This week we are highlighting another one of our massage therapists, world traveler Alexa Wilson. She is a Kentucky native, having grown up in Somerset. Growing up, she spent a lot of time outdoors, doing things like cliff diving and just enjoying nature. 

Her passion for travel began in her early 20’s, even living out of her car so she could explore new areas. She moved to Colorado, living in the beautiful Rocky Mountains for about a year and a half. However, soon she began to feel a longing for more of a sense of community. On a visit home, enjoying the company of friends and family she made a last minute decision to move back to Kentucky and she’s remained here ever since. 

She immediately began school to become a massage therapist, enrolling at the Lexington Healing Arts Academy beginning September 2013 and competing her certification in January 2015. There she learned a foundation of Swedish massage, common among western society. The full body massage to relax, increase blood flow and reduce stress. Her initial desire was to work with athletes. She enjoyed working with athletes outdoors, in a high energy environment prior to and after their events, stretching, post activity rehabilitation, and superficial work to help the body cool down were common. 

As tends to happen in life, her focus changed as time passed and she felt led in a different direction. Still working with athletes, her practice has since evolved to match her diverse skill set. Her desire is to care for the body in an all encompassing way, to create balance. 

For Alexa, “Bodywork is much deeper than just the physical aspect of bodies, it’s also mental, and its emotional; it can be spiritual, and it’s very energetic.”

In addition to Swedish, sports massage therapy, and deep tissue, Alexa integrates Thai massage, craniosacral and trigger point therapy. Proficient in all the modalities, she loves Thai massage because of what she considers the marriage of the physical, mental, emotional and energetic bodies. Having learned this modality while living in Thailand, she was enamored by the passion those in the community hold for massage. She described street vendors giving each other massage in the middle of the day as an act of self care. 

In addition to traveling throughout Thailand, places Alexa has traveled is Cuba, Canada, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, and lots of the United States. Among her favorites were Vietnam, and especially Cuba because of the vibrant culture full of music, dancing and beauty. Alexa loves travel for all the reasons you would expect, exploring new cultures and meeting new people. But, what she really appreciates is that traveling forces her into the present moment. A traveler never knows what the next moment will hold. Free from the routine we live in a day to day basis, everything is new and requires we pay attention in a way that allows us to be completely present and experience a deeper connection with others.  

Traveling is so important to Alexa’s life because it allows her to remain balanced. With the mindset of nurturing self, she is able to better serve her clients. Travel allows her to remain inspired so she can come back and share that with her clients. Stop in for a visit or give us a call to schedule a session with Alexa. Enjoy a bodywork session designed to meet your physical, mental, emotional, and energetic needs to assist you on your path to balancing self and connecting with others.