Kate Johnson Managing Partner/Licensed Massage Therapist
Hello, my name is Kate Johnson and I am the managing partner and primary therapist at Healing Hands Massage. Becoming a massage therapist was natural choice for me. I have been passionate about holistic health care and healthy nutrition since I was a young adult. My desire to make food and health care needs as natural as possible was given fuel during the 15+ years that I stayed home raising and homeschooling my three children. What a gift that was to me, on many levels. During this time, I had great space to learn about and to cultivate fresh organic herbs, fruits and vegetables. Some astounding truths were discovered regarding the foods we eat. Such as, some of the growing practices that are used and where food in our local stores come from. Also, how food can affect the normal functions of our body and it's overall health and even cause and/or exacerbate disease. In addition, there are foods and herbs that can help to prevent discomfort, inflammation and disease, and that can promote healing and good health. Somewhere along the way, massage therapy, as a way of helping to heal, came into my consciousness. It brewed there for some time, until I embarked on my quest to become a Licensed Massage Therapist and a Certified Holistic Health Practitioner. I received my education at The American Spirit Institute in Richmond.
I have received extensive education in many modalities, and continue this study into bodywork, as it is an ongoing process. Massage is fascinating in it's ability to help people to live more peacefully, with less discomfort in their bodies, either by managing pain, relieving stress, or by releasing movement restrictions that muscle tension and/or injury can cause.
I consider it an honor to offer this therapeutic experience for your health. My goal with each client, is to listen, to provide the space for one to slow down, to let the body relax and receive the massage therapy your body needs.
Nya Echevarria Licensed Massage Therapist
Hi, I’m Nya (pronounced knee-ya) Echevarria. I am a retired Pastry Chef turned Licensed Massage Therapist and Virtual Heath Coach. After 11 years in the restaurant industry, I needed a change. I knew that I wanted to help people with their health and wellness journey, but I wasn’t exactly sure the best way to get there, or what to do. I was very active for my own health and I knew that I could help others achieve a more healthy way of being. Around this time my mom, Kate, suggested the opportunity of making Healing Hands Massage a family business. I never saw myself going down this path, but something about it spoke to me, and within a week I was enrolled in massage school. I attended American Spirit Institute in Richmond. A month into school I found out I was pregnant!! It made this decision very clear to me that it had been perfect timing.
Over the course of my schooling I fell in love with massage, the flowing motions of Lomilomi (a massage technique) and the amazing relief of deep tissue and trigger point therapy. I appreciate the creativity and the exchange of energy...always bringing me to a calm place, and in turn, bringing calm to those of you on my table. I learned about muscle function and the way that a knotted muscle needs to “trust” to be able to relax. This soft tissue therapy soon replaced baking as my happy place, and I never once looked back. I am on a path I love, I get to help people every day become healthier versions of themselves and relieve stress and pain. I am working at preventing the illnesses, not just managing them.
When you are on my massage table, I will stretch and pull your soft tissue, relieving as much pain as I can. My good energy will flow into you on your worst days, and match yours on your best. I am ready to give you a massage unlike any other - because no two massages are the same.
