A New Chapter in My Massage Journey: Healing in the Heart of a Poker Room
After 23 years in the massage therapy world, I thought I had experienced just about every environment imaginableâspas, clinics, athletic centers, backstage events, private homes, college sports facilities, and everything in between. But recently, my journey took a turn I never expected⌠straight into the middle of a buzzing poker room.
Iâve officially joined The Lodge Poker Club, a massive, high-energy poker room with around 30 tables full of players completely dialed in to the game. Itâs nothing like the soft music, dim lighting, or calm atmosphere most people associate with massage therapyâand maybe thatâs exactly what makes it so refreshing.
Here, I roll up to the table, set up my chair, and work on players right where they sitâno face cradle, no typical massage setupâjust skilled, focused neuromuscular work while the cards are flying. Theyâre leaning forward calculating plays, holding tension in their shoulders, necks, mid-back⌠and I get to help them stay loose, comfortable, and mentally sharp without ever leaving the game.
Itâs wild, itâs different, and honestly⌠itâs really fun.
This gig has opened up a whole new side of my career. Iâm not just providing a serviceâIâm marketing who I am, what I offer, and the work Iâve built my entire life around. Every table becomes a conversation. Every player becomes a potential connection. And in an environment where tension, adrenaline, and fatigue build fast, I get to watch the power of skilled bodywork instantly change someoneâs posture, comfort, and mindset.
Right now, Iâm focused on growing RiverCity Royalty Massage strictly as a mobile service. Itâs been a rewarding challenge starting from scratch here in Texas, rebuilding my practice client by client, mile by mile. But working at The Lodge has given me a whole new community to serveâpeople who appreciate great work, value feeling better in their bodies, and genuinely spread the word when something impresses them.
And thatâs exactly how I plan to grow here, one great session, one connection, one table at a time.
My dream is to eventually open an office here in San Antonio that blends everything I loveâtherapeutic neuromuscular work, advanced pain relief, and a touch of royalty-level luxury. But for now, my âofficeâ might just be a poker table, a massage chair, and a room full of intense card players who light up the second their shoulders finally let go.
Itâs unconventional.
Itâs energizing.
And itâs become one of the most interesting, unexpected, and surprisingly joyful chapters in my entire massage career.
This is part of my journeyâand Iâm excited to see where it leads next.
Hands of Purpose: My Journey Through the Healing Arts
I like to say that massage therapy chose me long before I ever chose it. My mom loves to tell the story of the day I was bornâhow my tiny hand pushed its way into the world before the rest of me did. She remembers the nurses laughing and saying, âThis one is destined to do something with her hands.â
A few hours later, my aunt came to the maternity ward to meet me for the first time. She was a piano player, someone who understood the power of touch and expression through the hands. When she held me, she looked closely at my fingers and smiled. âThese are the hands of an artist,â she said. âOr a musician.â
I guess they were both right. I was born with hands that would become my greatest toolsânot for the piano, but for the work of healing.
By the time I was six, I was already practicing without realizing it. My mom worked long shifts in the restaurant business, spending hours on her feet. I can still remember the smell of her shoes by the door and the way she would sink into the couch after a late night. I would sit beside her and take her tired feet in my little hands, rubbing the aches away. She used to tell me that my massages were what got her through those long, exhausting days.
Looking back now, I think it all makes sense. From the moment I arrived, life was pointing me toward massage therapy. My hands were always meant to bring comfort, strength, and healing.
From those first foot massages I gave my mom, life carried me straight into a world where touch became my language. What started as a childhood instinct eventually grew into a lifelong calling. My mission in sharing this book is simple: to let you walk with me through my journey as a bodyworker, a massage therapist, and a teacher of holistic practices and the healing arts.
Over the past 23 years, Iâve learned so muchâsometimes through mentors, sometimes through trial and error, and often through the simple act of showing up day after day with my hands and my heart ready to work. And through it all, Iâve always believed that God designed me for this purpose. He gave me these hands, this passion, and these opportunities so that I could bring healing and comfort to others. Massage therapy has never felt like just a careerâit has always felt like a calling.
Iâve had the chance to experience just about every corner of this profession. I began in high-end luxury resorts where the air smelled of eucalyptus and lavender, where soft music floated down polished hallways, and where clients arrived wrapped in plush robes expecting nothing less than perfection. It was glamorous at timesâwhite towels folded like origami, fancy skincare products lined up like jewelsâbut beneath the surface, it was where I honed my skills, learning to provide not just a massage but an experience. I remember the weight of that responsibility: a honeymooning couple, a stressed CEO, or someone marking a milestone birthday, each one hoping to walk away feeling renewed.
Later, I worked in day spas, places with a different kind of energy. Here, I learned the art of adapting quicklyâone moment offering a calming Swedish session to someone seeking relaxation, the next delivering deep-tissue work to a weekend warrior who swore they âcould take the pressure.â (Spoiler: they usually couldnât!) I discovered that the magic of massage wasnât only in the technique but in the ability to read people, to know when to push, when to ease, and when to simply let silence do the healing.
Eventually, my path brought me to owning my own practice, and this is where my heart really found its rhythm. My focus became working with clients suffering from chronic and debilitating conditionsâpeople who often arrived at my door feeling defeated, hopeless, or in pain that had followed them for years. The joy I found in seeing their progress, whether it was standing taller, sleeping better, or walking without a limp, fueled me in ways I canât describe. My little office became more than a treatment room; it was a sanctuary where healing could unfold. I believe that God placed those people in my path for a reason, and that my role was to be His hands, bringing relief and encouragement where it was needed most.
But perhaps my greatest joy came when I stepped into teaching. For 10 years, I had the privilege of guiding students through the world of massage therapy. I watched nervous beginners transform into confident, skilled practitioners, their faces lighting up the first time they felt the âclickâ of connecting with a clientâs body. Teaching was never just about anatomy or techniqueâit was about passing on the heart of this work. My students taught me as much as I taught them: patience, humility, and the beauty of fresh perspective. I always felt that God was with me in those classrooms, giving me the wisdom to guide my students not just in their hands-on skills but in their sense of purpose.
Now, all of these experiencesâluxury spas, day spas, private practice, and teachingâhave woven together into the biggest dream of all: to create a massage therapy school that offers a unique experience, both online and in person. A school where therapists not only master their craft but also learn to care for themselves, to respect the art of touch, and to approach this career as a lifelong journey of growth.
Looking back, it feels as though every client, every student, and every lesson along the way has been nudging me toward this vision. From the little girl massaging her motherâs tired feet to the woman standing here today, my story is proof that when God gives you a purpose, He also provides the path. My hands were always meant to bring comfort, strength, and healingâand it has been one of my greatest blessings to walk this journey.
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