Jacquie Lynn Holland, Reiki Master Practitioner, Reflexologist, Energy Spa Treatments
"In stillness be like the pine. In movement be like clouds and water." - Qi Gong proverb.
Jacquie Lynn (JL) has been a fundamental part of the VCA team since the spa’s inception. She has been engaged as an Esthetician and Body Care Specialist since 1996, and working with Silk Road Aromatherapy and Tea Company since 2001. She received her original Esthetics certification at the Academy of Excellence, and being a Reflexologist, Reiki Master Practitioner, and Energy Systems Healing practitioner, she emphasizes the importance of integrating multiple healing modalities for body, mind, and spirit. Her philosophy is that stress-relief and subtle energetic stimulation synchronize to facilitate the body's natural ability to heal, thus giving rise to beauty and strength inside and out. She has honed her skills as a holistic spa practitioner, and will happily share her expertise on the healing properties of teas and essential oils.
JL prefers to work with fresh, organic, plant-based ingredients that utilize the restorative effects of aromatherapy, with which she is highly experienced. She offers her clients helpful tips on how to maximize holistic spa treatments with healthy habits and provides self-care techniques which can easily be adopted at home. The comfort and attention provided by JL extends well beyond the vivifying experience in the treatment room, as she places the utmost care in setting her clients up for success in wellness outside of the spa.
Clients sometimes come to her with the idea that receiving a professional holistic spa or healing service is merely a treat reserved for special occasions. However, once they experience JL’s relaxation-based approach to treatments, they leave recognizing how easy and enjoyable it can be to be an enthusiastic partner in their own wellness.
“Simply through breathing and receiving nourishing subtle body treatments, there is the opportunity to regain awareness; valuable somatic awareness. Post-treatment people are usually keen to take inventory of the products they have been using as well as the lifestyle choices they have been making, and to do away with whatever does not support the health of their skin and body. I wholeheartedly enjoy facilitating this shift in the approach to homecare. Not only does it prolong the results of treatments enjoyed at the spa, but it also empowers people to take charge of, and take pleasure in, their holistic health. I’m grateful to continue to immerse myself in the ancient healing art of Traditional Chinese Medicine, mentor my clients on holistic living, and serve our community at VCA."
As dynamic as her practice, JL is also a wonderful educator. She has taught at the West Coast College of Massage Therapy, and has trained other practitioners at VCA on the unique products and services offered at the spa. She specializes in Reiki and has many gifts to share with her clients on the benefits of this alternative modality.
Hayley Stobbs, Registered Acupuncturist & Nutritional Consultant
Note: Hayley is away on maternity leave beginning Sept. 1, 2024.
“There is no greater honor or privilege than facilitating the process of healing. To bear witness, to reach out a hand, and to share the burden for someone who is suffering." - Peter A. Levine
Hayley Stobbs, R.Ac., CNC, is a registered acupuncturist and certified nutritional consultant. Hayley’s personal introduction to Chinese medicine and nutrition began at the age of eight years old. Health challenges at a young age gifted her with a sense of empowerment and empathy, which inspired her passion for wellness.
Hayley gently guides each patient towards achieving health goals through attentive listening, skillful needling, and a sincere heart. She believes that customized diet and lifestyle routines along with deep relaxation treatments can profoundly awaken one’s innate ability to heal. Treatments include acupuncture, Chinese massage, cupping, gua sha, food as medicine, and self-care recommendations. Complementary modalities assist in improving circulation, hormone and nervous system balance, detoxification, and nutrient assimilation.
Hayley’s special interests include stress-related symptoms, women’s health, menstrual irregularities, pain, anxiety, insomnia, allergies, facials, pregnancy & labour preparation, and digestive health. Quality treatments are nurtured via ongoing continuing acupuncture education. You can find out more about Hayley’s work through Instagram @hayley.stobbs.acupuncture, or at her website: www.innerpassacu.com.
Rachel van Wersch, Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner
"Qi cannot travel without a path, just as water flows or the sun and moon orbit without rest.” Spiritual Pivot, Chapter 17
Rachel van Wersch is a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (R.TCM.P) who studied both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine at Pacific Rim College in Victoria. After completing over 2900 hours of instruction, including over 700 hours of clinical experience, Rachel graduated summa cum laude with a Diploma of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Prior to her TCM studies, Rachel earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on syndrome differentiation, meaning each treatment is customized to the individual needs of the patient in order to relieve symptoms and address the root cause of disharmony. In working towards balancing the relative Yin and Yang flowing through the meridians, acupuncture can help guide the body back towards homeostasis and support the harmony of both our physical and mental health.
