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Therapists
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Amy L. Thompson, LMT Having been a professional dancer for the past eight years, Amy is in tune with her body and the needs of those around her. She has a natural affinity to help and nurture others, which led to a desire to study massage; it seemed like a perfect fit to an already active and creative lifestyle. While working at the Foiles Bergere at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, Amy studied massage and graduated from Northwest Massage School. She soon decided to come home to Reno to build a business and be with her family. Amy has now held a license in Reno since 1999, and enjoys and continues to be inspired by the evolving world of massage therapy. She loves taking classes and learning new techniques, and strives to provide the best care to her clients. Amy brings a very loving and generous energy to her work; her clients are important to her, and she wants them to know it! She provides a safe, nurturing and relaxing environment for her clients to experience a greater level of peace. She enjoys donating her services and time to help those in need, and to give back to the community through the blessing of touch! Amy specializes in Relaxation massage, combining Swedish and Deep Tissue techniques to provide an individualized massage treatment. Amy is also proud to offer Prenatal Massage and various Body Treatments. Massage therapy and the people it represents have truly enriched her life. She feels blessed to help others each day and to share her passion of massage with them! [Top] |
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Mandy Cholico, LMT & Owner As spiritual and healing work was a major part of Mandy's upbringing, it was only natural that she pursued a career in the healing arts. Working in the healing arts became one of Mandy's main desires, but she needed the right education and training. Searching for such an education lead Mandy to a healing arts school in Salt Lake City that met her demanding criteria. She graduated in 1999 and moved to Reno to establish herself and has now been providing massage therapy to the Reno/Sparks community for four and a half years. Mandy's dedication to assist mind/body balance through a hands on therapeutic approach is truly prevalent in her work. Specializing in deep tissue and injury rehabilitation, Mandy also enjoys pre/postnatal massage, infant massage, hydrotherapy treatments, and offers instructions to couples and parents wishing to bring the healing benefits of massage into their homes. Those who know Mandy recognize her goal orientation and her natural gift of knowing what people need for recovery from the effects of our fast-paced every day lives; bringing the well-being connection back to the soul. Along with her business partner, Amy Monette, one of Mandy's ultimate goals was realized with the opening of Perfect Balance Therapies. Mandy says, "Being able to help more people in our community connect back to the soul, feel balanced and return to a healthy every day life is truly divine." [Top] |
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Diane Vasquez, Licensed Massage Therapist After working in a demanding, deadline driven environment at an advertising agency for more than a decade, Diane has first hand knowledge of how detrimental a high stress lifestyle can be. Born to nurture others, Diane gave countless neck and back massages to friends and coworkers, then finally listened to her heart and followed her calling to study massage therapy. A graduate of the Baum Healing Arts Center School of Massage, Diane has focused her training on stress reduction, relaxation and rehabilitation for repetitive stress injuries. She uses a variety of massage techniques including trigger point therapy, strain counter-strain, Swedish, Acupressure, deep tissue, medical massage, therapeutic and sports massage. Diane encourages clients to participate in the co-creation of their massage session as much or as little as they prefer. She is able to provide very deep tissue work for those who desire it, or a mixture of therapeutic and relaxation massage, according to the client's needs and preferences. Helping to heal clients physically and mentally and bring them back to good health is the ultimate reward for Diane. Eager to learn all she can, Diane is committed to continuing education. She has completed Reiki Level I and is scheduled to complete level II by the end of this year. Diane will also be attending a prenatal massage course this June so she can offer her loving touch to expecting mothers. [Top] |
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Shamen Force Being born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands, Shamen has a true appreciation and respect for culture, arts, dance, and the power of the human spirit. It allowed growing up with a certain awareness and respect for the land and ocean. Mother Nature's beauty and her ability to heal and sustain human life. Arriving at the "thirty-something" time in her life, and mostly in Corporate America, Shamen realized a huge riff in her life. There were choices to make and balance was needed! Considering the important things in life... family, job, finding fulfillment... she began identifying and addressing her own struggles for peace. Shamen found herself compelled to move into something that allowed her to help others to improve the quality and enjoyment of their lives. Skin Care by Shamen Force was born. Providing a full array of skin care services from youthful teen skin to aging or maturing skin, treatments are customized to provide the best results. [Top] |
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Denise Montagne, Physical Therapist Denise graduated in 1990 from the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy. Denise believes in hands-on healing arts, which she uses through her training in osteopathic manual therapy including cranial sacral treatment. She is a Level II Reiki practitioner, a certified instructor in Pilates exercise through Polestar Education and a Level 1 certified instructor of the Gyrotonic Expansion System® and Gyrokinesis.. Denise has a personal interest in artistic movement and recreational activities, which contributes to her creative treatment style for restoring function and improving the quality of life of her patients. Denise is currently developing a health and fitness program for equestrians, featuring Pilates. It is designed to benefit horseback riders on and off of their horse. [Top] |
