Massage Therapy Instructors
Studio City | Los Angeles Massage School
- April VillarealAssociate Campus 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.”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.”Chris ThurstonInstructorChris originally hails from the outskirts of Chicago. After completing a degree in Sociology from Kingston University, London he returned to Chicago where he uncovered his passion for the healing arts. There he attended and graduated from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and acquired his state license. He worked in a small community healing center, yoga studio, spa, and private practice. He spent several months in the Peruvian Amazon doing work-exchange at a retreat center before moving to Oakland. Following a couple years at a San Francisco yoga studio, he went on to spend a few months traveling in Asia where he studied Thai massage. Returning to the states he landed in Hollywood where he currently resides and jumped on the exciting opportunity to teach at NHI!Emily CooperInstructorEmily became a certified Massage Therapist and Holistic Health Practitioner in 2005. Since then she has worked in clinical and spa settings, while building her private practice around the treatment of severe and chronic pain. Providing safe, knowledgeable, and effective services are her passion; one Emily strives to share with the students of NHI.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 TobinCampus Manager/InstructorJen 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.”Kate FoxInstructorKate Fox, CMT, CLMA graduated from Touch Therapy Institute in 2001 as a Certified Massage Therapist (CMT), and has trained extensively in therapeutic and rehabilitative bodywork. She earned her BFA in Dance from CalArts in 2005; received her graduate credential in Somatic Movement Therapy in 2008 as a Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst (CLMA); and completed her certification in the Symmetry for Health program in 2015. Kate specializes in the treatment of performing artists in her private practice, NewPath Wellness in Glendale, and also does on-site therapy work at The Colburn School in Los Angeles. She taught anatomy at California Institute of the Arts (2005-2009) and California State Summer School for the Arts (2006-2008), and continues to teach workshops with presentations, most recently at The Colburn Conservatory of Music and the Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance at CalArts, among others. Kate is endlessly passionate about movement and the body, and is elated to be an instructor and mentor here at NHI.Katie IveyInstructorKatie began her career as a Certified Massage Therapist in 2015 after 12 years of training retailers, administrators, and hospitality professionals in Los Angeles. Immediately after receiving her certification she began developing more comprehensive and elevated training standards for luxury spas, wellness centers, and government-contracted massage providers. She has also built a specialized private practice for survivors of physical and psychological trauma and is an advocate for ethical emotional intelligence both in and outside of the treatment room. Teaching at NHI gives Katie a greater sense of purpose while helping others explore their creativity in a new way. “I am not young enough to know everything”-Oscar WildePaul 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. “I feel so blessed to have found my calling and to have an outlet to share it with others. Thank you, NHI!”Summer SnoverInstructorOriginally from Colorado, Summer became a massage therapist in 2006. She is passionate about the health and well being of others, so becoming a massage therapist was an easy choice. Through her many years of experience in various massage environments including; luxury spas, chiropractic offices and in private practice, she has delivered thousands of client centered massages. Some of Summer’s favorite modalities to integrate include; Swedish massage, deep tissue, structural integration, trigger point and energy work. With a background in teaching both massage and other subjects, Summer engages students using her humor, creativity and personal experience. Dedicated to assisting students reach their highest potential, she is thrilled to be a part of the incredible team at NHI. “In every moment, impulses of intelligence are creating our body. By changing the patterns of these impulses, we can change ourselves.” – Deepak ChopraTyler 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.