About Renee
H. Renee Kelley, Licensed Massage Therapist
dba Knead to Relax Massage Therapy
Texas State License # MT117908
ABMP Certified Member
Bio
With nearly a lifetime of experience and practice in massage, bodywork is definitely my calling in life. At the age of 5, my grandfather first taught me how to rub his shoulders and it became my daily after-school chore. From that point on, I basically grew up working on family and friends--from putting my 3rd grade teacher to sleep by working the stress and tension out of her neck and shoulders, to working the pain and tightness out of my mother's shoulder from a pinched nerve, and even walking on my father's back at his request to provide him relief from his chronic back pain after a hard day's work as a carpenter. At every family gathering you wouldn't find me playing with the other children, instead you could find me at the table with all of the adults going chair to chair rubbing shoulders while they played dominoes or cards. Massage was meant for me.
My familiarity with bodywork evolved over the years along with my techniques, and although I didn't immediately pursue Massage Therapy as my profession after school, I continued to work on friends and family who would often come to me to ease their aches and pains. Finally, I could no longer ignore what people have told me for years and decided to obtain the education and licensure necessary to practice massage professionally. I haven't looked back and the relief and relaxation I see my clients get with my sessions with them only confirms that this is my calling in life.
After school, I worked under the direction of a Physical Therapist at Rio Health & Wellness, providing both medical massage to patients recovering from surgeries, injuries, and chronic/acute disorders and providing therapeutic massage to spa clients as well. Witnessing first hand the amazing results provided by receiving massage on a regular basis, only further confirmed what an impact massage can have. The benefits of massage are real and can be very effective as part of a physician's treatment plan or just to help relieve stress in one's life.
On January 3, 2014, I started working at a Evia Spa. It was a great experience working in a spa setting and getting to work on clients for both relaxation and therapeutic purposes. I gained more knowledge of bodywork and had a lot of fun working with so many different talented people. In April, Evia Spa restructured internally and switched from an employee-based staff to rental spaces for self-employed businesses. I stayed on and officially started Knead to Relax Massage Therapy, renting a room out of Evia Spa within their new structure. Things were going great, and in October, the owners came to an agreement with new management and re-restructured everything back to employee-based staff. Wanting to keep my focus on my clients' care and individual needs, I decided it was time for a new place for myself and my clients. I'd received enough notice of the change to allow for proper research, and after many, many meetings and on-site inspections of potential rental places, I finally found a new place to call home.
On November 2, 2104, I moved my massage practice to its current location, inside the Holistic Wellness & Massage Center in Spring, near 45 and Rayford/Sawdust. When their lease was up in August 2015, they relocated (and I followed) to a new facility on I-45 and Nursery Road, north of Rayford/Sawdust. While the new place is exclusively designed for bodywork, it is a good fit for all of my existing and future clients. I feel this new location within Holistic Wellness & Massage Center allows for better focus of my clients' needs without the distractions of a noisier, faster-paced salon. It is a quieter place where relaxation is key. Settling into the new environment, I continue to expand my knowledge in massage techniques so I may be of better service to my clients.
The more I grow, the more I enjoy my practice. Not a day goes by that I'm not happy with this career and path in life. I look forward to treating many new clients. (back to top)
Practice Philosophy
My purpose with any client is to work with them to meet their goals and take care of them how they need to be taken care of. It's all about feeling better, and feeling better for longer. I believe massage therapy is a treatment as well as is preventative care. I have a thorough intake process to with each client prior to the start of the initial session and discuss any changes in health before additional sessions to ensure my clients' health and well-being are always cared for appropriately.
My work is dedicated to helping individuals reach their health goals to help them feel better. I aim to work at the source of the issues, if possible, to help create long-term results, rather than just temporary relief. I encourage and welcome working with my clients' doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, and other health care professionals to help attain the goals each client has.
I also believe that the massage session times scheduled with clients should not include the intake process as part of their actual treatment time. Some places choose to include the intake and undressing/dressing as part of the session time, but I am more comfortable not only knowing that I have enough time to address my clients' needs without the intake and other things cutting into the length of the treatment, but also I don't feel that I'm shorting the client out of something they need, want, and are paying for. Every body is different, and being fully informed of your health issues and discussing your specific treatment goals shouldn't limit the time you are being worked on.
Massage therapy is a great compliment to any fitness plan, chiropractic care, and physical therapy. Many doctors are now starting to recommend massage therapy as part of their patients' health care needs. Insurance companies are also beginning to recognize the importance of massage therapy and some include coverage of some treatments in their plans. (Always check with your carrier to ensure appropriate coverage and/or requirements for coverage to be accepted.) It's very exciting to see massage therapy being more widely recognized by other health care professionals in the health industry. (back to top)
http://www.massagetherapy.com/get-a-massage/hreneekelley