Belonging Matters

From the Director: Growing Possibility

April is that time of year when everything starts coming back to life after the quiet of winter. As bird songs resound, the sun shines longer, flowers bloom, and trees begin to leaf, the whole world just feels fresh and full of energy. It’s a great reminder that growth is always possible, even when things seem bleak.

Much like flowers opening their petals in spring, April is the time to consider new ideas and experiences and let go of anything holding you back. It’s all about making space for more positive, vibrant possibilities.

Keeping our focus on what’s possible, KCHA’s students, interns, and staff continue to embrace growth with positivity and determination.

Shawn Compau Scalpone she/her/hers Director, Co-Owner, & Instructor

What new possibilities does Spring inspire you to consider this year?

Session 1 of the CranioSacral Therapy (CST) workshop proved successful for all who participated.

With Doreen’s expert guidance and teaching, participants learned more about the:

• History of CST
• Anatomy of CST
• Relationship between fascia and diaphragms

We look forward to building on our learning during Session 2 on May 3-4, 2025, from 9 AM – 6 PM

Erin Legatzke

My name is Katie Legatzke! I am a barista, farmhand, and soon-to-be licensed massage therapist! I am also an ultimate frisbee player and coach, and I am excited to bring my skills and strengths as an athlete into my career in bodywork. I love hands-on physical work; it’s so rewarding to help people experience relief.

My goal is to work in a rehabilitation setting, but I am open-minded to opportunities that come my way!

Erin Mapes

Hello, I’m Erin Mapes. I arrived at Massage Therapy via a winding path. For several years, I was a branch manager at a large local bank. While I enjoyed the interactions with customers and the community,  business was not a good fit for me, so I left the bank in 2017 and joined Bronson Hospital in 2018.

For several years, I worked in the radiology department and enjoyed working with people again and helping them find the path to healing. The drawback, however, was that, much like banking, it is an incredibly stressful job. One that can consume a person if they are not careful to maintain a good balance between the job’s needs and their self-needs.

In 2023, I suffered several debilitating injuries at work. As a result, I needed Physical Therapy, and part of my PT was receiving massage. I was amazed at how much it helped and wondered why it wasn‘t offered more. As someone who prefers to use the least amount of medication possible, finding something that could help people heal without a large amount of addicting painkillers was amazing. I knew that it was what I wanted to do.

After investigating several schools, KCHA was the best fit and the one that best blended modern healthcare and science while still honoring and practicing the ancient practices that we use today.

I really believe that we all deserve to live lives that are pain-free and not dependent on medication to get through the day. I want to heal people and work with those who have trauma, be that physical or mental. My goal is to cultivate a place of peace and healing where they can heal in their own time and carry it into their outer lives.

David Logwood

Hello, I’m David Logwood, and I came to Massage via a very circuitous route. Around a decade ago, my wife and I were in a very serious car accident that left her with four fractured vertebrae and a few broken ribs. To help her deal with her pain, I began teaching myself massage techniques and performing massages as frequently as she needed. I realized fairly quickly that being able, through massage, to help someone find some relief (even if only temporarily) was an incredibly rewarding and affirming skill to have. I have worked retail for most of my adult life, and the customer service skills that are most commonly used in retail are also useful to an LMT.

I am a gamer and thus have also experienced a life of back and neck pain from poor posture, and that, combined with my desire to use the skills I have developed over the past decade, made a choice to pursue a career in Massage Therapy an easy one to make. I am dedicated to helping my clients manage (or do away with) their pain, and I believe one of the best ways to do that is to provide them with a comfortable environment in which they can fully relax and step away from the stresses of life.

Tap here to book a Massage with Katie, Erin, or David

As we welcome the warmth and renewal of spring, it’s the perfect time to refresh your wellness routine—and massage therapy is the ideal way to start!

Whether you’re looking to relieve stress, recover from muscle tension, or simply recharge, regular massage can help you embrace the season with renewed energy and well-being.

A massage at Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts is a perfect gift to give or receive. As students near the end of their training, they are ready to provide massage for the public.

These relaxing sessions are affordable. Gift certificates and monthly specials are available.

Tap here to learn more at the booking site.

The name April is derived from the Latin word “aperire,” which means “to open.”