“My first client was a teacher at the school. I cannot tell you how nervous I was! Luckily for me, that teacher was Fernando Cabrera who is still one of my role models today. The way he uses massage and shares his message for healing is extraordinary. From my first session I was given confidence and hope that my path was going to play out exactly as I intended.”
Before graduating, Michelle secured the property in Tofino that is now Cedarwood Cove, which she has been running with her husband for 4 years now.
“My main clients are tourists, who usually just want to lay down and enjoy. That’s perfect, and I encourage that! But I also encourage and offer the kind of work that can take place when the body on the table gets really involved with what’s happening on the inside. Tanya, one of my teachers said to me once ‘The fact that it feels good to receive a massage is just a bonus to what’s really happening on the inside’. I always remember this, and recite it often to my clients.”
Michelle has cultivated her career around being inspired by health that connects us to mind, body and spirit.
“I enjoy working with the body to encourage best anatomical posture, so I love joint movement and supporting limbs. I also teach yoga, and so I’m always looking for ways to help the body remember how it is capable of moving.”
Michelle’s most popular treatment is the Cedarwood Cove signature massage, a fusion of elements from several different spa modalities taught at the school including aromatherapy and Lomilomi. Michelle said her favourite part of studying was “The authenticity of the teachers and their quest for healing, and the individuality of their skill sets and teaching styles.”
“I have three teachers that are still in my life today supporting my path in all different ways. Thank you Paula, Tanya, Fernando!” Michelle said.
Michelle hopes to inspire others to be the best they can, in optimal health and vitality. In her spare time Michelle loves surfing, walking on the beach, cooking, eating chocolate, doing yoga and growing her own veggies.
“I live my life with the hope to give all visitors a taste of what it can feel like to move, play, eat well, be touched, laugh and connect.”
Cedarwood Cove offers wellness & recreation retreats that include daily yoga, a nutrition consultation, stand up paddling tours, bikes and surf gear and of course, a therapeutic massage.
