Spa Staff
IO CERTIFIED MASSAGE THERAPISTS
Carrie Anderson is a second generation massage therapist who followed
in her mother’s footsteps after working in the beautiful mountains of New England. Her time as a student and therapist in Sedona, Arizona put her in a rich learning environment with some of the nation’s most talented bodyworkers. As a massage therapist, Carrie uses a breadth of modalities to provide a customized experience for each person with whom she works and considers bodywork a vehicle for creating and sustaining a nurturing world. Carrie also specializes in prenatal massage and is working towards her certification as a Certified Instructor of Infant Massage.
Alicia Cobb has been drawn to holistic studies since childhood and since has sought to gain a deeper understanding of the human body and how it works as a beautiful whole. She began her studies in 1999 at the International Professional School of Body Work, Pacific Beach CA. From there, she went on to study under an acupuncturist for two years. It was in those years that she was really able to devote herself to her clients and their well being. Body-Mind-and Spirit. Alicia believes that each of us has the ability to heal ourselves through nutrition, exercise, and healing touch. She incorporates deep tissue, grounding energy work, cranial sacral, acupressure, tui na, and swedish through a compassionate and nurturing touch. Each session is unique and tailored to clients and their individual needs.
Courtney Downey was first initiated into the world of alternative healing as a young child after both she and her mother became ill. She has been fortunate enough to be shown the way of the Shaman, and has achieved her Holistic Healthcare Practitioner degree from Mueller College of Holistic Studies, as well as a BFA in theatre/psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Courtney is also Level II Reiki Certified. She is very passionate about bringing together Body, Mind & Spirit through healthy eating, Meditation, energy work, and massage. Courtney’s aim is to listen to each client’s body and give a massage that will leave a blissful state of relaxation and awareness. She combines a blend of energy from the Universe along with shiatsu, tui-na, reflexology, Lomi-Lomi, acupressure, deep tissue, Swedish, and Ayurvedic techniques in her Massage.
Brian Kerley graduated from massage school on the Big Island of Hawaii in 2003 and has been creatively combining massage techniques with energetic awareness ever since. A student of Jin Shin Tara (a Japanese form of energy medicine) for several years, he has developed highly tuned listening skills to hone in on areas of resistance in his clients. Blending traditional Swedish, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, Deep Tissue and CranioSacral Therapies, Brian is able to create a truly unique experience based on his clients’ needs. As a black-belt in Aikido (a peaceful martial art) and dancer of Argentine Tango, Brian understands the subtleties of movement and is mindful of body alignment. Truly passionate about his work and sharing it with others, his awareness is evident.
Michelle Lyn is a Massage Therapist and Holistic Coach practicing in San Francisco and Marin. She provides an integrated approach to massage, drawing from her varied background to allow each session to unfold on its own. Her fluid style incorporates focused techniques that access and release trigger points and deep muscle fibers. She sees each client as an individual, clearing the layers of discomfort or dis-ease (including the physical, emotional and mental) to help them become more aligned with their true being and experience more ease and freedom. For some, it may be pure relaxation they’re seeking. For others, it could be a connection between a life event and a physical sensation. Her blending of modalities includes Advanced Deep Tissue, Swedish, Vibrational Healing Massage®, Lymphatic Massage, Reflexology, Cranial Sacral Balancing, Shiatsu and Sports Massage.
Karl Reed takes a grounding and nurturing approach to massage therapy. A native of San Francisco, he studied massage at the National Holistic Institute and has been a certified therapist since 2003. Karl believes in taking a personal approach to the art of massage, and sculps each session to fit each client’s individual needs. He incorporates a variety of massage styles, including Swedish, Deep Tissue, Shiatsu, and Anma, a massage which focuses on the balance and movement of energy in the body. Karl’s journey into the world of healing began after a life-threatening injury, when he realized the divine connection between the body and the spirit. In his spare time, Karl enjoys cooking and playing his drums.
