Our Massage Therapists

Abe

Walnut Creek

CMT / Therapist

Abe graduated with Honors from NHI in 2014 and has spent the last 5-6 years refining the skills he learned. While on the NHI sports team he began to fuse modalities like sports massage with Shiatsu and Thai massage, and developed a love for clinical massage that addresses specific pains or health issues. A World traveler, he has played many different sports!

Modalities he uses include Swedish, Shiatsu, Thai, Deep tissue, Myofascial Release, Sports, and Anxiety release/ relaxing if necessary (and combos of).

Abe enjoys learning about and helping his clients meet their unique goals.

Caitlin

Danville

CMT / Therapist

Caitlin (she, they) offers bodywork as an invitation to reconnect with one’s innate sense of balance and flow. She strives to meet each client as they are with compassion and curiosity, holding space for the whole person. Her modalities include Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, shiatsu, and acupressure; she enjoys the musicality and versatility of working with muscles, qi/chi, and breath. She is particularly interested in trauma-informed bodywork and the human voice.

When Caitlin first sought massage for pain relief, the profound impact on her energy and mental health begged a deeper understanding. In 2017 she completed a 500-hour program at McKinnon Body Therapy Center in Oakland. She has since practiced at the McKinnon BTC Graduate Clinic, at Bayan Roots, and privately at Manzanita Wellness Clinic. She currently teaches at McKinnon BTC.

Caitlin is a lifelong student. She is immeasurably grateful for the community of practitioners, mentors, and ancestors who have developed this vast knowledge of bodywork and who continue to keep it alive through study, practice, and transmission.

Chelsea

Walnut Creek

CMT / Therapist

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Chelsea has always been an avid lover of movement, dabbling in various sports, hiking, theater and dance.

She graduated from National Holistic Institute Advanced Neuromuscular program, and has since become an enthusiast of puzzles of the human body. Her perspective on massage is that you are the expert on your body and its sensations, her job is to help you find the right tools in and out of session to achieve your goals. Goals can range from stress release and relaxation to targeted focus work dealing with injury or chronic pain. Her priority is working with you to make sure each session meets your needs and is happy to make adjustments as they are needed. She specializes in Swedish, Myofascial and Neuromuscular therapy.

Claudia

Danville

CMT / Therapist

After years of athletics and countless injuries that have needed time to heal, Claudia understands the importance of self care and maintenance a person needs to have a steady recovery. During her time at school, National Holistic Institute, she also gained experience at San Jose State University with the Athletic Training department treating their athletes for recovery from an injury or prepping for a game.

She has a background in massage therapy at a chiropractic office and wellness center where she learned from different individuals on how to care for specific areas due to stress and injuries ranging from car accidents to sports related. With a knowledge of kinesiology, current studies in psychology, and years of experience as a soccer player, she brings a focus of therapeutic work for individuals that have experienced injuries, traumas, stress, pain or are seeking general maintenance for the body. She comes with a heavy hand, but understands that every person is different and adjusts the pressure accordingly to the client’s standards.

Emilia

Danville

CMT / Therapist

Emilia became a physical therapist after watching her mom recover from an aneurysm at the young age of 36. Graduating with a B.S. in physical therapy in Romania, she then pursued a 7 year career in France, working in private practice mostly with musculoskeletal pathologies.

She moved to the Bay Area in 2022 and is very excited to transition into the bodywork world, her main modalities being deep tissue, craniosacral therapy and myofascial release. She is very passionate about trauma-informed bodywork and the strong correlation between touch and the nervous system.

She is also teaching Ashtanga yoga in Oakland and offering private classes in the East Bay Area.

Gina Tibbs

Walnut Creek & Danville

Owner Loosenup Bodywork / HHP, Instructor / Therapist / Massage Therapy Practitioner

Gina Tibbs, HHP, Instructor / Therapist, is the founder of Loosen up Bodywork. As a practitioner, her focus is on listening to her clients’ experience, to help them understand their bodies’ needs, and to create a plan to reduce pain that will work for their lifestyle. Her sessions range in intensity depending on clients’ needs but clients always walk away feeling like they understand more about their condition and empowered to care for themselves.

Her goal as a mentor and business owner has always been to connect people with practitioners who have the unique skills to help them. Massage therapy is a vast field of specialties and each requires time to master. Gina takes pride in bringing talented therapists into Loosen Up and helping them build a fulfilling practice where their unique skills can be honed and utilized by the people they can most help.

Imani

Walnut Creek

CMT / Therapist

Imani is dedicated to providing a unique blend of spa-like relaxation and clinical expertise in every session. With a focus on communication and comfort, her goal is to ensure a holistic and personalized experience for each client. Specializing in Swedish massage, Deep Tissue, Assisted Stretching, and Trigger Point Release, she will work with you to find the right tools to meet your goals for each session.