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Beth Cunningham, Physical Therapy Assistant Beth has been involved in the fitness industry for over 20 years, with experience in everything from group exercise to personal training to management positions. She has been a licensed physical therapist assistant for six years. Her certifications include Powerhouse Pilates (mat, reformer, chair and cadillac), Resist-a-ball Pilates on the ball and C.O.R.E., ACE group exercise, AFAA personal training, indoor cycling and Body Pump. Beth is also a national trainer for Pilates education and has undergone the pre-training course for the Gyrotonic Expansion System®. Beth enjoys the outdoor lifestyle that the Reno/Tahoe area has to offer. [Top] |
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Jeramie Lu, Licensed Massage Therapist Jeramie spent 10 years in the hotel and restaurant industry in Reno, observing the high levels of stress in his co-workers and customers. These experiences inspired Jeramie to seek a career where he could assist others in managing their stress. He enrolled in the Nevada Career Academy to study massage, and graduated in the fall of 2004. While offering a full range of massage services, Jeramie especially enjoys sports massage and deep tissue massage. Many of his clients come from an athletic background. These clients report that with Jeramie's help they are able to train harder without the risk of injury. Jeramie combines each massage with aromatherapy and reflexology to take advantage of his continuing education focus. Jeramie's motto is, "I want you to leave feeling better than when you came in!" Jeramie feels that massage should be relaxing with long-term, positive results. [Top] |
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Tarrah Hodges, Licensed Massage Therapist A Reno native, Tarrah always knew that her life.s work would be in the healing arts. Realizing that she could not answer this calling in the traditional medical fields, she began to look to other mind/body career paths. In her search, massage therapy .clicked. and she moved to Arizona to attend Phoenix Therapeutic Massage College. She had many great teachers in Arizona who truly shaped her massage career by teaching and inspiring her in many ways. Tarrah specializes in trigger point and deep tissue. She believes that it is necessary to work out the knots in order to improve circulation and achieve overall balance in the body. Tarrah excels at her chosen art because of her belief in harmony between body, mind and spirit. Recently returned to Reno, Tarrah looks forward to providing massage therapy to her home community. [Top] |
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Misha LeVee-Hernandez, Nationally Certified Massage Therapist / Reiki Master Teacher Misha teaches classes in the healing arts and offers a unique practice called Intuitive Massage. Intuitive Massage utilizes a combination of Massage Therapy, Sports Massage, Hot Stones, Acupressure, Reiki and Intuition. Every Intuitive Massage session is designed to meet the individual needs of each client. Misha has been practicing body work and healing modalities for ten years and has extensive experience with pain management. As a graduate of the Ralston School of Massage in 1998 Misha set off to Portland Oregon to build a practice based on sports therapy deep tissue and traditional massage. It was in Portland that Misha experienced a variety of energetic and alternative healings that opened up a whole new world After a painful shoulder injury Misha received a Reiki and acupressure treatment and was amazed at the healing and pain free results. She became a Reiki Master in 2002 and has combined the forms of energy work and massage to create a therapeutic experience that works with the body on multiple levels. As an animal lover and advocate Misha also applies massage Reiki and acupressure to all types of companion animals. These session are usually held at the animals home to reduce stress and enhance the healing results of the treatment. Misha teaches classes in Reiki Level One, Two and Three as well as Massage for Children and Families and Massage and Acupressure Techniques for your Animal Companion. Watch the schedule for upcoming classes. [Top] |
Instructors
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Amy Monette, RYT/ Pilates Instructor/ Nutritional Counselor/Owner Amy Monette began her practice of Yoga in 1996 and became a teacher in 2000. She became a National Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher in 2003. Combined with previous Yoga teacher training, Pilates certification and attendance at workshops that focused on Yoga for fitness, specialty populations, and structural alignment, Amy has completed over 600 hours of training in a variety of approaches and traditions in both Yoga and Pilates. In 2007, Amy completed her Bachelor's Science in Nutrition through Clayton College of Natural Health. Post-graduation, she received her Professional Certification in Nutrition for Optimal Health, Wellness and Sports through the University of Nevada, Reno in December 2007. Amy shares these effective practices with the Reno community in her desire to help others improve their overall health, reduce stress and physical pain, and develop self-understanding and appreciation. [Top] |
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Molly Burnsky, Pilates Personal Trainer / Physical Therapy Aide Molly has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, and was a professional dancer for 20 years. She has been a certified Pilates instructor through Polestar Education for seven years. She is also a registered Yoga instructor and a Level 1 certified instructor of the Gyrotonic Expansion System®. Molly teaches Pilates mat classes and yoga-on-the-ball at Dynamic Movement. She enjoys the outdoor environment that the Reno/Tahoe area has to offer and takes every opportunity to hike, bike and downhill ski. [Top] |