MASSAGE TEAM

Jacob Tucker - Massage Therapist, Team Leader

When I initially started college, I wanted to be a physical therapist. As I studied though, I realized that the aspect of PT that intrigued me the most was the massage. I attended East West College in Portland Oregon, and loved every second of it. Wanting to focus my skills on the therapeutic aspects of massage that attracted me, I have since worked at a hospital and a physical therapy clinic, providing relief to hundreds of patients that normally would not receive massage therapy. I am now excited to bring those same therapeutic goals and skills that I have acquired working in those locations into the relaxing environment that Lefore’s Spa has to offer.





Lis Kubo - Massage Therapist

As a massage therapist Lis hopes to touch not only peoples sore muscles, but their lives as well. Lis hopes to make sure every client receives exactly what they need and wants her guest to feel free to voice if they are expecting anything different from what she is already providing. Her goal is to bring a positive and nurturing attitude to every person she comes into contact with, create an opportunity for understanding their needs, and to meet their needs by achieving the highest level of relaxation and comfort possible. God has blessed her with amazing opportunities and she prays that she continues to serve others to the best of her ability, sharing His love and blessings.

Janey Duskin-Gilmore - Massage Therapist

Janey attended the Bluestone Academy of Massage in 2007, and currently works part time at LeFore's while she is attending WWCC to acheive her nursing degree. Janey also has a young family that keeps her busy in her free time.







Kate Colvin - Massage Therapist

Kate Went to Tri City School of Massage and graduated in April 2011. She have always enjoyed giving back massages to family and friends and decided that she enjoyed it so much that she should learn the art of massage therapy as a profession. It is a very rewarding job to know that you are helping someone feel better.

When Kate is not working at LeFore’s she is also a member of the local roller derby team, The Walla Walla Sweets Roller Girls. Kate also enjoy art, music, and spending time with family and friends.

Another Massage and Facial room.

Massage room #2 Hot stone massage available in here!




Facial room.... for relaxation or treatment focus.

Relief for Sciatica nerve pain

Going to continuing education for massage therapy in Portland often feels like I’m attending a convention for extras from a Science Fiction movie. Older women with oversized glasses and wildly disheveled hair cluster on one side of the room, discussing there lasted revelations with energy work. Students huddle together on the other side, awkwardly flirting between texts and sporadically looking at anatomy flash cards. The rest of the assorted gathering falls somewhere between the extremes, sitting quietly and sipping cheap hotel coffee. I always expect the older crowd to whip out a ruler and dispense some discipline on one of the flirting students, but this doesn’t happen and I turn my attention back to the class material.
The last class I attended was for sciatica relief, something many of my clients suffer from. Sciatica can be caused from traumatic falls or accidents but more often than not it is from prolonged sitting, poor posture, inadequate core support and poor flexibility. The key to effectively treating sciatica is being able to access where it is originating from and treating accordingly.
Most of the massages I do at the spa require the client to be passive and relax. Treating sciatica is almost the complete opposite. Retraining the muscles, nerves and joints requires active involvement of the client.
If you have sciatic pain, don’t expect this treatment to be a relaxing experience, but do expect results and to be actively involved in your healing. Having worked at physical therapy clinics in the past, these treatments are much more along those lines. With that I will also expect you to do the exercises at home that will continue to aid you in your recovery, and if you don’t I just might have to have one of my new friends from class whip out their ruler and dispense some discipline. Trust me, you’ll thank me in the end.

Our Relaxing Massage Room #1

Problems with your rotator cuff?

One of the most frequent problems I come across in my massage clients is shoulder pain. Most of our jobs require a lot from our shoulders, whether it is from constant forward rotation at a desk job or the bracing and twisting of patient care as a therapist or nurse.
A few months ago I had the pleasure of attending a continuing education course on releasing the muscles of the shoulder girdle. I have since been able to use the techniques learned their on several of my clients to very favorable results. It’s amazing how just a few simple changes from what I learned at school changed the way I saw the shoulder, how it works, and the referral points that enabled me to give my clients the relief that I’d wanted to give my clients but couldn’t until now.
Most people with rotator cuff issues feel pain over the deltoid muscle on the top outer side of the shoulder, especially when it is raised. Motions like those involved in getting dressed and reaching up to get items from the cupboard can be painful and make the shoulder feel weak. When I came across these issues before I would work the area of pain and perhaps some of the surrounding areas to try and give my client relief. If I came across resistance I would try to push through it, calling it “Deep Tissue”. The techniques I learned at this course helped me be able to take what I knew and make them work much more efficiently.
When dealing with tense and painful muscles you have to remember to “knock first”. If you wanted to go to someone’s house you wouldn’t barge in and demand that they relax and expect positive results. The same goes for muscle work. The issue then is trying to find the correct “door” (muscle) to knock on. Thanks to this course, I am able to do that much more consistently.
If you have been experiencing shoulder pain or reduced range of motion in your shoulder, please come in. I would love to be able to help you get back your shoulder to what it used to be.

An Endearing, Funny, blog from our massage therapist!

A few professions in the world really lend themselves to being taken advantage of, (not necessarily in a bad way) by friends and family once they leave the work environment. Chefs are almost certainly put in charge of the summer BBQ; Accountants are undoubtedly harassed during tax season, and massage therapists’ daughters will not go to bed unless Daddy has given them a massage.

Every night there is a routine. First comes the bath, (“Keep the water IN the tub please.”). Bath time is followed by helping them brush their teeth, (“Stop eating the toothpaste!”). The Pajamas are put on and stories are lovingly read. If it is wintertime, the hair dryer is brought out to blow heat in their bed so they stay toasty and warm. To most children this would be more than enough. If your dad is a massage therapist, it is just the warm up to the main event.

Massage to my daughters is more than just a quick back rub. They have learned to request specific areas that are bothering them and are more than willing to tell me if I am not doing deep enough work. Massage commentary like, “No Daddy, I need a massage like you do at work”, and, “Daddy, You forgot my legs and arms” is not uncommon.

My oldest daughter has understood for quite some time that massage is my job. My four-year-old daughter had not quite figured this out though. Therefore, when LeFore’s Spa placed a video of me demonstrating a new service on their Facebook page, it confused her. I was at work and my wife was showing my kids the video of me giving a massage to a fellow employee.

“Is that you Mommy?” my youngest asked.

“No.”

There was a pause well my daughter tried to process this information.

“Why’s Daddy helping someone else?”

To my daughter, who has grown up getting massages nightly and was my infant massage therapy model, the concept that I worked on other people was a new one. But, even through her naivety, she brings up a valid question. Why do I help someone else? Why do I do what I do?

Mostly I do what I do because I love it. I love helping people feel better and increase the quality of their life. Doing what I do, gives a grandparent the ability to get down on the floor and play with their grandchild. It gives a mother the break she needs to regain her sanity from keeping up with her kids day after day. It helps the farmer get back to work after straining his muscles from tossing hay bales for hours on end. At work, I help because people need it, more than many of them even know they do. I help others feel better so they can go home and spend quality time with their children, who sometimes ask questions that make us smile, nod, and then try our best to answer with a straight face.