At VCA, Rachel provides acupuncture as well as adjunct therapies such as cupping, gua sha, tui na, and recommendations based on Chinese diet therapy. Outside of general practice and preventative care, Rachel has a special interest in reducing stress and the myriad of health complications that may arise alongside it, such as muscle tension, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, menstrual irregularities and digestive discomfort.
Tegan MacDonald, Registered Massage Therapist
Tegan is currently on maternity leave and will be back in the spring!
Tegan’s own experiences with physical limitations fuelled her passion to further explore and understand the workings of the body. She immersed herself in the bodywork program at the Vancouver School of Bodywork & Massage. There, she gained a deeper understanding of how the body and mind are interconnected. She then continued to pursue her desire to expand her knowledge of the human form and graduated from the Vancouver School of Massage Therapy. Tegan's background and education have helped her to build a well-rounded intuitive- and medical-based practice that encourages both body awareness and empowerment.
She is passionate about working with others and values creating a comfortable and safe environment for her clients. Tegan believes it is important to understand the root cause of an issue to effectively treat the person on a whole. She encourages her clients to participate in their own self-healing by promoting body-awareness and providing individualized remedial exercises.
She utilizes a variety of modalities to assist her clients to regain natural, fluid function.
Michelle Stevenson
Michelle is mother of two wonderful boys and her love for skincare began at an early age while modelling in Tokyo. Having worked for beauty lines she learned early that taking good care of your skin has benefits. Focusing on skincare became mainstream for Michelle and after working in a medical spa she opened Nubare Skincare. So now with 18 years experience in Calgary, she is excited to join the VCA Spa in Victoria!
Michelle focuses on each person individually so no one treatment is the same; however, chemical peels are her specialty as well as microneedling and dermaplaning. Facial massage is also a key factor in Michelle’s treatments with lymphatic drainage and lifting techniques. All products used deliver optimum benefit to the skin wether it be fine lines, acne, rosacea, dryness, or collagen depletion, and the results are amazing!
Services include:
Custom facial: This treatment is one hour and is considered a European facial technique where the client is relaxed and basic steps such as steam, extractions, massage and masks are used. Michelle will tailor each facial for the individual, however, so it can be focused for anti-aging, dryness, acne etc. You will leave the treatment glowing and relaxed.
1 hr, $160
Organic facial: This facial only uses natural products and also is customized using these gentle but effective ingredients. Included in this one hour facial is steam, extractions, massage, masks and serums for your skin. Healthy skin is yours!
1 hr, $160
Mini facial: A Mini Facial is a nice quick half hour clean up of the pores with steam extractions and a mask to set you up with Fresh Skin!
30 min, $95
Dermaplaning: Dermaplaning uses a 10 gauge scalpel to remove dead skin and facial hair leaving a very smooth complexion. Great to combo with a peel and also excellent preparation for penetration of products.
40 min, $160
Ultrasonic Pore Treatment: The ultrasonic treatment uses low frequency vibration to oscillate debris from pores and removes dead skin. Unlike microdermabrasion your skin is left fresh and clear not red. Consider this a deep clean and excellent prevention for breakouts. Excellent for all skin types and a good pair with a peel.
40 min, $160
Glow Peel: A Glow Peel is a treatment that exfoliates the skin with different acids such as glycolic or salicylic. There are other choices as well such as lactic, and a jessner peel. For more sensitive skin enzyme treatments are highly effective as well. Michelle will determine which treatment suits your skin and the result is reduction of dead skin build up, clear pores and a beautiful glow!
30 min, $100
Microneedling: Microneedling stimulates collagen development by causing micro injuries to the skin and thereby takes advantage of the body’s natural healing response. Skin is smooth and firm with smaller pores and less fine lines.
40 min, $340
Perfect Derma Peel: The best from Los Angeles the Perfect Derma Peel is focused on taking a nice layer off your skin! And the photos prove it! Excellent for most skin types and focused on pigmentation, dull complexion, acne scars and collagen stimulation. Peeling lasts for a week and you receive a take home kit with your treatment.
30 min, $420
Louise Anderson-Williams, Registered Acupuncturist
Louise is a registered acupuncturist, reflexologist, and practices Indian Head Massage. After completing her reflexology certification in 2012, she began a deep learning dive into other healing modalities, which eventually lead her to study Acupuncture at Pacific Rim College.
