Meet the Team
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heather vanore
OWNER, LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST, CERTIFIED AYURVEDIC BODYWORKER, PANCHAKARMA TECHNICIAN
As the founder of Heather Massage, Heather has dedicated her career in helping others to achieve their highest level of health and wellness. With her personal experience of being an athlete most of her life along with her passion for massage therapy her mission is to create a space that offers a healing environment for those experiencing emotional distress, personal trauma, sports related injuries, as well as acute and chronic conditions.
Heather attained her massage therapy license in the state of NY as well as her National Certification in 2007. She graduated summa cum laude from Mildred Elley in Albany, NY with an Occupational Studies Degree. Being an athlete starting at a very young age along with having parents that were competitive body builders, she naturally acquired a passion for anatomy and the human body.
As she became more intrigued in how the body systems worked together, she realized how essential food, supplements and body maintenance like massage therapy, stretching and strength training are. She has found that these key components are necessary to healing most imbalances within the body. This has become a way of life for her personally and professionally and combined with her experience and background in massage therapy she believes with the proper knowledge and consistent care, our bodies have the ability to heal from within.
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SOPHIA VALERI
LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST
As a former high level athlete, Sophia knows firsthand how it feels for the body to reach its highest potential along with being mindful of its limitations. She studied massage therapy at Lourdes Institute of Holistic Studies in Camden, NJ and received her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Temple University. She is well versed in anatomy and physiology, and truly understands how everything within the body is connected. With her extensive knowledge and experience with passive stretching exercise and the amazing benefits that come with it, she looks to incorporate stretching into both her personal practice, as well as her bodywork.
Sophia also loves to combine essential oils and herbs within her practice to aid in alleviating stagnations within the body that may cause additional discomfort. She has been certified in Cupping and Gua Sha, as well as Sports Massage, and Manual Lymphatic Drainage, with plans to continue to learn and grow as a bodyworker, so that she may continue to help as many people as possible.
Sophia’s biggest goal for her clients is to encourage and educate them to continue working on themselves off the massage table and in their daily lives. She provides simple and effective corrective muscle exercises and stretches to complement the work she does with you on the table.
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greays mendoza
LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST
Greays has been a Licensed Massage Therapist in the state of PA for over 20 years. As someone who has always had a passion for helping others she decided to attend the Pennsylvania School of Muscle Therapy in 2001. Greays has worked with medical practitioners and chiropractors for the majority of her career and has helped countless patients to improve their quality of life.
Along with working alongside various medical practitioners, Greays also works with semi-pro and professional athletes to help with injury recovery due to chronic conditions or acute trauma. Her use of specialized techniques such as therapeutic massage, deep tissue, trigger point therapy, cupping and hot stones are a great combination for achieving these results.
Greays provides a deeper touch within her practice in order to alleviate pain, muscle/joint discomfort along with those who seek improvement for postural imbalances.
In addition, Greays is a dōTERRA Wellness Advocate and believes Aromatherapy is an essential remedy in healing the mind and body from within.
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Courtney Windju
CRANIOSACRAL FASCIAL PRACTITIONER, REIKI MASTER
Courtney is a Craniosacral Fascial Therapist (CFT), Somatic Practitioner, Yoga Teacher and Graduate Student of Social Work. She was born & raised in the Pacific Northwest and has resided in the Philadelphia area for the last few years. Courtney’s interest in embodied health and wellness began early, as empathy, movement and story-telling became a way to help her understand both herself and others.
Courtney is an advocate for connection, between self and others. She believes we are all intuitive and sentient beings designed to connect and share in our experiences. Courtney is an advocate for nature connection and the restoration that is had when connecting with life outside of ourselves. She is in support of deep rest and giving our nervous systems the reminder to restore amidst the world in which we live.
Courtney aspires to combine both traditional talk therapy, movement and bodywork as a holistic path to self-healing. Courtney believes each modality serves a purpose for healing and there is no one way for any single person. With a combination of modalities to suit each individual, one can begin to tap into the mind & body's innate ability to heal.
Courtney is also Reiki 1 & 2 Attuned and weaves in energy work, breath work and healing into her CFT sessions.
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Carla Samaniego
LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST
Carla is an exceptional massage therapist who brings a wealth of expertise and skills to her practice. With nearly a decade of experience in Therapeutic Massage, Deep Tissue, and Trigger Point Therapy, she has mastered her craft offering a comforting and intuitive skillset to her massage.
Carla's own journey with Multiple Sclerosis led her to discover the profound impact of massage therapy on her well-being and pain management, igniting a deep passion to help others. She creates a serene and rejuvenating atmosphere for each client, ensuring a truly transformative session.
In her pursuit of a balanced and healthy lifestyle, Carla finds joy in cooking, dancing, exploring new destinations, and cherishing precious moments with her loved ones.
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ALEXANDER KABACK
LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST, CERTIFIED MANUAL LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE THERAPIST
For almost two decades, Alexander Kaback has been involved in the fitness industry, focusing on exercise for athletic performance. He has a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from The Penn State University, which he earned after working as a personal trainer and managing a gym in Battery Park City, New York. Working with private clients, he diversified his practice to include massage therapy for injury prevention and rehabilitation.
He pursued an education in Massage therapy and became a Certified Massage Therapist in California. Alexander has worked with the general population as well as athletes for exercise diagnosis, prescription, and programming. He was also able to donate his time to provide massages for cancer patients while in Los Angeles. While practicing massage therapy began as a useful addition to his private performance exercise business, it has now become the focus of his career.
After moving back home to the east coast, Alexander decided to continue working on his craft and using his skills to benefit clients who searched out his abilities. The Philadelphia School of Massage and Bodywork allowed a transfer of credits, and a Pennsylvania License for Massage Therapy was obtained in 2022. Alexander believes that no matter what the client’s individual needs are, they can be met through compassion, understanding and hands-on therapy.
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ROB HARRIS
REIKI MASTER
Having always been a free-spirit, Rob’s love for people propelled him towards ways to heal the body and soul in natural ways. He believes in the power of energy healing through Reiki and crystals as well as meditation and Yoga.
Rob has been practicing as a level ll Reiki practitioner for the past two years, after seeing the results for himself as well as his clients he was eager to receive his Reiki Master training. With his belief in all natural forms of healing, Rob also received his 200hr yoga teacher certification in 2019 and started teaching last year.
He is dedicated to helping individuals improve their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being. That coupled with his friendly and caring nature, Rob makes the experience relaxing and uplifting.
Your session will be
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Personalized
Our initial sessions will be dedicated to assessing your current wellness and creating a personalized plan to fit your unique needs and goals.
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Targeted
Everyone has pain points when it comes to achieving full body wellness. I’ll work closely with you to help identify and overcome your triggers.
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Integrative
Since achieving wellness is more than just exercise and diet, I’ll be guiding you toward other helpful practices such as mindfulness training, aromatherapy, and more.