Therapists

Aaron is a licensed massage therapist since 2006, and is a graduate from Irene’s Myomassology Institute. While there he had the opportunity to train directly under the school’s founder herself, the late, Irene Gauthier. After graduation, Aaron was offered the chance to serve an apprenticeship as a student teacher. Later he continued his training by going to Thailand to study Thai Massage Therapy at The Watpo Traditional Medical School in Bangkok. He likes to incorporate range of motion and some stretches in most of his sessions.

His modalities include, but are not limited to: Swedish, Prenatal, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Myofascial Release, Trigger Point Therapy, Sports Massage and Thai massage.

Aaron has a background and history as a Triathlete, Runner, Martial Artist, and Dancer. He has also worked as a certified personal trainer. When you come in with specific aches and pains, you are in good company. He believes that the foundation to a successful massage is to not only be the massage therapist during a session, but also imagine being the client on the table.

Breanne graduated from Lakewood School of Therapeutic Massage in 2005.

She spent the first seven years of her career working in the chiropractic setting where she was able to learn from and work with people who were suffering from chronic pain due to musculoskeletal problems and auto related injuries.

She blends the therapeutic deep tissue, shiatsu, trigger point, thai, sports and swedish techniques she has learned to meet each individuals needs for their session whether they want to increase range of motion, decrease inflammation, get rid of that nagging shoulder pain or just take a deep breath and relax. She also loves doing prenatal and hot stone therapy.

“I am passionate about what I do and cannot imagine doing anything else. I believe that massage and bodywork is an essential tool in helping people be healthy and I am so happy that I get to help them achieve their personal wellness goals.”

Cat has been a licensed massage therapist since 2012 upon graduating Irene’s Myomassology Institute. While continuing to educate herself on various techniques, Cat is passionate when it comes to tailoring each massage to a client’s specific needs. Whether it be for pain relief, stress reduction, or a bit of both, Cat blends swedish, deep tissue, thai compressions, myofascial release, trigger point, and stretching into her sessions.

In addition to massage therapy, Cat has a love for animals and all things nature. Leading up to and during her massage career, Cat spent 8 years training dogs through positive reinforcement. Currently, Cat is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in environmental science at Oakland University.

Outside of massage therapy and studying, Cat enjoys filling her free time by hiking with her two dogs, painting, gardening, and just being outside in general!

Hope graduated from Irene’s Myomassology Institute in September 2016. While in school she studied techniques such as Swedish, Myofascial Release, Trigger Point Therapy, Sports Massage, Kinesiology Taping, Hot Stone and Reflexology. Hope listens to her clients and adjusts her massage to fit each of their individual needs. She enjoys combining both relaxation and deep tissue techniques in her massage to create the ultimate balance of stress and tension relief. She believes massage is not just a luxury but also a crucial way to help relax muscles and heal the body as a whole. Hope is passionate about what she does and loves helping others get rid of their day to day stress. Hope has been working with Essential Massage since October 2016.

Lisa Boyd began her life’s work while working for a chiropractor in high school. The hands on experience, interaction with patients, and knowledge about body structure was key in becoming the therapist she is today.

In September 2003 after graduating from FSTM, Lisa opened Essential Massage Therapy. Lisa enjoys doing deep tissue and prenatal massage most, but also finds balance working with clients who may be looking for something more intuitive. She has continued her education at Irene’s School of Myomassology in Southfield, MI, with courses in prenatal and labor massage and studied with the Upledger Institute for craniosacral. Her continued education has also taken her to North Carolina where she learned fertility massage from Claire Marie Miller.

In July 2010, with several other therapists at EMT, she took courses for Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy and is looking forward to providing this modality to her clients.

She is committed to providing clients with special care and consideration in order to meet every person’s individual needs. Lisa is passionate about massage and looks forward to coming to work everyday. She enjoys teaching others about muscle mechanics, and how small changes in their lifestyle can prevent aches and pains.

When not enjoying her time at work, Lisa’s other favorite place to be is home with her family. She has two sons, one daughter and a dog. She enjoys doing anything active outdoors, but is happiest on the water.

Marie graduated from Stacio’s Institute of Therapeutic Massage in 2013. She is a client focused therapist that enjoys learning new techniques. She has education in manual lymphatic drainage, rotator cuff release, cupping, and other modalities. She loves providing “targeted results” based sessions as well as relaxation.

Natasha is a licensed massage therapist, who received her certification in therapeutic massage after graduating from Baker College in June 2009. Since then she has worked in a variety of settings including chiropractic offices, yoga studios and also in corporate massage. She has been a part of the Essential Massage team since March 2022. Her favorite modalities include Swedish massage and Prenatal massage. Natasha incorporates deep tissue techniques into her sessions using trigger point therapy, myofascial release, compression, stretching, and cupping therapy.

“I never saw myself in an office setting. I love the freedom that work in massage provides and I love helping and connecting with people!”

Outside of massage therapy, Natasha has an undergraduate degree from Oakland University in Sociology. In her off time she loves the outdoors, adventuring with her child, and enjoying the company of her three cats.

Nicholle graduated from Irene’s Myomassology Institute in the summer of 2022. While in school, she worked to develop a client-focused flow by combining her training in Swedish, Deep Tissue, Fascia Therapy, Trigger Point Therapy, Sports and Thai massage. She is passionate about helping clients restore balance within their mind and body with her intuitive touch and therapeutic approach.  After graduation, she was offered an apprenticeship at Irene’s and enjoys using this opportunity to continue her education and finely tune her techniques. Nicholle has been a part of the Essential Massage team since August of 2020 as a beloved receptionist before becoming one of of our skilled massage therapists!

Nikki is a Board Certified and State Licensed Massage Therapist, who has been practicing since she graduated from Irene’s Myomassology Institute in May 2005.

She uses a combination of deep tissue as well as relaxation techniques to create a therapeutic massage tailored to each client’s needs and preferences.

Sally completed her training in January 2005 at Michigan School of Myomassology. She has certificates in hot stone, reflexology, myofascial release, clinical approaches to carpal tunnel and thoracic outlet, clinical approaches to headaches as well as kinesio taping and cupping therapy. She has a knack for deep tissue and sports massage. Deeper pressure and stretches are great for athletes pre or post an event. It is also great for stiff muscles, tightness, stress relief, relaxation, etc. Sally is also certified in Swedish massage, and feels relaxation massage is something that everyone deserves. She loves what she does and enjoys helping people with the stress of everyday life.

Sally has been a massage therapist since 2005 and has been with Essential Massage since February 2009.