FROM THE OWNER, DEBRA:

I fell in love with massage therapy because of chronic pain. I was referred to a massage therapist when all else had failed in my attempts to alleviate pain. This changed my life. 

After becoming a massage therapist myself in 1996, I have had the most incredible journey and I am excited to share my experience with students who are passionate about learning a craft that can help to heal themselves, their families and their patients. BLOOM! Offers a supportive, compassionate and fun approach to learning!
I have been a massage therapist since 1996 in Maine.  I was first registered after taking a short course with Donna Kraft-Smith and became a registered massage practitioner.  I completed the Myotherapy Institute Research Center’s massage therapy program from 1996 through 1998, again with Donna as my hands-on trainer.  I passed the National Certification exam on 8/22/98.  After practicing for two years, I became a local trainer for the now-defunct Myotherapy Institutes’s distance learning program.  I would teach all hands on, ethics, body mechanics (generally anything having to do with being within a treatment room) to motivated self-learners who were enrolled in the Myotherapy’s national program.  I trained several students for MIM’s program who successfully have become licensed massage therapists in our state.  After MIM’s program ceased to exist, I continued coaching many students already in the medical field and motivated self-learners by offering workshops for Anatomy & Physiology, Ethics, Pathology, Functional Anatomy (kinesiology), business and all skills related to the massage therapy treatment room, to get them prepared to take the MBLEx or National Certification Exam. 

Since starting my career I built my practice to include two office complexes, one in Bangor and one in Newport.  It was apparent to me early in my career the need in Bangor for a wellness center and I had vision for a healthcare facility that would house like-minded healthcare professionals in a nonclinical atmosphere.  River City Therapy & Wellness Center was created in 2007 with the purchase of a stately manor on State Street in Bangor.  As I have maintained a home office in Newport since beginning my career, I began to see the need for a similar facility in the Newport area.  A 1900s Masonic Temple on the Sebasticook River in Newport fit the bill!  The Riverwalk Center in Newport is dedicated to bringing more fitness and healthcare options to this area and has become home to Bloom! School of Therapeutic Arts.   Our mission statement at RWC:  “We are professionals dedicated to helping our clients find peace in their bodies and minds. Our goal is to provide a place where our clients can feel comfortable in moving their bodies and minds in a safe, supportive surrounding with outstanding customer service.” 

Bloom! has now moved the classroom to 152 Main Street in Newport!

I feel that the culmination of education and experience over the last 30 years has defined my personal dedication to leading students to have outstanding skills in the profession of massage therapy.