with seven years of experience in the field of Integrative Health.

At the Well Within, Skylar focuses on stress and musculoskeletal challenges, providing a systemic reset for health of the mind-soul-body. Skylar’s specialties include Deep Tissue, Shiatsu, and Swedish massage.