About

After graduating from massage school in 2003, Brenda experienced the field of massage therapy in a wellness center and gym format, and soon after, the spa format presented itself. It was there, at Spa Bellagio in Las Vegas, that Brenda’s true passion for Ashiatsu was born. Working ten hour days and feeling every minute in her shoulders and arms, barefoot massage quickly became her go-to modality. With her previous experience as a personal trainer, Brenda realized a lot of research and development of the modality was necessary to prevent injury and burn out, and ultimately lengthen the career of any therapist providing it.

Since 2007, Brenda has been teaching Ashiatsu full-time and she is still as passionate as the day she started. Her dedication to her students created the need for her to provide specific equipment, formulas, and body mechanics to ensure their success and longevity in their practice. Her dedication and contributions to the modality have earned positive results for her students from past and present decades. Her goal remains to help each student be successful in their learning and application of the modality.

Up until 2015 Aimee had spent her 13-year massage career in the luxury spa industry. Seeing multiple clients every day eventually caused repetitive motion injuries to her shoulder bringing her to the conclusion that she was going to have to end her career. “It was at that time that I received an Ashiatsu massage and fell in love with how amazing it felt. I came to learn that not only could I extend my career by using my feet instead of my hands, but that I could also introduce this technique to clients who loved deep tissue work.” She jumped feet first into learning Ashiatsu and opened her own business specializing in the barefoot technique. Seeing the reaction and results her clients got, her passion continued to grow leading her down the path of becoming an Ashiatsu Instructor. Being a part of the SAMBA team has fulfilled yet another dream. It is her hope and desire that teaching Ashiatsu in a safe and effective way, has as big of an impact on your career as it has hers.

Alison Seaton graduated in 1999 from Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy. She graduated certified in Neuromuscular Therapy and Trigger Point Release as well as a traditional massage therapy certification. After honing her skills in a clinical setting and feeling every bit of burn out from deep tissue medical massage, she moved to Las Vegas in 2005. Where she spent 10 years working in 5 Star/5 Diamond resorts. Although spa work helped take down the stressors on her body, she still felt the fatigue and burn out. She met Brenda in 2009 where she was introduced to Ashiatsu, and immediately saw the beneficial ways it can be more effective for the client, and less invasive for the massage therapist. She got certified immediately!

After moving to TN, and getting her massage license, she dove right back into the modality to help save her aging joints. She is proud and excited to have joined SAMBA as a teacher trainer in this method. She looks forward to helping coach other massage therapists on how to add this approach to their already thriving practice.

Candice Connolly is the owner of Desert Lotus Wellness Studio in Reno NV. A Tahoe native and Reno local; NV LMT .9910, 200hr E-RYT, and Reiki Master. She attended massage school at The Bodhi Tree Center for Healing Arts in Carson City NV. Shortly after graduating Candice took her first Introductory to Ashiatsu training in Vegas with Brenda in October 2019. She immediately felt that she had found her niche and wanted to hone her skills. The experience of receiving Ashiatsu was unlike any other massage she had received, incredibly sedative, deeply therapeutic and oh so yummy. She knew right away that this modality would not only enhance her deep tissue capabilities but also prolong her career and preserve her hands and body for the longevity of her career. Since then she has made it her go to modality and the vast majority of her clients request it. After her first intro training she decided to attend a second refresher-intro training with Aimee in San Clemente in January 2020. She felt drawn to continue to connect and work with these inspiring women; not knowing what it would bring in the future. Over the past 5 years Candice has developed her skills, attending trainings yearly and as her passion for Ashiatsu grew, she became curious about becoming an instructor herself. Since 2016 Candice has been learning and developing teaching skills as a yoga teacher and has a desire to assist others in their personal development. She recently opened Desert Lotus Wellness Studio in September 2024. After gaining a lot of experience in leadership over the past few years as the healing operations manager at her previous job she now has the confidence to pursue bigger goals herself and for helping others to grow in their career advancement and professional and personal development. 

Candice is excited and honored to be part of the SAMBA team of instructors.