Practitioners

Cassandra Worth, NCMT, LMT

Andrea Beardslee

Native to Kalamazoo, Andrea has recently moved back after living in Chicago for 10 years. In 2002, she graduated from Western Michigan University with an interior design degree and moved to Chicago to pursue her career. After working in the design field for 6 years, Andrea had a revelation that she wanted a life purpose that would help people on a deeper level.

She is extremely passionate about health and wellness and believes preventative care is a growing and necessary trend to our healthcare system. Andrea graduated from Cortiva Institute in Chicago in 2010 studying western massage focusing on Swedish and deep tissue massage, myofascial release, and trigger point therapy. She has previous experience from working in chiropractic offices to hotel spas focusing on massage and spa treatments.

Andrea is also a trained certified Zen Shiatsu practitioner which directly treats the meridian pathways within the body that channel ki energy or our life essence. She believes deeply in her mission to educate and assist in one’s control over their health. Andrea has a National Certification in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCTMB) and Certified Practitioner of Asian Bodywork with AOBTA Andrea has interest in all areas of wellness to include yoga, meditation, energy work, and nutrition.

Britt Sydnes LMT

Britt graduated from the Kalamazoo Center for Healing Arts as a certified massage therapist in 2001. She has been practicing in Kalamazoo since then. In 2005, she completed a graduate course at the Kalamazoo Center for Healing Arts in Cranial Sacral Therapy. Britt has also had special training during her career working in hospice care: focusing on the elderly chronically ill and dying. She worked as a massage therapist in hospice care for 5 years, as well as maintaining her own private practice as a massage therapist.

Britt’s practice philosophy begins with holding space for her clients and meeting them where they are in their journey. Her role is to listen and support her clients in the healing process through bodywork. She believes that in order for healing to begin, the first step is to carve out some time and space for oneself to be still. This moment of stillness is where healing can begin. Her role as a therapist is to offer that presence to create a safe, open, trusting environment where relaxation and spaciousness can occur.

The clients that Britt works with have many different needs and goals: stress relief, relaxation, self care, acute pain or injury and emotional or physical trauma. Britt characterizes her work as “integrative massage therapy” as she likes to incorporate a wide variety of modalities into her sessions, mostly dependent on what each client’s needs are. Some of the modalities she practices are: relaxation, deep tissue, reflexology, acupressure, cranial sacral therapy, myofasical release polarity, and prenatal massage.

Britt has always enjoyed working with people and having heart-centered, meaningful relationships. That is the main reason that she chose massage therapy as a profession. She enjoys working one-on-one with clients and is very committed to assisting them reaching their health goals. She knows from her own personal experience how important this work is. Britt views this work as sacred and honors the connections created with her clients.

Cynthia Ligman LMT

Cynthia has been practicing integrative massage therapy since 2000. Looking for fulfillment in her work and not feeling a conventional college would get her there, Cynthia was wondering what besides working in a record store that would be. Fatefully through a discussion with a co-worker about his massage class she was able to make a decision that gave her a new path. She soaked up the training and the healthy lifestyle espoused by the staff at the Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts, and she graduated as a Certified Massage Therapist in 2000. Since then, she has completed level 1 trainings in Upledger craniosacral therapy and Barnes myofascial release. Unofficially, Cynthia is always learning from her clients; as they grow and change, their massage needs do too. She feels impassioned by the challenges that come over time as her clients navigate their life’s journey. She strives to deliver productive and personalized sessions from injury recovery to health maintenance, and from an intense focus to general relaxation. One thing her clients like is that she always seems to find “the spots” that need extra attention, using acupressure and myofascial release to work deeply. Outside of work, Cynthia is mainly practicing motherhood; being both tested and blessed daily by her four children.

Melissa Luna

Melissa studied at East West College of the Healing Arts in Portland, OR and obtained her license in 2016. She taught couples massage workshops and practiced Shiatsu, Reiki, Deep Tissue, Swedish, and Cranial Sacral modalities – as well as a variety of spa treatments. Melissa began working with her feet in 2018 after studying Ashiatsu DeepFeet Bar Therapy with Nancy DeLong. Using her feet and gravity allows her to utilize a broad tool and deep, slow pressure to melt through layers of fascia with minimal discomfort, creating more space and increased circulation. Clients report feeling lighter, taller, and freer in their movement after an Ashiatsu session.

When she’s not practicing bodywork, she spends her time picnicking, exploring the area’s nature preserves, making mail art and keeping the art of letter writing alive, reading, cooking plant-based meals, and worshipping her cat. She is passionate about using native plants in landscaping and home gardens and volunteers with Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones, serving on the executive board and editing their monthly newsletter.