Raised in Devon, England in a rural farming community she developed a passion for natural healing through organic fresh and local food. Today in Sooke, she farms 3 acres of organically grown food and raises chickens and ducks alongside her large family consisting of her husband, their 5 sons, and their cute ball of fluff Floki the black lab.
Louise is grateful for her early foundation of living a more natural lifestyle, in-tune with nature and the seasons. “We spend so much time fighting the natural order of things and that can be a great cause of suffering.” Her treatments are multi-faceted, incorporating traditional acupuncture techniques, auricular acupuncture, Gua-Sha, Cupping, Moxa and Tui-Na where appropriate, alongside offering self-care techniques and dietary information. She fully trusts each individual’s innate power to heal their self and simply offers a gentle nudge here and there to allow that process to get back into alignment.
Louise has treated a wide range of health concerns not limited too, but including, high blood pressure, chronic pain, diabetes and neuropathy, musculoskeletal issues, menstrual cycle disorders, mental and emotional distress, and allergies. There is no better compliment than a patient getting back to their normal activities and daily routines happy, healthy, and pain-free.
Eleven years after starting with studying reflexology, Louise also hold’s a Diploma of Arts and Science, a Diploma of Acupuncture, and is certified in Indian Head Massage, Mei Zen Facial Protocols, Acusculpting Cosmetic Acupuncture, Channel Examination, Diagnosis and Qi Dynamics and Deepening Skills. She is passionate about expanding her skills and learning about all things holistic from nourishing ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally and deepening our connection to the earth and each other.
Caitlin Kolbuc
What is Bowen therapy?
Bowen therapy is a gentle form of myofascial release work. It is a therapeutic modality that was created by Tom Bowen in the 1950’s in Geelong, Australia.
One of the main aims of Bowen therapy is to bring the body into parasympathetic balance, which basically means to calm the nervous system. All healing happens in the body when it is in parasympathetic dominance. This is the normal resting state of the body, and it’s where you go when you digest food and when you are asleep at night.
One of the other main aims of Bowen therapy is to gently loosen fasciae adhesions. When you have an old injury or you are in certain postures on a day to day basis, your fasciae matrix (white spider-web like tissue that overlays muscles) can become stuck to your muscles, hard and brittle. It is meant to be fluid and movable. The gentle rolling motion over your muscles seeks to gently break up adhesions as well as to improve blood and lymph flow to your tissues, if it was previously impeded by your stuck fascia.
How does it work?
The “Bowen moves,” are a series of moves that address your body as a whole, focusing on attempting to bring the body into balance. The practitioner will provide gentle pressure to a spot on the belly of a muscle, and with that pressure make a gentle rolling motion overtop the muscle. Proprioceptors in the muscle are stimulated via the nervous system and the muscles resting tension level can reset. There are breaks between sets of Bowen moves, so the practitioner will perform a set of moves and leave the room for a pause so that the body can integrate.
Who could possibly benefit?
Bowen therapy has been utilized to support the bodies natural healing when there have been certain musculoskeletal injuries and structural misalignments. It does not use force in the same way a chiropractic treatment would but it can be an adjunctive support to either chiropractic work or massage, although there are certain timeframes that make most sense when integrating treatments in a plan.
Traditionally, Bowen therapy has been used to support the bodies natural healing process in situations such as:
- arthritis (depending upon origin)
- head and neck tension
- digestive concerns where stress may play a role
- TMJ dysfunction (temporomandibular joint - jaw tension)
- frozen shoulder and shoulder pain (depending upon origin)
- tennis elbow
- carpal tunnel
- postural problems
- foot and ankle problems
- knee and hip restriction
- sciatica (depending upon origin)
If you have questions in terms of deciding whether or not this therapy could possibly benefit you, feel free to call the office or send an email.
I love this therapy particularly for its aim in terms of resetting the ‘mind-body’ connection. We are all moving so fast these days that the stresses of life seem to crop up in our systems. As Peter Levine has pointed out, animals in the wild will “shake out,” their trauma. We are not taught to do the same as human beings. Old emotions can be stored in the body. Sometimes a Bowen treatment can accompany an emotional release but not always. As always, the body is wise in knowing when or not to release old emotional debris.
My aim is to hold a therapeutic space that facilitates healing for you in whatever capacity your bodies innate intelligence allows. We can never guarantee a result but we can hold an intention for your deepest healing, whatever that may look like.
