About Us

My story begins when I was 12 years old. I had serious sciatica; chronic pain and stiffness from sitting long periods of time at computers. My mom took me to a local hospital for the first massage session of my life. These treatments were provided by professional massage practitioners. First step: we had to sit in a steam herbal room for 20 minutes, drink plenty of water, and followed with a cold shower. Then I would receive a traditional Thai  herbal hot compress massage. My pain and soreness were healed right after the session like magic. Since then, I have continued receiving massages to maintain health and wellness until, in 2011,  I moved to San Francisco, CA to continue my education. 

As a foreign student I worked very hard and studied full time. Chronic pain reoccurred again from standing on my feet more than 8 hours per day and the stress of a busy schedule. For that reason, I was interested in becoming a Holistic Healing Therapist. I thought I would love to help people who have the same problem as me.

 In San Francisco I had great opportunities to learn and practice massage therapy from world-famous massage school instructors. On top of that, I gained work experience from some of the best Traditional Thai massage spas in the Bay Area and luxury spas in Charlotte.

I've always believed in the power of natural therapies and healing practices. At an early age, I knew that I was interested in becoming some type of therapist, but I wasn't sure exactly how until my Dad encouraged me to choose a career path right after graduating from high school. I decided I would enter the 900-hour massage therapy program at Southeastern Institute and, once completed, I became certified and licensed in North Carolina just a year later. In the years since, I've practiced as a professional massage therapist at several national chain spas with locations in the Charlotte area.  During that time, my passion for medical massage therapies led me to earn more certifications, which include; Oncology for Massage Practitioners (2017) and Thai Massage for the Table (2018). 

I have been a therapeutic licensed massage therapist for 18 years and am licensed in NC, CT, and NY.  I am a member of the American Massage Therapy Association and my area of focus is bringing the body into balance through deep relaxation work.  I graduated from the Swedish Institute of Massage Therapy in NYC and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.  

In my sessions I use a number of techniques to best serve each individual client's needs.  I typically gravitate to a mix of Swedish, Energy work and some deep tissue techniques when called for.  Deep relaxation and stress reduction are my primary goals and the way to achieve these goals is different for every client and changes week to week.

Tamara Blankenship has been a Licensed Massage Therapist for over 26 years. After working as a chiropractic assistant, Tamara enrolled at the Southeastern School of Neuromuscular and Massage Therapy graduating in the summer of 1996. She has continued educational training in such modalities as  Medical massage,  Lava Stone massage, Thai massage, Lyposage, Prenatal, & Teaching Flexibility. Tamara is often described as "firm and thorough" by massage connoisseurs. She looks forward to being your massage therapist.   

 Elise is a passionate healer, massage therapist and Ayurveda yoga therapist. Her first love is traditional Thai massage on the mat with over 10 years of experience, adding her over 20 years of yoga experience with the ability to create a custom healing session for each client. She uses her intuitions to listen to your body and create the perfect flow for you. She also offers Thai on the table, ayurvedic detox massage/ lymphatic drainage, medical massage for chronic pain, Swedish, deep tissue, hot stones, cupping, crystal healing, reiki and yoga therapy. Her specialty is healing clients in the element of water. She offers a floating massage in the pool or ocean called WATSU Water Shiatsu massage and aqua yoga in the water. She has traveled the world offering Thai yoga massage on the beach in the Caribbean, East Africa, Europe, Central America and the US. We welcome Elise to the Raksa family of healers!