Healing Instinct calms your hectic holidays with massage - Las Cruces Sun-News

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Rocky Gurrola, owner of Healing Instinct massage therapy, demonstrates how he gives a massage on Joshua DiMatteo in Gurrola's studio Tuesday Dec.5, 2017.(Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)Buy Photo


LAS CRUCES – Rocky Gurrola knew before graduating from Las Cruces High School he had an interest in helping promote health through massage.

But he didn’t get there right away.

Now, after studying trades at Doña Ana Community College and a short stint in the food service industry, he’s taking steps to make that goal a reality. Gurrola, 31, recently opened Healing Instinct at 1850 E. Lohman Ave., where he offers several types of massage to relieve stress and improve overall health.

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He sunk his funds into renovating a former office space at 1850 E. Lohman Ave. that was not being used. He now sees clients there as well as at Las Cruces’ Massage Therapy Training Institute, where he graduated and earned his massage therapy certificate in September and his license in October, according to the state.

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Rocky Gurrola, owner of Healing Instinct massage therapy, in his studio on Lohman. Tuesday Dec.5, 2017. (Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)


“It’s something I wanted to do right after high school but went toward automotive and creative media instead,” the 31-year-old Las Cruces High School graduate said. “Those didn’t work out so I went back to what I originally wanted to do and it worked. I was tired of working for fast food and working for someone else. I wanted to be by myself, own my own place.”

Remodeling the office took a couple of months and he did the work by himself, he said. It was not a small job. The office space had been unused for years and took a lot of labor and love to get ready to welcome clients.

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Gurrola offers a variety of massage techniques including full body, prenatal and sports as well as aromatherapy and his signature Swedish full-body massage. He also offers techniques specifically for the elderly, mainly through his continued work at MTTI. His normal sessions are an hour long, although he offers 90-minute sessions. He’s currently charging $30 for one hour. He is also offering gift certificates and a holiday special, buy two, one-hour massages and get a third hour free.

“It’s uplifting for their mood,” Gurrola said of working on the elderly. “They get some energy and move around. It’s more energy for them. With elderly people, the only people that they come into contact with is usually family, if they have any still, or nurses. It’s almost like (their need for) connection with another person makes them want to come see me.”

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Rocky Gurrola, owner of Healing Instinct massage therapy, offers a variety of massage techniques as well as aromatherapy and prenatal massage at his studio Tuesday Dec.5, 2017. (Photo: Josh Bachman/Sun-News)


His work with athletes includes both pre- and post-workout massage.

“With sports massage, it stretches the muscles out,” he said. “That way they don’t cramp up while performing. It gets all the fluids in the muscles moved out and working properly for the performance. After, you get to relax the muscles with deep pressure and more stretching.”

The stressful holiday season is a prime time to relax with a massage, he said. Massage can lower blood pressure and is also beneficial to people with diabetes, he said. Overall, it improves health and a person’s mental state at the same time.

“People sometimes need to create a space where they can breathe, step back and think about what’s going on and relax,” Gurrola said. “Most people act on what’s in front of them in the moment; they don’t get to step back and see what’s going on in their body. People worry so much about other people and what’s going on with their body.”

Jason Gibbs may be reached at 575-541-5451, [email protected] or @fjgwriter on Twitter.

Healing Instinct

1850 E. Lohman Ave.

575-652-1396

Web: www.healinginstinct.amtamembers.com

Facebook: Healing-Instinct

Hours: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Mon. – Fri.

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