Ashley Watterson, owner of Tocca Massage Therapy, has a passion for helping people to feel and get better, and she does this through her skills as a certified therapeutic massage therapist and her ability to focus on clients’ physical and emotional needs.
“My philosophy of practicing massage is client-centered and whole-person focused,” she said. "I work to show my clients warmth, compassion, sincerity and attentive listening, with the result being that I am able to maximize the benefits of massage they receive."
Watterson earned her bachelor's degree from Eastern Michigan University, and was certified by the Flint School of Therapeutic Massage. She has been treating the Brighton area since 2007 and is trained in Swedish, prenatal, hot stone and deep tissue styles of massage. Her company, , is located at 730 W. Grand River near downtown Brighton.
According to Watterson, the name Tocca actually means "to touch" in Italian.
Watterson, a Brighton resident for 18 years, was always interested in anatomy and physiology, so massage therapy as a career was a good fit.
She loves working with people who experience nagging aches and pains that are associated with stress or repetition from physical activity through work or play.
“I love to help people get better,” she said.
Watterson has helped her clients through many different situations.
Kim Komar, a personal trainer located in Brighton, has three children and has utilitized Watterson’s services through two of her pregnancies.
“I saw Ashley through two of my three pregnancies and would have had a much rougher time during each of those nine-month periods had she not been there to relieve some of the stressors being placed on my body,” Komar said.
Komar was so impressed with Watterson that she referred her mother, who has fibromyalgia, to Tocca Massage Therapy. Her mom is now a regular client.
Pamela Flick of Hamburg has been seeing Watterson for three years to help banish her muscle kinks and knots.
“I suffered from back and hip problems and have had tremendous relief once I started visiting Ashley," Flick said. "Her knowledge of the human body makes her an excellent massage therapist.”
Elizabeth Curd of Fowlerville was trying to stage a comeback in yoga when she suffered a sports injury and was in constant pain. Curd said that after six intense months of therapy with Watterson, her back muscles went from nonfunctioning to highly useable.
"I feel that God gave her a gift, and she has chosen to use that gift for the benefit of those of us in pain," she said. "My back is stronger than ever, and the stress relief benefits helped this overextended teacher finish several school years with grace."
Watterson believes in keeping her therapy services affordable, offering one-hour sessions of all types of massage for $50 an hour, and hot stone massage for $70 an hour.
Joanne Giardini-Russell NuStar Insurance