Massage Therapy

Kara has a diverse background in both education and professional experience. She graduated from Central Michigan University (CMU) with a degree in biology in 2013. Later, she became a Michigan licensed massage therapist and a board-certified medical massage therapist after graduating from Blue Heron Academy in 2022. Since 2019, she has also been teaching fitness classes. Kara specializes in medical and sports massage and is looking forward to introducing muscle scraping and KT taping massages at the Visser location soon. She is passionate about continuous learning and plans to add more modalities in the future.

Audre has been a Massage Therapist for 14 years and counting.  She finished her massage program at Lansing Community College in 2010 and has continued to study additional modalities in the massage world since completion.   Audre is skilled in Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue techniques, Myofascial Release, Cupping, Prenatal Massage, and many more. While her passion is in Prenatal Massage, Audre enjoys helping all bodies.   Since experiencing the journey of pregnancy twice herself, she can empathize with the wonder and occasional discomfort the process brings.  Audre is looking forward to providing your next massage!

Lauren started her massage therapy journey at Wabonsee Community College and graduated with her Therapeutic Massage certification in May of 2017. She has been a Licensed Massage Therapist in the state of Illinois, Wisconsin and now Michigan. Lauren has worked for Hand & Stone and for a Wellness center while furthering her education in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Lauren graduated in 2023 with her Master of Science in Oriental Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition. She holds her Acupuncture license in the state of North Carolina and is working on getting her license here in Michigan. She is a health focused, avid traveler, adventure loving, outdoor and natural phenomena enthusiast. Lauren considers herself a lifelong learner who is ecstatic about self-improvement and especially the health and wellness field. She finds importance in incorporating healing for the mind, body and spirit in her sessions and finds that we aren’t truly at our best if one or more is out of balance.

Rebecca graduated from Associates of Integrative Health Massage Therapy program in 2011. Since that time, she has worked as a massage therapist in Indiana, Washington, and more recently Michigan. She is excited to bring her knowledge and skills to the YMCA community. Rebecca is always learning, and at this time she currently specializes in relaxation, myofascial release, prenatal and deep tissue massages. It is important to Rebecca that each client leaves their session with both the client and massage therapist feeling valued. Her goal is to use massage therapy to help clients relax and feel their best.

Lynn is a Grand Rapids born, mother and grandmother, who now lives in Wyoming. She is a Licensed Massage Therapist and has been practicing since 2010. She is passionate about helping people feel better whether they are hurting physically or stressed from everyday life. Lynn believes natural therapies, such as massage, are the most effective ways to reduce stress, pain, and muscle tension brought on by the hectic lives we lead in such a fast-paced environment. She is proficient in several modalities including Swedish, Prenatal, Deep Tissue, Trigger point, Lymphatic, lomi lomi, Reflexology, and Aromatherapy and more. She applies a mixture of these modalities to customize each massage to the needs of each and every individual. Lynn truly believes relaxation and therapeutic techniques can be mixed together for a wonderful experience and a way to help stay healthy and of course relaxed, naturally!

Nancy has over 20 years of experience in the Massage Therapy field, providing customized massage therapy and bodywork sessions to meet the specific needs of each individual. Nancy has 17 years of de​dicated service providing a wide variety of advanced therapies at the Wolverine Worldwide Family YMCA. She also has experience working in partnership with Chiropractors and Acupuncturists to provide rehabilitative as well as preventative care and maintenance to a wide variety of physician referred patients, including professional athletes who have benefited from event preparation as well as post-event recovery techniques.

Charity graduated from Everest Institute November of 2010 as a Licensed Medical Massage Therapist. After completion of her education, she worked for a Chiropractor/Occupational Therapist for 5 years. Charity is also a Deep Tissue Travel Massage Therapist. Charity is committed to continuously expanding her knowledge and technique in massage therapy. Charity has over 10 years’ experience in sports massage, Myo-fascial deep tissue, prenatal massage, trigger point massage, Swedish massage, lymphatic drainage, cupping & Hot Stones. Charity a hardworking mother of 4 beautiful children.

Erin graduated from Cornerstone University in 2014 with a bachelor’s in exercise science before continuing her education with massage therapy.  She graduated from Blue Heron Academy in May of 2016 and worked as a massage therapist in a chiropractic office where she was employed until July 2018. She is an avid runner and cyclist, and she believes her highly competitive nature also helps spur her on to further her knowledge of client education and care.