The LMT Refinery

We may not be the biggest barefoot training company.

We may not have thousands of followers.
We may not run giant classes.

We may not have a ladder of levels to climb.
(With us, you choose your own adventure.)

We may not push therapists through a certification pipeline.

But what we do have is a deep respect for this work.

At The LMT Refinery, we care deeply about quality, intention, critical thinking, sustainability, and real connection. We believe learning should feel supportive, not rushed or performative.

We want therapists to leave our classes feeling confident and connected to why they’re doing what they’re doing.

Small class sizes.
Real mentorship.
Thoughtful technique.
Mindful body mechanics.
People over ego.

Growth matters to us, of course.
But not at the expense of the experience.

We’re pretty proud of that.

Michigan (and surrounding states 👀) we’re bringing two evolved barefoot classes your way this June.

You can join us for one class or make a full weekend out of it and take both!

GROUNDed FLOW with Rachel O’Connor:
A slower, grounded approach to barefoot bodywork focused on stability, fascial work, dual-line techniques, and creating therapeutic depth without overcomplicating the work.

ACTIVE ASHI with Katie Reschny:
Learn how to integrate movement, pin-and-stretch techniques, active engagement, and more clinical application into your barefoot sessions in a way that feels adaptable and effective in real-world practice.

Both classes are designed to help therapists work more intentionally, sustainably, and with stronger clinical reasoning while still keeping the work approachable and practical.

We’re genuinely excited to teach side by side for this one 💛

Grounded Flow | June 13 | 8 CEs | $250
Active Ashi | June 14 | 8 CEs | $250

📍Howell, Michigan

Comment “REGISTER” for a link sign up.

I’ve seen and had conversation recently around what websites “should” cost for massage therapists.

I do believe a simple landing page absolutely has its place. (I’ve built a few myself.)

But one thing many therapists don’t realize is there’s a huge difference between:

having a website…and having a website strategically built to help clients actually FIND you.

A basic one-page site often functions more like an online business card and relies heavily on direct traffic from Instagram, referrals, or links.

An SEO-focused website is designed differently.

It helps Google understand:
• who you help
• what services you offer
• where you’re located
• and when to show your business to local people actively searching for those services.

I’ve personally experienced every side of this:
expensive websites,
cheap websites,
monthly retainers,
poor SEO,
having little control over my own content,
and learning the hard way what actually matters long term.

Most massage therapists simply don’t know what they don’t know yet…and, neither did I at first 🫠

That’s a big part of why I’ve become so passionate about helping therapists better understand websites, SEO, and online visibility in a way that actually makes sense for our industry…I’m also a data nerd and it’s become a fun game and I *might* be a tad obsessed 🙈🤓

Not saying I have this all figured out either. We’re all learning and evolving in this industry (and social media driven world)

But this conversation stuck with me.

Marketing and advertising matter. Social media matters. But so does skill, communication, client experience, and continued refinement of our work.

You can have the most beautiful branding, photos, or videos online… but if the session itself doesn’t truly connect with what the client needed or expected, that’s the part they’ll remember most.

One experience can completely shape how someone views a modality…and I think that’s something worth thinking about as both therapists and educators.

One of my favorite ways to explain pressure communication to clients is to call it a game of “red light, green light”🚦

Green light = good pressure, safe, productive, therapeutic.
Yellow light = we’re approaching the edge.
Red light = your nervous system is guarding and the pressure is too intense and no longer feels safe

A lot of therapists (and clients) chase deeper pressure…
but deeper isn’t always better.

The real skill is learning how to work with the nervous system.

Sometimes the smallest language shifts completely change the outcome of a session.

This is a fun one that I love using with newer clients as we are getting to know each other and their pressure boundaries and preferences.

If you try it, let me know how it goes 😉

Social media definitely supports your business.

But if your entire marketing strategy depends on an app you don’t own, an algorithm you can’t control, and content that usually disappears in 24 hours…that’s a risky foundation.

Your ideal clients are also searching Google.
Reading reviews.
Looking at your website.
Comparing professionalism.
Searching “massage near me” when they can’t sleep.

The goal isn’t just visibility.
It’s stability.

That’s a huge part of where The LMT Refinery is evolving right now. Helping therapists build businesses that last both online and offline.

The Refinery started with hands-on education.
Small classes. Real conversations.
Techniques therapists could actually use the next day.

That part isn’t going anywhere.

But over the years, through teaching and talking with hundreds of therapists, one thing became very clear: technique alone isn’t what keeps people in this industry long term.

There’s a whole other side of building a sustainable career and business that doesn’t get talked about enough.

So while live CE will always be the heart of what we do, this space is growing into something bigger too.

More support.
More resources.

More conversations that help therapists evolve and stay in control of their careers.

Still hands-on.
Still practical.

Just expanding 💛