Living in chronic pain led me to pursue massage and bodywork.
In 2018 I certified in Cupping Therapy in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
While taking a Thai Massage course in Chaing Mai, I received a "Medical Massage" from a practitioner at the school. The next day I was covered in black circles all over my body but for the first time in years I was free from the chronic pain I had been living with. My teacher Na has studied in three countries and people fly in from around the world to get worked on by her. She trained me with a more athletic approach working the muscles and tendons compared to the TCM version with fire and glass cups focused on the meridian lines.
I completed the 500-hour massage therapy program at the California Holistic Institute in San Luis Obispo.
After years of practicing cupping therapy, I explored bodywork further to expand my skills. I focused on studying the therapeutic modalities of massage steering my practice towards sports medicine. My passion is fixing things that hurt. Yet I also aim to create a soothing and transcendental experience for my clients. A medical massage sprinkled with luxury.
Katrina Bendz
Climbing
Climbing is my way of connecting back to the essence of life. The serenity of the mountains, mixed with delicate balance of debilitating fear makes it my favorite way to spend the weekend.
Yoga
Healing is multifaceted. While cupping was beneficial for my recovery, I understood that I had to actively work on rebuilding myself. In 2020, I took a Maha Hatha Yoga course with the Siddhi School of Yoga to dive deeper and discover ways to restore my physical and subtle body after injuries.
The Arts
I really enjoy tapping into my creative side through activities like writing, painting, drawing and playing music. I believe that our mental state plays a big role in how our bodies feel. Art serves as an essential refuge for me, an alchemical process to transmute all the things circling around in my head into something tangible.
Traditional Medicine
This journey began with a botanist friend who introduced me to the world of medicinal and edible plants while hiking in the Sierra. This sparked a deep dive into herbology, Traditional Chinese Medicine and led me to wilcrafting my own tinctures. As a child I would pretend to make potions with the buckeyes, leaves, acorns and such. Although not much has really changed, now I transform my collections of flowers and leaves into various medicinal creations.