After 10 years of practicing and teaching massage, Tom started his own practice in 2010. He lived in a 3 bedroom home with his beautiful wife and little girl and practiced massage out of their home. He really enjoyed being home with his family. Soon, however, his wife became pregnant with their second child. It quickly became clear that he was going to get squeezed out of his home office. He had always had a dream of bridging the gap between the medical field and Massage Therapy, so he found an office and got to work.

 

Tom soon discovered two obstacles to bridging the gap. The first one being most people viewed massage as a relaxation “fluff n buff” and not as a modality to help with soft tissue problems and alleviate pain. During this period he was very fortunate to find Dr. Logan, a chiropractor who understood how massage could help relieve joint and muscle pain, reduce swelling, and increase range of motion. Dr. Logan and Tom began educating their clients on what massage could really do to help. As people began to realize the benefits, The Healing Tree grew year after year.

 

The second problem began when Tom realized he was the only massage therapist in Cedar City that really knew how to address joint and muscle problems in a therapeutic way. Being one of those guys that had to solve the problem, he started an apprenticeship for massage therapy hoping to teach others what he knew so they could help with his overflowing schedule. 10 years later he has had many amazing students graduate from the apprenticeship he created. Those therapists have had great success helping clients with their soft tissue challenges.

 

It has been a fun journey helping our community become happier and healthier. The next chapter will be encouraging the medical field to work more closely with qualified massage therapists, combining western medicine with holistic approaches to address root cause and bring about lasting change.