Also called nuad bo rarn, Thai massage has been taught and practiced in Thailand for approximately twenty-five hundred years. Although the origins are somewhat vague, credit for Thai massage is given to a famous Indian doctor, Shivago Komarpaj, who was the personal physician of the Buddha and Magadha king. Historically, manipulation was one of four major branches composing traditional Thai ceremonies or magical practices. This is based on the theory the body is made up of seventy-two thousand sen, or energy lines, of which ten hold top priority. Thai massage also involves peripheral stimulating, meaning it acts as an external stimulant to produce specific internal effects. This point serves as the main division between Thai and Western massage.
Thai Massage
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jeremy Kotenburg
Trained in Swedish, Thai, Reiki, Acupressure, Chakra balancing and deep tissue massage techniques.
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.
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.