It all started with a dream of working in a beautiful spa by the ocean…
The beginning
Kiyoki began her massage therapy career in 2009 and worked in beautiful cliff side spas on the California Central Coast. She had a dream of opening her own spa someday. She drew up a business plan and had a goal. Then, life happened, as it usually does, and her dream was put on hold for about 10 years.
Kiyoki shifted her relaxing spa work to orthopedic bodywork because her clients needed real pain relief and education about their structural dysfunctions. She sought out mentorship and knowledge from several PTs, chiropractors, and orthopedists and truly transformed her skills.
In 2019, Kiyoki launched Kraken Massage & Body in Round Rock and it grew exponentially. She expanded her clinic and hired other massage therapists, only to find out that other LMTs were not used to delivering medical bodywork. She shifted her practice again and decided to not run a large massage clinic and focus on teaching and mentoring other LMTs. She is currently working on a continuing education program.
The middle
Enter Kraken Wellness Center - a multi-modality office where each practitioner can complement one another and assist in healing the client together. The practitioners that Kiyoki hand selected represent the missing pieces that she needed for her own clients’ care. Kiyoki believes whole heartedly in collaboration and making sure clients get all the resources they need to achieve their health and wellness goals. In time, we will continue to grow as a collective and help to heal as many people as we can.
While each of our providers practices a specialized niche, we are all constantly expanding our health and wellness skills and knowledge. If we cannot help you with what we know, we will happily direct you to a provider who we think can. Your health and overall wellness is our top priority.
The now
… And the question that everyone asks: “What’s up with the octopus and Kraken?”
When Kiyoki was researching manual therapy tools to better serve her clients in a medical way, she stumbled upon cupping therapy. She took one class and was amazed at how much a cupping tool can accomplish, if used correctly. She took another class and another and eventually learned from four different mentors about all things related to cupping. She now uses several different cupping tools to work on bodily issues ranging from scalp to toe. You might say she’s a cupping fanatic!
Anyhow, some of her competitive athletes would come back and tell her about the comments they received on their cup marks (“squid guy” or “octopus lady”). Other clients began bringing in octopus gifts to their appointments. She eventually embraced the octopus mascot and Kraken was born.
Though the octopus is a mysterious and elusive creature, it is also incredibly intelligent, resilient, and self-disciplined. In addition, the octopus is a fantastic multi-tasker and situational adapter. Scientists continue to study octopuses for their genetic limb regeneration and skin camouflaging abilities. Seems like the octopus is actually a pretty neat mascot after all.