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My journey to become a certified massage therapist and aesthetician began while I was married and living in a beautiful home on the northern coast of England. I wanted for nothing, or so I thought, until sickness hit me. I woke up one morning with a stiff neck. At first I thought I had slept wrong or I had been in a draft. The pain worsened over time, moving further into my neck, shoulders, back, and arms. At the time I was under a lot of stress, but thought nothing of it. This was normal, right? I was working a fulltime job with deadlines and quotas to meet. Didn't everybody feel stressed? I also had a full social life. I supported my husband in his career. I took care of my father, who had recently had a heart attack. I cleaned house and entertained. What I didn't realize at the time was that my schedule was getting busier and busier. I had less and less time for myself. What do you mean relaxation? What is that? Take time to smell the roses? What are you talking about? All of the above was alien to me until this little pain in my neck almost stopped me dead in my tracks!
What I didn’t realize then was that stress will break down the immune system. If we don't have a healthy immune system, we are opening the door for disease. This includes heart attacks, viruses, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and, yes, neck and back pain.
Doctors and specialists gave my pain all kinds of fancy medical names. They medicated me by the truckload. And when that didn't work, they gave me more of the same. By this time, I was wearing a neck brace, my weight was steadily dropping, and I could no longer sleep due to the pain. The last straw was when a specialist I was seeing decided he wanted to do exploratory surgery on my spine. This scared me to death! No way. I did not want anyone cutting into my spine, especially when they didn't know what they were looking for. There had to be another way.
As luck would have it (although I no longer believe in luck), my sister told me about a massage therapist who had helped a friend recover from some serious back injuries. “Whatever…I'll try anything at this point!” I thought. Off I went, and am I glad I did. Within weeks the neck brace came off, my medication reduced steadily to nil, I immediately started sleeping better, my weight returned to normal, and I was free of pain!
I had discovered the body/mind/ spirit connection that I believe we all have. I realized that we do have control over our bodies and our lives (although when we're stressed, it surely doesn't feel like it!). We are more than our bodies. We are mind and spirit, too. One part cannot be affected without affecting the other two. When we take the time to take care of ourselves, even if it is just one hour, a day week, or month, we can begin to bring balance and harmony back into our lives, affecting our health and well-being in a positive way.
In the spring of 1985, I moved to Virginia Beach, VA to start a new life and continue my journey of self-discovery, learning about the healing arts. In the fall of 1987, I moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. While I was there I attended The Inner Light School of Massage and Natural Healing. After graduating in 1991, I moved back to Virginia Beach, where I have since made my home. I am a Certified Massage Therapist, through the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, (NCBTMB), and State Licensed through the Virginia Board of Nursing. I have worked in various settings including chiropractic offices, healing centers and day spas. It was working in a day spa, that I was offered the opportunity to learn how to give facial treatments. I knew instantly, that this is what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I feel very fortunate to have found two careers that I love, Therapeutic Massage and Corrective Skin Care. The transition felt very natural to me, all of my past work experience, education and holistic philosophy all finally came together.
In the mid 90's I decided to return to school, hungry for more education in the skin care field, and graduated from The American Spirit Institute school of Esthetics, Virginia. I am now a Certified and Licensed Esthetician, qualified to practice clinical, corrective skin care treatments, experienced in light to medium depth chemical peels and microdermabrasion. I am certified in Power Peel Microdermabrasion exfoliating treatments, and Physician’s Choice Advanced Clinical Skin Care Treatments. I also received certification from The Dermal Institute of Esthetics, and The Conservatory of Esthetics.
I continued to gain work experience in a variety of day spa settings and plastic surgery centers before opening my own Skin Care Clinic & Day Spa in the summer of 2002. I continue to have a tremendous amount of success in treating and correcting hyper-pigmentation/ brown spots/ sun damage, minimizing fine lines, deep wrinkles and large pores, calming and reducing redness due to capillary disorders and rosacea, improving skin tone and texture, and reducing acne and scarring.
In the Summer of 2007, I returned to The american Spirit Institute in Williamsburg, Virginia to continue my education and training in Advanced Esthetics. I received My Master Esthetician Certification, and I am now a Licensed Master Esthetician.
Stress is all around us. We may not be able to slow the world down, but we can slow ourselves down and still be productive. My philosophy is that if you take care of your whole self by nourishing your mind, body and spirit, one facial at a time, one massage at a time, one day of home care at a time, you will live a happier, healthier, stress-free, more prosperous and productive lifestyle, thus, encouraging a more serene, younger-looking you. It takes time and commitment to oneself, believing that you are worth it, to develop this healthy habit.
Once we begin to take care of ourselves first, we can then take care of others, and enjoy doing so. It starts with you, and it starts with me, one day at a time! When I wake up in the morning, I feel grateful for the opportunity to help another person achieve their desired goals and dreams, working together to achieve pure serenity, and their inner and outer beauty. I love to see this transformation. I enjoy pampering my clients. I try to give my clients what the world does not always give; the time of day, the respect they richly deserve, and a listening ear. I live to serve others. When I do this, I am living my dream. It does not get any better than that!
I love to learn, to continually increase my knowledge and expertise in corrective skin care treatments and body care. I believe in educating my clients to take care of their skin at home. I believe in true, tried and tested result-oriented treatments, customized treatments and home care, designed for your individual skin care needs and specific concerns. I do not believe in fads and gimmicks, they come and go with no long-lasting results.
I'm sharing my story with you so that you can benefit from my experience. So you don't have to suffer. Relaxation works. Stressful lifestyles do not. I have created my skin care and day spa programs to assist you in achieving balance and harmony in your life.
Serenity is waiting for you - Serenity Skin CareTM
Linda Doyle - "The English Lady" TM
Too often, we underestimate the power
Of a touch, a smile, a kind word,
A listening ear, an honest complement,
Or the smallest act of caring,
All of which have the potential
To turn a life around.
Lee Buscaglia
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