Welcome! I’m Gretchen Rivas, owner of Relax! Massage Therapy. You could say that I started my business while trying to relax. In 2000 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.

Hello, my name is Kevin Kehler. I obtained a bachelors degree in Law and Justice in 1999 but was not fulfilled by any work in that field so I subsequently decided to follow my passion for helping people and maintain a low-stress lifestyle while doing so.I have been a practicing Massage therapist for ten years now and have loved every minute of it. When I attended The Somerset School of Massage Therapy in 2001, it was ranked as one of the top 10 schools in the country, and rightfully so. I have enjoyed and employed the knowledge and the skills that I learned there in myriad capacities.

In addition to doing Myofascial Release (MFR) and other deep tissue work in Chiropractic offices and Fitness centers, I have had the pleasure and good fortune of being associated with NCAA sports, and world class spas. After winning a nation wide recipe contest which brought my wife and me to Hawaii for a 5 day all-expense paid trip, we decided to move there! Living in Hawaii for a year and working at the Mandara Spa at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki was just one highlight of my career and I was able to use my training in Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage.

I also have certifications in Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) as well as Complete Decongestive Therapy and Manual Lymph Drainage (CDT/MLD).
Some of my favorite work, however, has been with collegiate sports teams like Harvard and U. Penn swimming, and Rutgers football and women’s basketball, to name a few!

I truly love my craft and believe that I am good at it because of that passion. I feel that with my education and experience, coupled with that passion, I can meet virtually anyone’s therapeutic bodywork needs. I can’t wait until YOU FEEL GREAT!