Mark Vogel, CMT

I became a massage therapist through my own experiences with massage and other forms of bodywork. As is typical for many of us, years of school and office jobs left me incredibly inflexible, sore, and prone to colds, sinus infections, and the like. Over the years, I learned to take better care of my body -- which meant going beyond just working out with weights at the gym and a little cardio. I discovered the benefits of stretching and yoga and, of course, massage.

I am fascinated by how the body works -- particularly how individual muscles and muscle groups work (or don't work) and affect our well being. I see the body as a puzzle and part of what I do in each massage session is try to put all the pieces together and figure out what's causing pain and how to best address it. For example, foot pain is often caused by tight calves pulling the foot into constant extension. Back pain is very often caused by tight, overworked chests.

In addition to massage, I continue working within my previous career of scientific writing and editing as an independent consultant. I write mostly about medical developments (clinical trials, new drugs, new studies, and the like) for physicians as well as for the public. I also work on healthcare access and advocacy issues. I have a masters degree from the University of Maryland in English language and literature. I occasionally dabble in memoir and other personal writing and read as much as I can.

EDUCATION

San Francisco School of Massage:

• Deep Tissue Certification with Master Art Riggs 
• Swedish Massage Certification
• Intro to Cranial-Sacral

Harbin Hot Springs:

• Hot Stones Massage Therapy

World School of Massage:

• Structural Foot Balancing