Lisa Souza has dedicated her life to facilitate others in their health and wellbeing. Helping people as a whole; Body, Mind, and Spirit. She has chosen Massage Therapy as a tool in hopes to reach out to all who need assistance in healing. Lisa has been energetically drawn to alternative therapies since she was a child, though her massage journey began in 2002. Since then it has blossomed into a full time passion, leading her to study other avenues of holistic health care such as healing through nutrition, aromatherapy, yoga, and herbal and homeopathic remedies. Lisa tends to her own garden of medicinal herbs, and seasonal vegetables, where she makes a variety herbal tinctures, salves, and flower essences. Lisa combines Reiki, Deep Tissue, Acupressure, and Stretching into her sessions and she is also trained in Bowen Pain Relief Therapy, and BodyTalk Therapy.
Mieze Steinberg has an approach that can best be summarized by the phrase Open Heart Open Mind. She enters a session with no agenda, the issues that are discussed in the consultation may be different than what the body presents to her as what it needs. For Mieze, a good massage is a dance, an ebb and flow, a fine-tuning to what the energy of the body and breath are subtly broadcasting. Fluent and attuned to the body after seven years of study and practice she still honors the daily learning that takes place in each and every session. Prayer, including visualization and positive affirmation, plays a major role in helping focus her abilities on each person that climbs onto her table. In tailoring each massage to each person’s particular needs, Mieze’s offerings range from trigger point therapy, reiki, and injury massage to cranio-sacral, acupressure, yogic and thai stretching and beyond.
Christy Swenson was born and raised in beautiful Alaska. She has been blessed to learn Thai massage, Hot Stone Massage, Reflexology, Raindrop Therapy, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Aromatherapy, Hydrotherapy, Pre-Natal and an Ayurvedic philosophy that incorporates using your body type. Christy believes we can live in harmony with our bodies, we just have to listen. Her sessions are invigorating and thorough leaving you completely revived. She recently went to Yoga teacher training at New York’s Laughing Lotus and designs hand drawn and hand painted cards.
Joe Waterman is a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, who recently relocated to the Bay Area. A native of the Midwest, he moved to Arizona in 2003 to enroll at the Phoenix Therapeutic Massage College. Upon completion he found immediate placement at the largest Health Spa/Fitness Center in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area. During his time at the spa, he provided personalized massage for a variety of sports injuries as well as body treatments. Joe has subsequently studied Traditional Thai Massage, which has had a profound impact on his approach to bodywork. Joe’s compassionate approach to bodywork is centered on creating space within the body. His sessions utilize slow, steady pressure to achieve total relaxation and stress reduction as an alternative to the fast-pace world we live and work in. Joe creates unique therapeutic experiences based upon your individual needs, incorporating Deep Tissue, Reflexology, Reiki, Trigger Point techniques and Thai Massage stretching.
Monk Wellington started his bodywork journey after 10 years studying and practicing dance. His goal became to combine physical, philosophical and energetic focus to his practice of both dance and bodywork as he studied at the National Holistic Institute. Energy work is always a part of his massage as a Reiki Level 1 practitioner. Monk’s bodywork includes several modalities working in combination to give the body what it needs. These modalities include, Thai massage, shiatsu, deep tissue, myofascial and Swedish . Monk’s treatments are deeply relaxing in the spiritual sense yet powerfully effective in the physical sense. Intention, intuition and great communication guide clients through his sessions.
Kala Wright combines Swedish and Vibrational Massage, with elements of Acupressure, Shiatsu, and Reflexology in order to address stress-relief, centering, integration, and soothing relaxation. Kala’s style is a nurturing Swedish. Her compassionate and caring nature, technical skill, and intuitive ability to pinpoint and release areas of stress all help to create an experience of deep healing and relaxation for every client. Kala was drawn to Massage Therapy during her own battle with cancer in 1999-2000. She began massage training in Hawaii and New York, and then came to study in California at The World School of Massage and Advanced Healing in San Francisco. She also spent time under the guidance of a talented chiropractor, providing pain relief/therapeutic massage. Kala’s goal is to assist and guide others on their journey towards wholeness, self-awareness, and vibrant, radiant health.
