Massage Therapy Instructors
Studio City | Los Angeles Massage School
- April VillarealCampus Manager/InstructorAfter graduating from NHI in 2008, April started practicing massage. In 2011 she began volunteering as a teacher’s assistant at NHI. She always wanted to be a part of the NHI team, and being a TA enhanced her desire to pass on the knowledge she has gained. Her experience includes working in a chiropractor’s office and running a private practice. April is delighted to bring her energy and passion for massage to the student’s learning experience. “Look to the skies so you can see how high you can fly, look to the stars to see how bright you can shine, and most importantly look in yourself to see how great you can be.”Beth TonningInstructorBeth Tonning, CMT, NMT, CLT, CPT graduated with honors from National Holistic Institute | Studio City, CA in 2015 as a Certified Massage Therapist (CMT), Neuromuscular Therapist (NMT) and Health Educator. She opened her private practice, Valley Massage & Therapeutic Bodywork, in 2015 specializing in therapeutic massage and rehabilitation techniques with an emphasis on clients suffering with neurological disorders. She went on to receive extensive training through the Norton School of Lymphatic Therapy and graduated as a Certified Lymphatic Therapist (CLT) in 2017. In 2019, she became a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) having completed certification through National Academy of Sports Medicine. She has experience working with doctors, surgeons, and physical therapists, as well as CrossFit gyms and sports events throughout Southern California. Beth has a deep passion for excellence and professionalism and strives to embody those qualities. She is excited to be part of the NHI teaching staff and looks forward to contributing to the continued growth and respectability of the massage field. “Massage is considered to be one of the oldest forms of medicine and I have experienced firsthand the incredible results that massage therapy can provide for health and recovery. With every professional encounter, I feel that I am one step closer in helping to restore the massage profession back to its legitimate place in the world of medicine.”Casey MurphyStudent Support Specialist / InstructorCasey Murphy was born and raised in Rochester, NY where he left and returned many times before finding his true calling to become a massage therapist. He completed his massage licensure in New York and studied in Thailand before joining us here in Los Angeles. He prefers to integrate Thai stretches into Swedish massage while being mindful of the meridians and points of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He has been a teacher and mentor in the past and he’s very excited to bring his experience and voice to NHI. “Massage is very intuitive, everything you need is already inside you. We’re just here to bring it back to the surface.”Eric BrowningInstructorEric's massage career began in 2002 after graduating from NHI Emeryville. After 13 years of private practice he received a certificate of advanced neuromuscular therapy at NHI Studio City. He is now honored to be a member of the staff enabling him to pass on the valuable knowledge he has gained to further the careers of future massage therapists. "I love the fact that massage therapy has the ability to change the world for good one body at a time."Genevieve SpilotroStudent Life & Career Coordinator/InstructorGenevieve is a certified Massage Therapist and a graduate of NHI! She has been in practice since 2008 working in spas, and with private practice clientele. Massage is a profession that she was quickly drawn into and loves. Genevieve believes massage is not only about pampering, but also offers therapeutic healing. “The art of massage is a rewarding career. It offers a way to relax the mind, body and soul, which helps create balance from within.”Jen TobinInstructorJen Tobin originally hails from the greater Boston area where she completed a bachelor’s degree in dance and started her career in massage therapy. Massaging since 2002, she moved to the Los Angeles area 12 years ago and has worked in various massage environments including spas, offices, beaches and on television and commercial sets. Her preferred modalities are prenatal and deep tissue, but she has a great appreciation for the variety massage brings in its range of modalities. Her love of the sciences and passion for learning brought her to the classrooms of NHI in 2011 and she continues to enjoy the process of imparting knowledge, while also maintaining a small private practice of outcall clients. “My hope, still, is to leave the world a little bit better than when I got here.” –Jim HensonJoey PontanillaInstructorJoey’s path as a massage therapist began shortly after being laid off from Yahoo! in 2008. His desire to help people hands-on from a wellness perspective eventually led him to enrolling at NHI. Upon graduating in 2009, he worked at a few Los Angeles-area day spas, volunteered as a massage therapist for several charity events (i.e. Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, Lupus Awareness Walk) and also worked for a mobile massage company. Throughout most of that time, he also volunteered as a teaching assistant at NHI which is where his desire to teach began. In 2011, he was hired to the NHI-Los Angeles staff. Over his 5 total years on staff, he has been a part-time instructor, Student Life & Career Coordinator and full-time instructor/mentor. At the end of 2015, Joey left NHI to pursue a career in voiceovers but, in summer of 2016, he was invited back to work as a part-time instructor while he continues to pursue voice work. Joey finds the human anatomy infinitely fascinating and feels very connected to eastern massage modalities, especially shiatsu. His massage motto is: “An investment in massage therapy is an investment in your health.”Patrick CoomesInstructorPatrick was a sprinter at the NCAA D1 level and saw the value and benefit of massage. Looking for a career change he remembered how much he appreciated massage and enrolled at the NHI Emeryville campus where he ended up tutoring students on his way to graduating with honors from the Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy Program. Patrick went on to work in private practice that led to various gigs from working in tech companies, backstage at the Outside Lands Music festival and consulting with an orthopedic acupuncturist. During this time Patrick continued to visit campus as a teacher’s assistant until eventually accepting a full time teacher’s position at the Emeryville campus teaching in the ANMT as well as Core program. Patrick grew up in a military household attending 9 different schools from K-12 on 3 different continents and enjoys being able to interact with NHI’s diverse student body.Paul VinczeInstructorPaul graduated from The Touch Therapy Institute in Encino, CA in 1999 and received his Reiki Master Certification in 2001. Paul’s passion for teaching began in when taught rafting, kayaking, and backpacking to youth at risk; it continues today as he instructs students in massage therapy. Throughout the years Paul has worked in spas and private practice. “I love that I am able to educate people about loving, compassionate touch, and know that they will be able to help others with this knowledge and skill.”Rebecca MillhouseInstructorRebecca has been a massage therapist since 2003. Since then, she has performed massage in day spas, chiropractic offices and acupuncture clinics. Rebecca has maintained a private clientele and teaches infant and couples massage classes. Rebecca teaches in both the Core and the Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy Programs with the National Holistic Institute. “If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.” – Zig ZiglarTyler SalinasInstructorTyler is a graduate of the Core and ANMT programs at NHI and has been in practice consistently since even before his graduation in 2014. He has worked in private practice, wellness centers, chiropractic offices and high profile day spas. Tyler finds his motivation to massage in helping people to manage their pain and minimize the impact it has on their lives; He is passionate about constantly expanding his understanding of the body and it’s structures and hopes to impart to successive generations of massage therapists the value of specific anatomical knowledge and informed touch. “Receive without conceit; Release without struggle.”-Marcus Aurelius
NHI’s Los Angeles massage instructors serve the entire LA area including Burbank, Glendale, Long Beach, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Pasadena.