Adam Lacey

Adam started doing massage professionally after attending the Baltimore School of Massage in 1991. Two years later he decided to focus on Asian bodywork and attended the Baltimore School of Shiatsu, which led to a journey through South East Asia in the winter of 1995 to study Thai Massage. He attended the basic through advanced massage training at the main Buddhist temple, Wat Po, in Bangkok and completed another course at the Old Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Adam began a 3-year sabbatical from massage in 1998 to teach English as a second language and explore Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. He joined the Well Within family in 2001 and has been on the Well Bodycare team for over 7 years. Since 2011 he has been training at Esalen in the Deep Bodywork modality created by Perry and Johanna Holloman. And in 2013 he began an intensive training in KMI, a Structural Integration approach based on Ida Rolf’s method and teaching.  

Adam is a Well Within Spa Bodycare practitioner and his specialties are Deep Tissue, Thai Massage and Shiatsu.

on: Deep Tissue, Practitioner Bios, Shiatsu, Thai Massage August 14, 2013

Dan Gill

Dan was first drawn to becoming a bodyworker as a result of a Reiki session he received shortly after moving to the Bay Area in 2015. This session filled his entire being with an inner joy, and he immediately knew that he wanted to share this feeling with the people around him. He was inspired to know that he had found his true calling in life. 

Dan has over 1500 hours of massage and bodywork training from McKinnon Body Therapy Center in Oakland, California, and continuing education programs. While the focus of his training and his specialties are Tui Na, Shiatsu, Acupressure and Craniosacral Therapy, he has also studied Thai, Reiki, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Manual Lymphat Drainage, Deep Tissue and Swedish massage. He has a strong commitment to continuing education and believes that all bodywork study, inside and outside the primary modalities of his practice, add a depth and richness to his work.

on: Jin Shin Jyutsu, acupressure, Craniosacral, Deep Tissue, Lymphatic Drainage, Practitioner Bios, Reiki, Shiatsu, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage, Tui Na January 19, 2022

Jason Mandell

Jason Mandell has been offering massage to the world since 1995.  Initially trained in Swedish and Polarity, Jason has gone on to study and incorporate into his own unique style other various modalities including Shiatsu, Thai massage and Phenomenal Touch. He views his mission in massage as a way to locate holding patterns held in the nexus of the physical, mental/emotional and spiritual body. Once found, an invitation is given to redirect the energy of these holding patterns, offering a release of tension and an opportunity to find more groundation in one’s body and one’s sense of self. All is connected. The less tension in the body, the less tension in the world.  The less tension in the world, the less tension in the body.

on: Practitioner Bios, Polarity, Shiatsu, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage March 4, 2019

Jennifer Gordon

Jennifer has been practicing massage for 24 years and is nationally certified. With over 2000 hours of training in a variety of modalities and experience working on many types of clients, she customizes each session based on client goals and feedback. Jennifer draws mainly from Swedish, deep tissue, Thai and cranial sacral techniques. Her goal for each session is that you leave with more awareness of your body, breathing deeper and feeling refreshed. 

on: Craniosacral, Deep Tissue, Practitioner Bios, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage March 16, 2022

Jeremy Kotenburg

Trained in Swedish, Thai, Reiki, Acupressure, Chakra balancing and deep tissue massage techniques.

on: acupressure, Chakra Balancing, Deep Tissue, Practitioner Bios, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage September 14, 2021

Julienne English

Holding space for relaxation and recovery for 16 years. Jules offers a combination of modalities in every massage. Pulling from her tool box of massage techniques to fit everyone’s specific needs, incorporating intuitive Swedish, Thai, Acupressure, specialty Pre-natal, rocking and stretching.

on: acupressure, Practitioner Bios, Pre & post Natal, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage August 27, 2013

Karen Ahn Ruiz

Karen Ahn has been practicing massage therapy since 2002. She specializes in Swedish, Deep Tissue, Polarity, Acupressure, Thai, Reiki, Energy, Aromatherapy, and most recently Lomi Lomi. She has studied at both Cypress Health Institute and Southern California School of Massage where she obtained her Therapeutic Massage Certificate and her Holistic Health Certification. Her philosophy is to cherish yourself always, keep your heart open, and reflect and grow.