Jacki

Danville

CMT / Therapist

Jacki, a Certified Advanced Neuromuscular Massage Therapist, fell into massage by generously giving her friends a massage. With 15 years of practice, Jacki is a forever sponge, always willing to soak up the knowledge of the body.

She was an instructor at IPSB College teaching Hydrotherapy and Self-Care and at Pacific College of Health and Science teaching Tui Na Massage. She is a fan of all things Disney, Harry Potter, Spice Girls, SF Giants, and 49ers, to name a few. She may be a child at heart, but she always shows professionalism, maturity, and dedication to massage and her clients.

Jacki incorporates and specializes in Deep Tissue, Neuromuscular Therapy, Tui Na, and Swedish. In her sessions, she is thorough at finding “troubled” muscles that could help alleviate the origin of pain or discomfort. She enjoys making “sandwiches” in her session – start with a bit of Swedish to see how the muscles feel (something nice), add more pressure – if needed – with additional focus (no so nice part), finish it with a more soothing technique (make nice), and add some stretching where needed.

Kawika

Walnut Creek

CMT / Therapist

Kawika is a longtime movement and fitness enthusiast having grown up playing soccer and racquet sports, shifting to competitive marksmanship and later becoming a military diver in the Coast Guard serving with 10+ years of honorable service working in the fields of Emergency Management and search and rescue. He began his massage training in 2019 to focus on helping people on a more individual basis and graduated from McKinnon Body Therapy Center having focused on Deep tissue, Swedish, Thai and Shiatsu modalities.

His current passions are aerial circus arts, yoga, stand up paddleboarding and rock climbing which contribute significantly to his understanding of movement practices that he enjoys communicating and connecting with clients. Kawika works in partnership with clients, engaging in ongoing dialogue for effective outcome oriented bodywork for recovery and relief.

Kennadi

Walnut Creek

CMT / Therapist

Kennadi’s life has always focused on fitness & wellness, which has led her to a career in massage therapy. She is a graduate of the National Holistic Institute and Advanced Neuromuscular Program.  Her passion for massage and anatomy combined with her friendly personality & communication skills result in her clients feeling both relaxed and restored.

Kennadi’s experience includes work in spas, massage clinics, athletic events and sports departments which has helped shape her diverse clientele and helps her provide a therapeutic experience for clients based on their specific needs. Her specialties include: deep tissue, prenatal, and sports massages.

Krystal

Walnut Creek

CMT / Therapist

Krystal Cade brings deep tissue massage to the table with a chiropractic background.

A self-proclaimed “muscle nerd”, Krystal has always found fascination with the human body, and has always enjoyed tactile exploration. After studying psychology for two years, she quit and began her massage therapy journey. Krystal spent 8 years growing while working with chiropractic patients. She has often worked with injuries such as repetitive stress injuries, those in post-surgery rehab, and those who’ve been in car accidents. She has experience working with and guiding post-surgery scar tissue adhesions, and has seen the incredible results that can occur with the right bodywork. 

Her curiosity and passion for bodywork, means she is adept at finding problem areas quickly and efficiently. She always makes sure to communicate with her client to ensure collaboration as a team. Krystal specializes in deep tissue and trigger point therapy. While she admits she can at times be heavy handed, she knows each client is always a little different and will always adjust accordingly.

Krystal brings nurturing energy to a clinical environment, and wants nothing more than to help you get back to functioning and thriving.

Lily

Walnut Creek

CMT / Therapist

Lily has been practicing massage since 2004. Her sessions are a “therapeutic flow” with her focus being to help people keep moving their bodies.

“The only constant in life is change.”
– Heraclitus

The human body’s ability to heal and adapt has always fascinated her.

With over 1,000 educational hours in massage therapy, injury care and prevention, and athletic training, Lily will use a variety of modalities and techniques to develop a session plan for you. Deep Tissue, Trigger Point, Sports, and Facilitated Stretching – to name a few. Lily is a perpetual student and has completed a myriad of certifications in the health and fitness industries. Her resume is just as diverse in the types of work she has done and she is currently perusing certification as a Medical Assistant set to graduate in April.
She is excited to be a part of the Loosen Up team and to help those who she may cross paths with. Her clients always report deep relief from pain and always come out of their sessions happy.

