I have been drawn to massage for as long as I can remember. Due to a spinal disease, my mother suffered chronic pain for many years. Watching failed surgeries and drug dependency hurt her more, I tried my "magic" to alleviate the pain.
t took a while for life to direct me to Irene's Myomassology Institute, but once it did, I knew I would practice massage for the rest of my life. I do what I love and love what I do. I truly believe my clients are brought to me for a reason. The bigger the challenge the better! I was given a gift and feel blessed to share it with my clients. I am a physical, mental, and spiritual tool for people who suffer from many aliments that accompany chronic pain.
I will utilize multiple modalities to help us reach your goals. Such as myofascial release, trigger points, deep tissue, positional release, and many more. The more a client can "let go" the more "I feel" therefore, a better session ensues.
In my spare time, I enjoy nature, hiking with my dog, mountain climbing, outdoor adventures, camping, basically fun, adventure and spontaneity. Photography and writing poetry are my hobbies. I have poems published in the International Library of Poetry, earning an editor's choice award. I will do my best to make you laugh because it is the best medicine. My only goal is for you to feel better and help facilitate the change you are looking for.
Gina graduated from Michigan State University in 1987 with a B.S. in Management. After a career in retail management, Gina felt a calling to the healing arts. She pursued her education in therapeutic massage at Michigan School of Massage in Berkley, MI and graduated in 2006. Gina is also a professional member of the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals.
Gina’s forte is deep tissue, mayo-facial release, and trigger point work.
She became a massage therapist because I wanted to help people with chronic pain in addition to educating people on wellness and maintenance for their bodies.
Gina’s father has had several surgeries on his back to help with disc challenges. She witnessed the incredible pain he was going through and hated that he continued to require surgeries without any other avenue for relief from his physical pain. This experience fostered her desire and pursuit of therapeutic bodywork.
Gina knew she had a talent for therapeutic massage when working for Aveda as an Account Executive. Gina was responsible for instructing stylists on how to give a scalp and hand massage with the Aveda product line. The feedback on her work was extremely positive and was encouraged by co-workers as well as clients to pursue massage as a career.
Gina says, “It was the best decision I ever made. I am so much more grounded in both my work but in my life as well as a result of this life path.”
In Gina’s free time, she is an avid gardener and enjoys hiking and camping.
Kimberly has always had a passion for learning about the body and helping people rid themselves of tension and stress from daily living.
Kimberly was born and raised in Detroit and would witness on a daily basis the amount of people that were stressed out and she wanted to do something to change that. She moved to Nashville, TN and graduated from Tennessee State University in 2007 with a Bachelors in Health Sciences. Upon moving back to Detroit she found herself working a job that left her unfulfilled most days.
In 2011 while organizing paperwork she came across an application from 2003 that she submitted to a massage therapy school in Nashville, at that moment Kim knew what she wanted to do, after plenty research she found an accredited school that was right for her Ann Arbor Institute of Massage Therapy.
She graduated from in March 2013. Kimberly is certified in Neuromuscular Therapy, Myofascial, and Swedish techniques. She loves to to do integrative work where she infuses therapeutic techniques in the most relaxing way possible.
Kim is a case worker for the State of MI and she enjoys cooking, making candles, painting, and traveling.
Kim's motto is "when it comes to your body don't cheat yourself, treat yourself because good health equals great wealth".
In 2006 Alissa packed up her car and went on a road trip across the western United States in search of adventure. During her travels she often found herself in the company of people from all walks of life. One woman in particular helped Alissa when she had become ill. This woman turned out to be a skilled herbalist and massage therapist.
“Due to an infection, I was icing my lip which had become swollen. I hadn’t slept in days, and the stress of being ill while traveling had taken its toll on my neck and shoulders!”, recalls Alissa. “A women approached me and asked a few questions about my condition. She then said that she could help me.”
Promptly the woman went out into the forest, carefully picked several local herbs, and then preceded to prepare them for Alissa to drink, eat and apply as warm compresses.
“After the herbal remedies had started to take effect, the woman offered to give me a massage. She released the tension in my shoulders and neck and used a very subtle technique that I now recognize as Lymphatic Drainage.”
Alissa learned a great deal from the interaction with this woman as the experience has since inspired her to pursue a career that would benefit others.
