BearHealer's Personal Masseur Interview

Last Updated: Oct 08, 2023

- The clients that seek me out are often looking for someone a bit older, bigger around the middle and hairy - I check all of those boxes. I also am an intuitive healer who has over 15 years of training in Tantra so that is interesting to some.

I also check that box of lived experience. I have done a great deal of personal development work - probably 75 courses over 20 years - from some of the biggest and best transformational companies in the industry - and I can be with nearly anyone in any area of life.

You are in a s e x less marriage? I'm sorry, I get it and I can be with that. You don't like your body? I understand, most men don't in our culture. You are just coming out of the closet or are stuck in the closet and don't know what is next? Awesome; I can listen! You have been told you are too fat to be massaged? That is weird. Come on over - every body deserves a rub down. You have a secret fantasy you have never shared with anyone? Let me hear it; maybe I have a resource for you.

Really no topic is off limits here. I may not like what you like but I like to hear about anything you are interested in.

- Initially for the money, to be honest. And for the flexibility and the ability to be my own boss and to massage men - just to get my hands on bodies in a safe and loving environment was a goal of mine.

I used to have a very stressful job and over time it began to hurt my overall health and wellness. I had to take a break and reevaluate what I could do in life and made a long list of what I could do next. I had about 25 items on the list based on my background and experience and massage checks the boxes of things I can do, enjoy doing, and allows me to meet new people and make a difference in their lives.

- Painting, woodworking, biking, hiking, fishing, travel, read, yoga, work out, & Peloton biking. I love to ski in the winter (Epic Pass - and definitely like the flexibility to go during the week). I also love working in the yard and we have a big garden too.

Spending time with friends and family is also high on my list.

- My clients say that I am good at what I do and I love doing it. So from that perspective yes, I consider myself successful.

I am also open to learning new techniques and ways to improve my skills. I still see therapists from RM and from other sources on a fairly regular basis and while I used to sleep through my massages I now do my best to stay awake to see what tips and tricks I can use and add to my bag of tricks.

- Bottom line is I love people - big, small, any color, any background - it is my joy and privilege to connect with people where they are in life and support them in their journey.

I don't do massage full time right now; I am a serial entrepreneur and also am a painter, woodworker, and consultant for early stage entrepreneurs. I do my best to make time to get everyone in my massage space that wants one, but I do best when we plan a day or two in advance. It just helps me manage my other commitments.

Other things - a Colorado native, married for over a decade, my partner was the one who suggested I get on RM and is fully supportive of the cause and loves how much I enjoy my clients. I love to ski in the winter (Epic Pass) and bike, golf, fish and hike in the summer.

In a way I want my clients to become my friends. It doesn't normally happen, but I kind of come into the experience of massage like you could be my next friend. It creates a space of openness and kindness I hope my clients can feel.

And some people only come once and others come once a week. However you show up in my space is great.

- I want them to feel like they have gotten the experience they want. While I have a particular system in mind when I massage it is important for me to listen to individual client needs and focus on particular areas of body pain, difficulties in movement, or particular muscles that need special attention.

So I guess when they leave I want them to feel relaxed, more "in their body" and if they are doing work around Tantra, I want them to feel more connected to their chakra's and overall body sensations.

I want everyone to feel like they couldn't give me anything but a 5-Star review if they chose to leave one - where they have gotten 100% of what they were hoping to get from the experience.

- I travel as often as possible. I have had the pleasure of being to over 20 countries and probably 150 cities in North America, South America, Europe and Africa.

Traveling has opened my eyes to different cultures, communities and people and the beauty and diversity of the world. I recognize the freedoms we have as Americans which makes me proud. I have also seen how some countries have innovative programs to provide for their people in ways I don't the US could make happen.

I also have seen that people from all over the world, regardless of their physical possessions, are passionate about their homes and countries and are proud of where they live. Some of the smallest shanty towns have some of the most proud people.

It is wonderful to travel and I will never stop. My partner and I save money all year long to travel as often as possible and are blessed to do so. I hope I can travel and massage at some point. That sounds really fun!

- I don't actually remember my first client, but I do remember my first massage - and it wasn't full body, it was actually just a foot and calf massage. When I was in high school I biked with my pastor and two other friends 900 miles in 9 days - from Denver to Dallas, Texes.

It was an extraordinary trip, but as you can imagine my legs were EXHAUSTED and shredded at the end. We were traveling to a conference and at the relaxation station they were doing foot and leg massages and I was in HEAVEN the entire time. I got into massage after that and have had hundreds of massages in my own life and love bringing the experience to others.

It was that paired with my mom's experience receiving Reiki while she was receiving treatments for cancer that had me learn first to become a Reiki Master and then to add other modalities, NLP, Access BARS, and massage into my healing practice.

- I love being a masseur and a healer - it is the opportunity to meet men where they are at in quite a vulnerable way. I've been fortunate to spend time with men in all different spaces and phases of life and we have had some amazing conversations, healed wounds around size, shape, ability and sexual prowess. The close connection that hands on healing is is amazing, but the ability to make a difference in a short time with someone new is very powerful.

I feel very often that we are touch deprived and my clients often echo the same thing. Sometimes it isn't the massage they crave the most, it is just being witnessed, hugged, and held. I am in a powerful place to witness transformation in those moments and it is my honor to serve in this way.