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
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.
Lisa DiBello
Lisa has been in private practice and employed at note-worthy spa and healing facilities continuously for 17 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 Coasts, 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.
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.
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.
Suzanne Wilde
I fell in love with massage more than thirty years ago! As an athlete and a parent, I was looking for pain and stress relief and I discovered that massage brought these and so much more. Massage therapy has been a major part of my wellness strategy ever since. As a therapist, my goal is to bring together all the health benefits of massage into my practice, including calming the nervous system, muscle manipulation, stimulating circulation and joint lubrication, and gentle stretching. I have studied many types of massage and I like to bring a variety of techniques to cater to my clients’ preferences. I seek to create a warm, relaxed environment and I encourage clients to communicate their needs.
I have been a licensed massage therapist for twenty years. I studied over 1400 hours of massage therapy at the Big Island School of Medical Massage. I am practiced in a variety of modalities including medical and treatment massage, Swedish, Thai, Lomi Lomi, Sports Massage and Deep tissue.