The LMT Refinery

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT | Melissa from Hattiesburg, Mississippi 

One year into her massage career, and she’s already built a practice where about 60% of her work is barefoot massage.

But her story with The LMT Refinery actually started before she even had her official license.

Fresh out of massage school, she had already been dealing with tendinitis in her elbow for about nine months and was worried her career might be over before it really began.

Then she found barefoot massage.

She says she chose The LMT Refinery because what she saw looked slow, results-driven, intentional and focused on body mechanics.

In her words: “The work looked…sustainable.”

She stalked the instructors 😂, decided we seemed real and relatable enough to trust, reached out with a few questions…and was on a plane to Florida a few days later.

She went home with BIG enthusiasm for barefoot massage and promptly started putting her feet on everyone who would let her.

A year later, she’s celebrating one full year as an LMT, working part time at a local spa AND has opened a joint practice with her life partner, who is also a massage therapist.

And that elbow and forearm pain that had her questioning the longevity of her career?

She no longer needs daily medication for it.

Her advice for other massage therapists considering barefoot work:

Take the class if chronic upper-body pain has you thinking about the longevity of your career.

Take it if you’re feeling bored or uninspired by your work.

Or maybe take it because you’re an adventurer who likes trying new things…which, coincidentally, Melissa absolutely is 💛

Watching someone come to us before their career had even officially begun and then seeing what they build with the work afterward is pretty freaking cool.

This is why we teach.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT | Meet Lauren Fort Myers Advanced Massage Therapy & Somatic Bodywork

Lauren has been a massage therapist for 10 years and owns a wellness practice in Fort Myers, Florida, where she specializes in myofascial release and neuromuscular work.

She came to The LMT Refinery looking for something different. She wanted to expand her knowledge of internal TMJ work and learn anterior neck techniques that weren’t commonly being offered in her area.

What she found went far beyond adding a few new techniques.

Lauren experienced the work herself in class and was blown away by the changes she felt, from swallowing more comfortably and feeling more empowered in her speech to the relief she experienced from the jaw work.

Then she took it back to her own treatment room.

“When I added the TMJ service to my menu, my whole schedule went crazy and I have been booked out ever since.”

🥹 THIS. This is why we teach. I know Meridith Anne Glass our NMT instructor would agree.

I’ve had the privilege of watching Lauren’s career evolve over the years through social media, and I even got to build her website as her practice grew. Watching her take what she learned, integrate it into the incredible therapist she already was, and build something her community clearly needed has been so freaking cool.

In Lauren’s words, “This class made me a way better therapist and has enhanced my career tremendously.”

Ten years into this career and still learning. Still getting curious. Still finding ways to become a better therapist and serve people differently.

That’s what continuing education should be.

And because no student spotlight is complete without the important stuff: Lauren and her partner Lorenzo have SIX cats who are basically their children 🫶🏼🐈

Lauren, we are so incredibly proud to have you as part of The Refinery community. Keep doing big things 🙌🏼

Not every educator is for every therapist.

And I think that’s a good thing.

Some people want a step-by-step protocol they can memorize. Some want someone to tell them exactly what to do with every client.

That’s never been how I teach.

In fact, it’s one of the biggest reasons I chose to build The LMT Refinery the way I did.

I believe techniques matter. But clinical reasoning matters more.

The best therapists I’ve met aren’t the ones with the most certifications. They’re the ones who know how to observe, adapt, ask better questions, and make thoughtful decisions based on the person in front of them.

My goal isn’t to create therapists who work exactly like me.

My goal is to help therapists become confident enough to think for themselves.

If that excites you, you’re probably in the right place.

If you’re looking for someone to hand you a script and tell you there’s only one right way to practice, I may not be your person…and that’s okay.

I’d rather be clear about what I believe than try to be everything to everyone.