 

on: Lomi Lomi, acupressure, Deep Tissue, Practitioner Bios, Polarity, Reiki, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage May 4, 2022

Keren Aylon

My name means ‘a ray of light’ in Hebrew. I began my studies in Tel Aviv, focusing on Body-centered Psychotherapy and Body-Mind-Energy Balancing.

After that, I continued to learn and grow as a massage therapist, leading workshops with an emphasis on Breath Work.

Next my journey took me to Nepal where I continued to evolve my craft at The Institute of Natural Medicine, mentored by Nabin. Here I explored a variety of massage disciplines such as Ayurvedic, Swedish, deep tissue, hot stones, reflexology and Thai massage.

on: Ayurvedic massage, Deep Tissue, Practitioner Bios, reflexology, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage January 18, 2022

Lisa DiBello

Lisa has been in private practice and employed at note-worthy spa and healing facilities continuously for 20 years since her graduation from the Swedish Institute in NYC. Though originally from NY, she has lived, trained and traveled in Asia, and has resided in six US States on the East and West Coast, the Southwest and Colorado.  She has studied Traditional Thai Massage extensively in the US and in Thailand as well as one year of formal TCM study at Beijing University for Traditional Chinese Medicine. Her work aims at resolving both short and long-term soft-tissue imbalance and her style is defined by quiet, deep relaxation – utilizing Swedish, Thai and Japanese Shiatsu massage techniques.  It will include the subtle use of specific points along the energy meridians as well as suggestions for take-home physical/postural behavior modifications. Expect to walk away from the table with your nervous system noticeably calmed and your senses reinvigorated.

on: Practitioner Bios, Shiatsu, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage June 12, 2023

Samantha Pope

While studying psychology and dance at the University of Florida, Sam took a semester of Thai massage within the dance department, and the spell was cast. After graduating, Sam found herself reconnecting with her Thai teacher, and an opportunity she couldn’t refuse appeared; an intimate apprenticeship to learn the art of Thai massage. For several years, Sam studied & practiced daily with her teacher, and eventually became a co-teacher in all workshops and classes. 

In 2017, Sam attended the Florida School of Massage to broaden her training and knowledge and became a licensed Massage Therapist. There she studied several modalities including Swedish, Connective Tissue Therapy, Reflexology, Polarity, Sports Massage & Neuromuscular Therapy. In 2022, Sam moved to Santa Cruz and joined the team at Well Within. Her sessions include elements of the modalities listed above, as well as space for intuition and in the moment discoveries. Her current specialty massage offerings include Deep Tissue, Prenatal, Thai Foot Reflexology, and Thai Massage.

on: Deep Tissue, Practitioner Bios, Polarity, Pre & post Natal, reflexology, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage August 25, 2022

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.

on: Structural Integration, Deep Tissue, Practitioner Bios, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage, Trigger Point Myotherapy January 28, 2023

Stacy Day

Stacy is a long-time bodywork practitioner, having been Nationally Certified in therapeutic massage and bodywork since 1994. Various trainings include: Swedish-Esalen, Deep Massage, including techniques for frozen shoulder, carpel tunnel, knee and hip concerns, Prenatal massage, Jin Shin Do Acupressure, Cranial-Sacral, Reiki, Ashiatsu DeepFeet Bar and Sarga Silks, etc., and a graduate of Wat Po Thai Massage school. UCSC graduate with Psychobiology major, SFSU M.A. in Holistic Health & Philosophy. Past work as a birth Doula and Yoga instructor. Stacy is an annual guest bodyworker at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. At the Well, she also enjoys doing special treatments such as relaxation facials, foot treatments, aromatherapy, and hair & scalp conditioning.

on: Skin & Body Care, acupressure, Craniosacral, Deep Tissue, Esalan, Jin Shin So, Practitioner Bios, Pre & post Natal, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage February 20, 2019