Meet Maria

I have been a licensed massage therapist for the past 33 years. I graduated massage school in 1988 and began teaching for the local community college in 1995. I left a few years later to earn a Bachelor's Degree from UTEP in Health Sciences, cum laude. It was then that I realized massage therapy is my passion and made the decision to stay in the field where I could create a zen lifestyle for myself and make a difference in the lives of my clients.

 

I returned to teaching massage therapy in 2000 and currently teach Anatomy and Physiology at El Paso Community College. In my 30 years of experience, I have given more than 25,000 massages and I'm still standing and going strong, albeit I have slowed down on my private practice and have been dedicating more time to teaching.

​

This career has been very rewarding, although at times it was challenging. When I first graduated massage school, I set up a room in my home. Within a year, I was renting space from a counselor and Tai Chi instructor. You could say he worked on the mind and spirit while I worked on the body. Our duo was a great trio! I was at that office for 18 wonderful years. Due to circumstances surrounding the building itself, I decided to move out and open my own office where I have been for 12 years now.

​

Massage therapy has been my only source of income for all these years. When I was in college, I was able to arrange my work schedule to fit my school schedule. Even though some months were difficult, it has sustained me and helped me raise 3 children as a single mother. It gave me the flexibility to be at home more often. For all this, I have a deep gratitude for my profession.

​

I am very grateful for the honor of helping others. Many people have helped me and were there for me over the years, so I feel like it's time to pay it forward and share the knowledge I've accumulated throughout all my years of practice, with the hope that it might inspire even one person to pursue massage.