I look forward to working with those, that this resonates with. I look forward to serving you and supporting you on your healing journey back into right relationship with you.
Pricing:
An initial Bowen session: $125
Follow-Up: $100
A treatment plan is determined after the initial assessment
Jessica Joy
Jessica Joy believes that within the body there is an innate intelligence beyond what our conscious minds could ever fully understand. Her bodywork approach then is one of deep listening to the wisdom of the body, aiming to work with the natural movement of this intelligent life force, rather than attempting to force it into a change.
She graduated from Cortiva Massage Institute of Seattle in 2012, and practiced as a licensed massage therapist there before moving to beautiful Victoria BC on Lekwungen Territory in 2021. She also completed a one year certificate training in Craniosacral Therapy in 2019, as well as numerous other trainings over the years in modalities such as Lomi Lomi, trauma informed touch, somatic healing, and energy work. She is a Reiki master as well as a certified Wellness Counsellor.
Jessica blends her extensive skill set with her intuitive approach to deliver a treatment that is attuned to the individual needs of her client.
She offers Customized Massage, which takes both a treatment and relaxation approach depending on the client’s needs and goals, blending manual tissue manipulation with Warm Bamboo (similar to hot stone but deeper tissue). She also uses Gua Sha and silicon cupping as needed, to help release tight spots and bring fresh circulation into congested areas.
She also offers her signature Somatic Energy Work sessions, which combine craniosacral therapy, chakra healing, and somatic body dialogue to address the emotional, energetic, and nervous system roots of physical pain, or as a support through challenging life events.
Stand alone craniosacral sessions are also available as an integrative add on to other services at VCA, or for any time a nervous system reset is needed.
Michelle Hainsworth, Certified Reflexologist
Michelle is a graduate of West Coast Reflexology in Victoria for Core and Foot Reflexology and Facial Reflexology. She has also completed the fully-accredited Professional Hand Reflexology Course, with the KEW Training Academy. She is excited to bring her knowledge and love for reflexology to you.
Michelle found reflexology when dealing with foot pain. With its non-invasive approach, soon after she added reflexology regularly to her self-care routine. Seeing the benefits of reflexology, Michelle decided that she wanted to work in the health and wellness community and became a Certified Reflexologist.
Michelle is delighted to now offer Facial Reflexology. With reflexology, Michelle’s focus aims at relaxation and assisting to remove stress by helping the body heal and rebalance itself. Offering holistic services with customized treatments, Michelle is motivated to work with you to optimize your overall well-being and help you reach your treatment goals.
In addition to reflexology, Michelle also enjoys getting out and exploring all the beauty and nature of Vancouver Island. She is a big fan of reading biographies and has a great appreciation for food from around the world.
Holly McKinney, Registered Massage Therapist
Holly graduated from the RMT program at Langara College in Vancouver, BC. Her curious and thoughtful approach to massage is how she creates personalized treatment plans, and likes to use a variety of techniques that can both calm the nervous system and offer a soft tissue release. Regardless of your pace of life or stress levels, Holly believes that incorporating massage into one’s routine is an important way to prioritize self-care and a valuable piece for mental and physical health.
Meghan Rekis, Registered Acupuncturist
"The natural healing force within each of us is the greatest force in getting well" - Hippocrates
Meghan is registered with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of British Columbia. She is invested in interventions to change the course of a disease or an injury through avenues in Chinese Medicine.
My area of practice looks at neurodegenerative prevention, traumatic head injury, soft tissue damage, post traumatic stress, headaches, and tension stemming from digestive issues. I also work with fertility, pelvic health, and postpartum recovery. I employ a range of modalities; tui na (massage), gua sha, cupping and ear seeds in almost every treatment. I am further trained in New Scalp Acupuncture (Yamamoto) and certified with the National Acupuncture Detox Association (NADA).
I have taken a special focus in nutrition, resolving acute disruptions and chronic patterns with solutions that bridge Chinese Medicine and personal vitality. I look at getting to the root of imbalances, while making it comfortable on a new way forward. I believe Acupuncture brings cohesion to the physical body and can radically affect the mind and spirit. I want to give my patients breathing room to access their full capacity and unwind from the distractions of daily life.
I am honoured for these ancient lineages and practises that help us in these modern times become more connected to ourselves. Outside of the clinic, I have an affinity for moving my Qi, outdoor running, and getting into the mountains!