Marcial

Walnut Creek

CMT / Therapist

Marcial comes to us with a wonderful, wide-ranging mix of knowledge from Western and Eastern massage modalities as well as Native/Latin American Shamanic healing arts. He found massage through his mentors, learning the art of Esalen massage and has lectured at UC Berkeley and the University of Northridge on his experience combining energy work with massage. After an injury to his own back, Marcial began to study ways to heal soft tissue.
He found Mckinnon Massage in Oakland and began specializing in deep tissue and sports massage.
Marcial knew he was meant to work with people and the body and utilizes multiple techniques from all such modalities to bring balance back to “you” your body.

Modalities: Swedish, Deep Tissue and Sports, Shiatsu, Acupressure, Lymphatic Drainage, Esalen, Shamanic and Curanderismo.

Michael Cuglietta

Walnut Creek

CMT / Lead Therapist

Michael found massage through his own athletic endeavors competing in track and field and trying to qualify for the Olympic Trials in 1996. During this time he discovered the benefits of receiving massage for improving performance and for preventing injuries. Michael is a USATF certificated coach and works with two local high school teams as well as amateur runners needing help with training plans.

Michael is also a Sports/DT Massage Instructor and has considerable knowledge of anatomy and muscle function. He is happy to explain techniques and very helpful in understanding the path to take for better muscle function. Being a running coach and having worked in shoe retail as well, he is able to analyze gait and give advice on running shoes and equipment.

“Massage is an important part of one‘s routine for peak performance. Whether you are a weekend warrior or a pro athlete, none of us want to suffer through an injury and/or be sidelined from our activity. Reaching for the best range-of-motion and the ability to rely on your muscles’ full capacity will save your body, mind and spirit.”

Michael

Walnut Creek & Danville

CMT / Therapist

My work is a fusion of structural techniques, Ortho-Bionomy, Deep Tissue, and Cranial Sacral techniques. The approach addresses many skeleton-muscular dysfunctions: back and headache pain, rotator cuff dysfunctions, scoliosis, and hypermobile joints. I have had a lot of success working to help with postsurgical pain, TMJ, and whiplash injuries. Athletes with sports injuries, active folks, and those wanting to address chronic or acute pain will benefit a lot from my work.

If you have had surgeries or are anticipating surgeries this work is ideal. I have worked with clients post heart valve replacements, heart attacks, HIV/AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis, and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. This work is deeply relaxing and healing. It is non-invasive, and does not cause pain, nor does it use painful techniques to release pain. I am excited to be working with you here at Loosen Up Bodywork.

Mykala

Walnut Creek

CMT / Therapist

Mykayla is passionate about helping facilitate healing through bodywork. Having completed her education through National Holistic Institute, she has worked in a chiropractic setting with people from all walks of life including athletes, veterans, children, seniors, prenatal clients, as well as people with limited abilities, providing therapeutic touch on a need basis.

Whether you are recovering from an injury, dealing with chronic pain, stress, or other ailments, Mykayla believes each person has their own unique needs, and that can all benefit from massage. Client safety, communication and satisfaction are her priorities, and she will listen attentively, educate, and guide clients so that they can take charge of their health, become in tune with their bodies and receive exceptional service.

Paul

Walnut Creek

CMT / Therapist

As someone who played sports, and then followed that up with becoming a coach, Paul figured out early what could relieve strained muscles.  Professional massage was a natural progression of helping over-used muscles on their way to healing. Paul is a 2011 graduate of The College of Healthcare Professions, of Houston, TX.

According to Paul, massage has changed the course of his life! “I find it so fulfilling because I get to help people through difficult situations. And, of course,  every body is unique, so really listening to my clients is the best way to give a customized massage – tailored to their specific needs. Their goals become my goals, as I try to provide positive ongoing results.

Our Interns

Loosen Up Bodywork partners with select local message therapy schools to offer internship opportunities to students. All interns come to us with 400+ hours of coursework and practice. They are ready to provide you excellent care at a very affordable rate. We don’t always have interns, so grab an appoint with them while you can!

 

Zayn

Walnut Creek

CMT / Therapist

Zayn decided to become a massage therapist when their personal healing journey led them to somatic therapy and they discovered the power of bodywork.

Zayn is a caring and empathetic massage therapist focused on facilitating the healing of muscles and the client’s nervous system alike. They have always been fascinated by the mind-body connection and studied neuroscience in their undergraduate studies. Their background helps them approach clients with a trauma informed touch and a goal of rewiring the nervous system’s muscular holding patterns. They achieve this through collaboration during the session to ensure the pressure of the touch is tailored to the client’s body’s readiness. In that process, Zayn hopes to facilitate a greater sense of body awareness and mind-body connection.

Zayn has trained at McKinnon Bodywork and Therapy in Swedish, deep tissue, cupping therapy, and lymphatic drainage massage and is continually adding new specialties and modalities to their repertoire. As a former educator, Zayn values teaching clients about the massage techniques they’re using and how it can support their healing goals.