Massage a personal journey
Step out of the chaos of the world and into the peaceful environment of Rebecca Dragseth’s Therapeutic Connections School of Massage.
In a beautiful spot on the South Hill, Dragseth’s school shares a location with Spokane Yoga Shala, formerly City Yoga, and the yin-and-yang of the two businesses creates a welcoming atmosphere in which to learn and heal.
Therapeutic Connections School of Massage is a privately owned school designed to give students the skills and experience to become certified massage therapists.
“My goal is to create an environment where each student is getting a personal and professional journey of their own,” Dragseth said. “I really want each student to feel that they’re their own apprentice.”
There will be one to two sessions running for 560 hours over a 10-month period with no more than 10 students per class. Dragseth said she wants to give students individual attention and integrates lecture and hands-on experience.
Dragseth had been working as a massage therapist when she decided to open a school out of her home a year ago. She taught high school and club gymnastics previously and was encouraged by friends and clients to combine her massage and teaching skills to open a school.
“I love working with the body, and I love teaching, so it is the ideal thing for me,” she said.
Two students graduated from her home school and are now certified massage therapists. One of them, Levi Van Dyke, will be working at Dragseth’s school in the fall.
“Rebecca really helped me with my understanding of the physical anatomy and has made my work and understanding as a personal trainer stronger. I’m looking forward to working with her to make an even better class of students this next year,” Van Dyke said.
Along with Van Dyke, Dragseth’s sister, Deb Wiser, will be teaching physiology, and local massage therapist Brian Olmstead will be bringing his 10 years of experience to the school.
The goal of the school is to send experienced and knowledgeable massage therapists out into the community.
“It takes an abundance of knowledge to heal the body,” Dragseth said. She said the purpose of the techniques she teaches is connecting different therapeutic modalities to find what works best for each individual issue. She also works with other health care professionals.
The building was once an old grocery store, then a dance studio, and now Dragseth is happy to share this new home for her school with the people of Spokane Yoga Shala, who have been some of her greatest supporters.
Dragseth graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in education in 1996. In 1999 she graduated from Seattle Massage School as a certified massage therapist, and her school is an approved Washington state school.