Katie Sutherland
My bodywork practice is fueled by my passion for learning and teaching, combined with an interest in wellness. I believe that health and vitality is our inherent nature, and it’s my commitment to help people find balance in their bodies and lives so that they may experience their optimal health daily.
I was fortunate to be raised in the Bay Area, where I was able to take dance, swim competitively, and ski, giving me an appreciation of the human body and all of its abilities. While living in Lake Tahoe after college, I practiced yoga and met bodyworkers who inspired and encouraged me to pursue a career in holistic health.
In 2002, I became a Certified Bikram Yoga Instructor, and while teaching yoga in the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe, I grew interested in working with people one-on-one. By the beginning of 2003, I was taking classes at National Holistic Institute to become a Licensed Massage Therapist and Holistic Health Practitioner.
Since 2004, I have worked in some of the top spas and wellness centers in San Francisco, including Bliss Spa and SenSpa Presidio. In 2008, I started my own private practice, serving clients in my home studio on the Panhandle Park and in homes throughout the City. In my practice, I have worked with a wide range of clients, many with special needs, including stressed-out executives, pregnant women, families, competitive athletes and the elderly.
I currently have a thriving practice in at the Mama Lounge in San Francisco and Rockridge Wellness Center in Oakland which is focused on working with women to find grace and ease in their bodies. While I have a wide range of modalities that I am trained in these days I mostly use neuromuscular therapy, deep tissue, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Massage™ and Prenatal Massage.
When I’m not working, I am busy raising two kiddos, Ella & Max with my husband, Will in N. Oakland.
Carl Johns
Cynthia Ribiero
Cynthia came to the United States from Brazil, where she had attained a degree in Physical Education and studied Surgical Nursing. In the U.S., she graduated from two massage schools, and now specializes in Neuromuscular Therapy and Orthopedic Massage. A highly dynamic teacher, she has taught advanced anatomy and injury rehabilitation skills since 1988. Her Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy workshops are in high demand throughout U.S. and Canada, and Cynthia frequently presents at state and national massage therapy conventions. In March 2008 she was elected Vice President of the National Board of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), and in 2011 became President-Elect for the AMTA. Cynthia took her seat as acting president in March 2012 and continues to influence the industry today.
Stan Barrett
Stan Barrett is a longtime massage therapist living in Oakland, CA. He’s worked in professional sports and high-end spas. His latest endeavor is Synapse Massage & Bodywork as the owner of a small practice with 8 CMT’s. To keep things interesting, he is also a professional cycling race mechanic, as well as a bartender one day a week to mix things up 😉
Whitney Lowe
Lowe’s career spans two decades and includes extensive clinical work, research, publication, teaching, and positions on national boards and committees. Lowe directs the Academy of Clinical Massage, as well as the modality specific, Orthopedic Massage Education & Research Institute (OMERI), which provides advanced clinical massage continuing education, as well as programs for schools. Professionals and schools use Lowe’s text, Orthopedic Assessment in Massage Therapy. He is a contributing author to several other texts, as well. He is a member of the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies, and is a regularly featured author in publications such as Massage & Bodywork, Massage Today, Massage Magazine, and the Journal of Soft-Tissue Manipulation.
Dimitry Yakoushkin
Dimitry Yakoushkin is a Sex and Relationship Coach and a Certified Somatica Practitioner. He completed the Hakomi body-centered therapy professional skills course in 2010 and holds a Sexological Bodywork certificate from the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco.
Prior to his entering into sex and relationship coaching, Dimitry worked for over ten years as a counselor and tutor to high school and college students in both academics and life skills. Dimitry’s professional track and field career has given him fantastic embodied awareness, and his warm, patient approach creates an atmosphere of safety and acceptance where women, men and couples can explore their desires, heal from trauma, share passion and experience profound transformation.
Sparkle Thornton
Sparkle Thornton is a massage therapist and yoga teacher in the Bay Area. Sparkle hosts an annual Yoga Retreat for Trans & Queer folks called Yogay. She speaks about transgender and queer issues and plays guitar in a band. Sparkle can be found on Instagram @sparkleasyouare and at www.sparkleasyouare.com
Linda Aldridge
Linda is a professional massage therapist (since 1981) who has taught and served as an administrator at a variety of schools offering massage education. Her work is eclectic (in terms of technique) and integrative (in terms of client experience). Her blend of thorough, responsive touch suits clients looking for a firm, pleasurable massage to help them regain their sense of balance and boundary. In addition to seeing clients, Linda currently teaches at McKinnon Body Therapy Center and serves as Program Student Counselor there. She also tutors both students (from any school) and seasoned practitioners who are preparing to take the MBLEx. http://www.lindaaldridge.com
Til Luchau
Til Luchau is a lead instructor and the Director of Advanced-Trainings.com. With a diverse background that includes manual therapy, somatic psychology, transformative education, as well as organizational and leadership development, Til’s ability to connect interdisciplinary, big-picture ideas to practical, real-world applications has made his talks, trainings, and events popular worldwide.
Richard Rossiter
Richard Rossiter has been a connective tissue specialist since 1983, and founded the Rossiter System® in 1990. The Rossiter System is the outgrowth of his personal journey into and out of pain. The Rossiter System is a way to prevent and relieve pain, immobility and central nervous system problems in clients before they were exposed to traditional U.S. medicine’s treatment regimen of pharmaceuticals, injections, splints, and surgery. Now Richard is working on Rossiter “self help” tools while offering his unique Rossiter System training to medical and fitness professionals, bodyworkers, and the general public.