Alissa graduated from Irene’s Myomassology Institute in 2011 and is a member of Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. She blends traditional Swedish relaxation massage with therapeutic techniques that include deep tissue, trigger point therapy, reflexology, stretching, lymphatic drainage, and muscle mechanics. She also enjoys utilizing aromatherapy with essential oils for treating afflictions such as headaches, and muscle cramping.
In her spare time Alissa enjoys practicing yoga, playing in her garden, cooking, and reading.
Kole graduated from Olivet College (Olivet, MI) in 1996 with a double major in Psychology/Sociology with a minor in Anthropology. Upon completion, he followed his life-long military aspirations and joined the Army where he trained as a combat medic and mental health specialist. He was sent to the Commanders Total Fitness Course, and this is where Kole first discovered his fascination with Human Physiology, Anatomy, and Kinesiology. Kole is an Iraq war veteran, NPTI Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and trained myomassologist. He is an outstanding motivator and caregiver by day and a vivid illustrator and spoken word titan by night. To a degree some might say that his reserved, complex and subtle natures often times veil his inner enthusiasm and vigor. Which also allows him to work effectively with some of the most sensitive and cautious massage clients. He aspires to be a part of a society that embraces individual and social responsibility, personal health, strength, and spiritual contentedness. Kole is an exceptional massage therapist who uses an integrative and dynamic approach to fitness health and therapeutic massage practice.
Rachel Baumann is a certified massage therapist from Baker College of Clinton Township. She graduated in 2007 after three years with her certification in therapeutic massage and over 1000 hours of massage, including clinicals and an externship at Waddham's Assisted Living.
It was at Baker College that she studied modalities such as, reflexology, reiki, deep tissue, acupressure, sports, energy, pre-natal, trigger point, and craniosacral therapy. She also took other classes to help her better deal with other aspects of massage therapy such as, pathology and business. However, her specialties include: deep tissue, pre-natal, trigger point, and sports massage, while incorporating stretching throughout each session.
Rachel loves a challenge and strongly believes one of the greatest gifts you can give a life is giving your time whole heartedly accompanied with a healing hand. Massage is a great way to relieve stress but it's so much more than that, the health benefits are endless when it comes to this field.
Something you may not know about Rachel is that she is an avid runner which means she is great at pin pointing knots and working to release overused muscle groups associated with tensing up the muscles while running/exercising. Following that, she is very sympathetic towards injuries that regrettably can occur in runners. Not only is her passion helping people through therapeutic massage but she would also like to continue her education to work with animals and horses in the near future. After all, being more active then we are sometimes, they need healing too.
I am Reiki Master/Teacher, and classically trained musician on a mission to inspire others to discover their own self-healing ability. My reiki journey began with my own healing crisis. A er struggling for years with tradional western medicine, I was introduced to reiki at just the right time. After only one session my pain vanished, and I was hooked. I knew then that I needed to learn how to control this amazing gift and pass it on. I have since become fully certified to heal at the master level, and pass along the gift of Reiki through teaching.
I have recently begun studying the effects of music on healing the body as well; trying to implement sound into my healing work. The body responds to vibrations of all kinds. Infusing the pure energy of reiki with the vibration altering effects of music has proven to be an amazing combination!
Hannah has been a licensed Massage Therapist since March 2014 and a member of Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals since 2013. She graduated from Baker College of Owosso with a Certificate in Therapeutic Massage in 2013 and an Associate Degree in Therapeutic Massage from Baker College of Clinton Township in 2015. She started her career working with Chiropractic as well as Physical Therapy patients, giving her excellent insight regarding the union of eastern and western techniques. Her focus within the field of massage is to help clients regain quality of life while assist- ing in directing the body's natural energy to heal itself. She is also passionate about educating the public regarding the many health benefits of massage as it coincides with their current care plan.
Hannah has always been a hands-on kind of person, but never considered something along those lines as far as a career was concerned. It was after three changes in majors that a friend, majoring in Occupational Therapy, mentioned looking into Massage Therapy as an option. The next semester, Hannah was enrolled in the Massage program at Baker College and she was hooked. Everything about massage fascinated her, everything she learned was exciting. She continues to learn new techniques to better serve her clients and improve her own self care.
Hannah is experienced with a wide variety of massage styles but specializes in treating clients with chronic conditions. Some examples of these conditions include carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, chronic pain, headaches, and much more. Some of the modalities Hannah has experience with include Deep Tissue Massage, Reflexology, Trigger Point Therapy, Therapeutic Massage, Swedish Mas- sage, Sports Massage, Chair Massage, Myofascial massage, Acupressure, Energy work and more. She is excited to have access to the collective knowledge at Greenleaf Bodywork. She is eager to learn new techniques and continue to grow as a Licensed Massage Therapist.