Ilya Yacobson has been on the quest for vibrant spiritual and physical health since 1992. His dream was to become a mystical shaman awakening the potential of each soul to thrive and celebrate their lives in harmony with their world, loved ones, and their path. Ilya has been strongly influenced by native healing modalities in the US and Russia. Meditation, healthy food and prayer are his foundations for balanced living. After finishing his pre-med Bachelors in Molecular and Cell biology at UC Berkeley, he proceeded to earn his Masters in Chinese Medicine and is practicing Acupuncture and Herbal Therapy at IO as well as massage. His passionate and playful yet deeply attentive and thorough style draws from his training in Acupressure, Shiatsu, Tui Na, Deep Tissue, Swedish, Breathwork, Cranial Sacral, and Chi Nei Tsang (visceral massage). His outgoing yet serene personality and penchant for the balanced structure and fluid movement of the body create relaxed yet invigorating massage with joint mobilizations, and yogic stretches, along with deep muscular relaxation.
IO LICENSED ESTHETICIANS
Jennifer Gallegos is a perceptive and skilled Esthetician offering thorough skin treatment with a warm and relaxing style. She enjoys providing in depth information about client’s skin and home care recommendations to help keep it looking its best. Jennifer also includes an extensive, tension-relieving massage in her facials to help her clients feel their best. Jennifer’s well-known waxing technique is gentle and meticulous. Many happy clients of Jennifer’s recommend ending any facial treatment with a brow shaping for the perfect brows. Trained and licensed in Esthetics in San Francisco, and continuing to update her education with advanced courses, Jennifer has been providing excellent skin care in San Francisco since 2001.
Jennie Hooker has been an Esthetician since 2000, balancing the art of pampering as well as striving to see amazing skin care results in her clients. Jennie is also a certified massage therapist and enhances her facial work with her lavish massage technique, helping make the client experience even more soothing and enjoyable. With her attention to detail, love for extractions and making clients feel at ease, Jennie is dedicated to working alongside clients and zeroing in on their skin care needs. Jennie has been the Esthetics Manager at IO since its inception and continues to happily build and grow her team and clientele.
Abbie Lewis has been a certified clinical Esthetician in the Bay Area since 1999. She has a true passion for her work and is skilled in every aspect of esthetics, from clinical-level treatments and pampering spa facials to precise and gentle waxing. Abbie’s nurturing and warm bedside manner, as well as her attention to detail and excellent listening skills, make her treatments truly exceptional. A Bay Area native, she has extensive experience with a number of skin care lines and has a love for customizing home care regimens and educating her clients. Abbie is also known for her thorough yet painless extractions, as well as her highly-regarded talent for shaping and perfecting even the most unruly eyebrows.
Alicia Moody has been a Licensed Esthetician since 1997 and began lecturing to junior and senior high school students on skin care hygiene and self-esteem issues on a weekly basis in 2001. A recent transplant to San Francisco from Los Angeles, Alicia has worked in various aspects of the spa industry and hospitality for nearly 12 years. Alicia believes in total body and mind wellness where skin care is one important part of the puzzle. She is a great listener, a positive person and is also specifically talented with problem skin, having had her own bouts with acne as a young adult. Alicia is an enthusiastic newcomer to the Bay Area and to IO. She intends to stay involved in the spa culture for many years to come.
Yolanda Porrata creates an unforgettable spa experience with passion, creativity and a love for all things beautiful. She is an experienced esthetician with an exceptional gift for cultivating genuine relationships with her clients. Listening carefully to their needs and concerns, she is able to make well-informed recommendations and provide outstanding service. Yolanda thrives on providing the appropriate atmosphere, from the quiet and grounded facial to the great sense of humor and confidence during waxing. She’ll make you feel safe and at ease even while receiving her highly reputed Brazilian bikini wax. Growing up in the beautiful wilds of West Marin, Yolanda’s appreciation for the natural world has given her a holistic approach to skin care. She believes that the health of this planet depends on each and every one of us. These core beliefs and her commitment to educating her clients on their best choices in skincare are evident from the beginning and keep loyal client’s coming back for more.
