Image taken looking out of a guard house window on the Great Wall of China.
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About Us
Welcome! I'm Gretchen Rivas, owner of Relax! Massage Therapy. You could say that I started my business while trying to relax. Eight years ago I took a vacation that changed my life! While on a cruise, I decided to book a massage. Instead of feeling terrific and relaxed after the expensive shipboard massage, I left disappointed and frustrated. "Even I could give a better massage than that," I thought to myself. It was that thought that pushed me to turn my passion for massage therapy into a full-time professional business.
With a BS in Business from the University of South Carolina and previous experience in sales, I already had a good foundation. I returned from vacation, enrolled in a massage therapy program, and graduated from Coastal Carolina Institute of Massage Therapy, Wilmington, NC in 2001. Since receiving my national certification and my NC state license (#3153), I have continued to learn much more while building my business.
The average massage therapist is required to get about 25 hours of continuing education credits every 2 years, but I get more than 100! I'm trained and or certified in: Swedish massage, Ashiatsu massage, sports and deep tissue massage, Reiki, energy work, trigger point therapy, aromatherapy, cranial sacral therapy, Thai yoga massage and many other techniques. What this means is that I know how to customize massages based on your needs, giving you the best results possible from your massage experience.
In fact, these days, I'm both a teacher and a student. I am an instructor in the massage department of Miller-Motte College, and I am currently pursuing a weekend program for a Master's level degree in Acupuncture at Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine in Boone, NC.
As a member of The American Massage Therapy Association and a member of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, I strive for excellence both as a massage professional and as a respected business owner. I look forward to working with you to help you "Feel Great, Heal Great, Tend the Body, and Soothe the Soul".
*I am a member of The American Massage Therapy Association.
Images by Tina Shropshire