After suffering a broken femur as a result of an auto accident in February 2014, Hannah has gained some valuable insight from a patient's perspective. Most of 2014 was spent in recovery, which inter- rupted her schooling but also added the valuable experience of seeing how a person's life can be so greatly impacted by the care they receive. Not only was her schooling interrupted, but she also had to relocate from Flint, MI back to her parent's house in Warren where she had assistance and care during her recovery.
Since then she has continued on in the Metro Detroit area and is excited about the opportunities available.
Randy is a licensed massage therapist who graduated from Irene's Myomassology Institute. He studied Swedish, sports massage, trigger-point therapy, myofascial release, cranio-sacral, muscle mechanics and reflexology techniques. Randy uses a blend of these techniques to help people relax and to relieve pain. As an advocate of holistic health, healing and fitness, he wants to help clients achieve their wellness goals. Randy is a member of Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. He also is a high school English teacher who believes in life-long learning and who works on improving his practice of massage. During his leisure me, Randy enjoys walking his two dogs Mimi and Layla, listening to jazz and reading mystery novels.
Sarah studied at Irene's Myomassology Ins tute where she learned the power of touch. She had no idea that she wanted to be a massage therapist but the universe led her to Irenes. Sarah has had many of different jobs in her life from bartender to house maid and from these jobs she has learned that everyone needs a little help and healing along the way.
I am very proud to say that I am a licensed massage therapist. School was challenging and amazing at the same me. I took classes that helped me to not only understand myself but to understand the way every single thing in everyones life ma ers. We are all connected. We hold on to things that we think we have let go of. Massage helps us let go. It helps to release and to refresh. It goes deep into the soul. That is what I learned from massage and con nue to learn every single day.
Sarah is a 2014 graduate from Irene’s Myomassology Ins tute, a member of Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals, and specializes in ashiatsu, thai, reflexology, reiki, deep ssue, myofascial release and relaxa on massage.
The moment I stepped into Greenleaf Bodywork, I knew it was where I was meant to be. They truly have changed my life. The staff at Greenleaf Bodywork is made up of the kind of people you want to be around every day.
Before coming to work at Greenleaf Bodywork, although I hate to admit it, I had never experienced a real massage. Thankfully for Greenleaf, I quickly had my first massage…and then my second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, tenth…thirtieth, etc. I was hooked. I was also completely blown away at how knowledgeable and talented these therapists were, and are.
Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to help Greenleaf Bodywork grow from 3 rooms to 6, and from 5 massage therapists to 14. It is now four years later, and I am still in love with my job. While I am not pursuing a career as a massage therapist, but rather a career as a nurse, I am still very passionate about the work our therapists provide and am ecstatic to be part of such a great team.
I was drawn to massage therapy because I am very passionate about helping people. In 2010 I graduated from Everest Institute. Since then, I have practiced massage for one year independently and three years in a professional establishment. My specialties are Deep Tissue, Trigger Point, Sports Massage, and Stretching.
As an athlete myself, I can relate to other athletes and help with their injuries. During my athletic career I have experienced a variety of injuries, all of which have given me a great deal of knowledge and understanding about what the body goes through.
I am very passionate about the healing arts and because of that, I keep myself constantly updated on techniques. I also allow myself room to learn and expand my knowledge base in other modalities.
I am a fan of the arts (massage therapy is my art form specialty), I love sports and being physically active, and I am very passionate about Roller Skating (I roller skate 3-5 times a week). I also volunteer in coaching youth athletics and continue to study and advance myself in my craft.
I look forward to having the chance to meet you!
Cat is a licensed massage therapist and has been practicing in the field since she graduated Irene's Myomassology Institute in May of 2012. She has a real passion for relieving others of their pain, stress, and anxiety.
Cat likes to incorporate stretching and muscle mechanics into her sessions as well as therapeutic techniques from Myofascial Release and Trigger Point Therapy. Cat is also trained in Hot Stone massage and is a level III Reiki practitioner.
Cat also has a passion for animals, and has been working with and training dogs since 2009. She especially loves to utilize her skills in canine massage and Tellington TTouch to help them relax and release tight muscles. In her free time she enjoys hiking with her dog, crafting, and traveling.
