Who are we? So glad you asked! Read on to learn more about our CMT’s and Office Support teams!
Your Trusty Wellness Team
Stacey Marie, Owner, CMT, MLA, BA
Massage Therapy is not my first career. I have a Bachelors and Masters degree from The University of Melbourne (Australia) and had been practicing in the architecture / engineering field for over ten years. Although I enjoyed working in that industry, what fulfilled my soul was massage & healing.
My approach to massage draws on my experience in designing structures taking into consideration the strengths and limitations of each subject. Sometimes I still feel like an architect, but the subject is the human body. I am a California State Certified Massage Therapist with over 500 hours of training focusing on Structural Deep Tissue, Myofascial Release, Sports, Trigger Point, Scar Tissue Cupping, Cranial Sacral Therapy and Certified in Prenatal Massage. You can say my specialty is injuries and finding ways to provide relief.
My career change doesn’t end with massage, I am looking forward to exploring the topic of wellness and offering more services to the community. I am grateful to have landed where I belong. I am looking towards my future.
Shannon, CMT
My journey as a bodyworker began several years ago, when I recognized how receiving massage helps me to see where I hold stress- and trauma-related tension in my body. Now a practitioner after graduating from the SF School of Massage in February 2020, it is this same awareness - and the potential for healing - that I aim to help facilitate in others. Therefore, my approach is slow and gradual, 100% consent-based, and is most compatible with those who want not only relaxation, but also relief from stress/anxiety and a safe environment in which to receive touch. As such, my work is trauma-informed, but can also be trauma-focused for clients who are looking to work through trauma in an embodied way (read more about this distinction here). My training in this field is ongoing, done through Somatic Experiencing International.
To clarify: Neither trauma-informed nor trauma-focused bodywork require the client's disclosure of traumatic events. While you are welcome to talk about your experiences and impressions (whether or not they relate to trauma), we don’t need to talk about your trauma in order to work with it. At no time will I ask you for more information about a traumatic event, and if you decide to share details, you are free to do so at your own pace. We will move only as fast as the slowest parts of you.
**Working through trauma in the body can bring up difficult thoughts and feelings. While I have tools to help clients work through trauma- and stress-related physiological responses in an embodied way, I am not licensed to offer psychological counseling and thus do not provide this service. That said, I am a human being who knows what it's like to have big feelings. I welcome your tears, laughter, roars (yes, ROARS!), and other forms of release with open arms.
Outside the studio, I enjoy dancing, hiking, making comics, and working on various arts and crafts. I am so grateful to be a part of the PMW team, and to meet you where you are on your own journey.
Matthias, CMT
I’ve found that helping others through healthcare is what motivates me to do my best work. I earned a B.S. in Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University, and worked for a healthcare company for four years as a software engineer before pursuing massage therapy. The world of massage first opened up to me when I was fifteen and injured my back at a fencing competition. I was in agony, but the sports massage therapist at the event was able to stop my mid back from spasming with an ice pack and some manual therapy to the muscles adjacent to my injury. The experience stuck with me because it was the fastest and most effective care I had ever received.
It wasn’t until a decade later that I decided to learn about massage at the San Francisco School of Massage and Bodywork. I graduated and earned my Massage Therapist Certification in the fall of 2022 with a focus in therapeutic work. I personalize every massage to my client’s needs utilizing swedish, deep tissue, trigger point, myofascial release, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques to relieve hypertonic muscle, structural imbalance, and soft tissue related injury.
When I’m not busy with massage therapy I enjoy fencing, climbing, cooking, spending time outdoors, and playing video and board games!
Samantha, CMT, CPT
I began my massage journey providing relief and comfort for those around me through my intuitive massage practice. From there I went on to be certified in 2020. My goal through massage is to provide my clients with pain relief and comfort by addressing muscle imbalances and tissue adhesions while calming the senses to rebalance neural activity. Some modalities I use are: Swedish massage, deep tissue, neuromuscular massage techniques, prenatal massage, trigger point release, sports massage, lymphatic drainage, Otho bionomy, and stretching.
As a power lifter and certified person trainer, I have a great respect and understanding of the human body’s capabilities as well as the limitations that may arise. With those in mind I look forward to meeting you where you are at to curate a healing journey towards where you desire to be.
Don, CMT
Don is a dedicated Filipino American massage therapist who seamlessly integrates his rich cultural heritage with advanced healing techniques in his practice.
With a compassionate, intuitive, and medically skillful approach, Don caters to a diverse clientele that includes individuals with chronic and acute injuries, amputees, athletes, children, the elderly, and even animals. His holistic philosophy not only addresses the physical aspects of healing but also nurtures the emotional and spiritual well-being of his clients, making each session a deeply restorative experience
Chris, CMT
The most common question I am asked is, “Why did you become a massage therapist?” The main reason was my desire to help people, possibly from a rough upbringing, resulting in my goal to spread light and positivity. With very limited training from a physical therapist, I was thrown into a caregiver role for an ill family member in 2022 and became a CA licensed caregiver in 2024. One of my most rewarding experiences, to date, as both a caregiver and certified massage therapist, was when my family member was crying in pain but wound up falling asleep during the massage session.
Massage therapy is fascinating in that it helps facilitate the healing process, bringing the body back to balance. I use Swedish and Lomi Lomi to help move the energy and deep tissue and sports massage to remove blockages so that energy may move freely.
Outside of massage therapy, my interests include dancing, lifting weights, martial arts, pickleball, reading, and spending time with family. All of my hobbies as well as both giving and receiving massage therapy help me stay grounded.