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Christy Bebout is a dually licensed massage therapist and esthetician and has been in the spa industry since 2001. She loves the world of holistic health and wellness and the opportunity to share her passion with others. In 2011 Christy decided to face her fear of flying and traveled the world training hundreds of massage therapists and estheticians in specialty product lines. Learning from others is the most valuable gift she has received in her professional career. As an instructor, Christy loves to discover how each of her students learns and will adjust her verbiage and training techniques to make sure each person leaves feeling inspired and excited to use new tools in their massage practices.
Since graduating from the Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy in 2001, Christy focused on neuromuscular massage in her hometown of Canon City, Colorado. She opened her own studio and enjoyed working on her regular hometown clients, but eventually felt she needed to expand her horizons. In 2004 Christy moved to Denver, ready to jump into the spa world in a big city.
After Christy decided to stop traveling to start a family, she found herself working at a high-end spa called The Barber Lounge doing Massage and Facials. The work was demanding, but luckily there were Ashiatsu bars in the ceiling and she decided to learn Ashiatsu from Ruthie Hardee (the founder of DeepFeet Bar Therapy). Once Christy learned to use her feet to deliver deep tissue techniques, she never used her hands again and became a teacher's assistant for the founder. In 2018 Christy learned Sarga Bodywork and was blown away with the technique. Her clients began to see amazing results in overall posture and well being. When the opportunity came to learn to be an instructor, Christy jumped at the chance to teach this beautiful form of bodywork!
Q & A:
What motivated/inspired/led you to become a professional massage therapist, and where did you go to massage therapy school? I was 20 when I decided to go to massage therapy school. I always knew I wanted to help people, but I wasn't sure how. Massage therapy school presented itself and I decided to give it a shot! I ended up loving the work and being in a calm, stress-free environment. I was never a "quick" learner so I truly understand those who may be having a tough time picking up on new things. Little did I know that learning massage therapy would lead me to help others learn career-saving barefoot techniques.
If you had another job/career prior to becoming a massage therapist, how does that life experience contribute to the work you do now? Wow, I was so young when I learned massage therapy. I worked a few jobs at fitness centers, Safeway, and even a waitressing job for about a week. This showed me my strengths and weaknesses and I knew the spa industry is where I belonged.
How long have you been licensed and practicing as an LMT? I've been practicing massage therapy since 2001. A couple of years later I became licensed in esthetics. I was also obsessed with the health of the largest organ in the human body; the skin. I loved doing both massage and esthetics in the spas I worked in because it offered variety and opened up more opportunities in the training world.
What kind of approach do you bring to your bodywork, and what massage techniques do you specialize in? I was really inspired from my experience working at the high-end spa in Denver called The Barber Lounge. When I was working on larger bodies (who I used to run away from) I realized these men had never received deep tissue work without sharp elbows and pain associated. I noticed some of the other massage therapists giving all they had to get them to "tap out" and this is not the way to approach effective bodywork. My specialty is Ashiatsu and Sarga Bodywork. I enjoy re-educating my clients on the fact that bodywork doesn't have to hurt to be effective. They enjoy the added relaxation to their therapeutic experience.
What kind of marketing do you use to find new clients, as well as keep current clients coming back to you? Word-of-mouth for sure! Once people experience barefoot work, they rarely go back to hand-based techniques. I have limited time to see clients, and they fill up all of my available time!
When you are not working or in the office... I'm hanging with my amazing husband Nick and son Gavin. We ride our bikes around the beautiful trails of Colorado as much as possible! We love to boat, relax and travel when possible. We teach our son that experiences are much more important then material things.
