Chelsey joined the massage therapy profession after years of working in administration, realizing that her great passion is helping people one-on-one with her own two hands. Her background is in women’s perinatal health and the intersectionality of race, class, gender, and sexuality through her studies at the University of Washington. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women Studies. Originally, she thought she wanted to be a midwife and worked actively toward this goal. She trained as a birth doula at Bastyr University’s Simkin Center and attended births in this role as well as in the role of birth assistant-in-training. During her work as the past Office Manager of Puget Sound Birth Center, she decided that although her love of the midwifery model of care was great, midwifery was not the route she wanted to go.

After she graduated from Cortiva Institute of massage, in Seattle, she opened her first private practice in Kirkland, called Grounded Touch Therapeutic Massage. During this time, she immediately began working on her perinatal specializations, adding breast massage and prenatal massage certifications. She is deeply connected to the birth community in the greater Seattle area and through massage supports birth givers and their families. She is dedicated to providing quality care to her clients no matter their sexual orientation, race, gender, sex, or abilities. Chelsey currently lives in Kenmore with her wife, Jessica, who is a midwife at Puget Sound Birth Center. Her next goal is to become an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLS) in order to better serve her clients with lactation support.

Education and Licensure:

Two Bachelor of Art degrees in Women Studies and Spanish: University of Washington (Seattle)
Birth doula training: Bastyr University’s Simkin Center with Carrie Kenner and Kim James (Kenmore)
Advanced birth doula training: When a Baby Dies” with Carrie Kenner (Seattle)
Massage certificate: Cortiva Institute (Seattle)
Washington State Massage License
Spinning Babies Workshop (Edmonds)
Bimonthly tutorial group: Brian Utting, LMT (Seattle)
Breast Massage certification: Aubrey Lesicki, BS, LMP (Bellingham)
Prenatal Massage certification – Touch for Birth by Leslie Stager, RN, LMT (Portland)
Acupressure for Labor and Birth – Touch for Birth by Leslie Stager, RN, LMT (Portland)
Bodywork for the New Mother – Touch for Birth by Leslie Stager, RN, LMT (Portland)
Currently working on her Maternity Massage Certification with Leslie Stager, RN, LMT

Chelsey believes in both the power and science behind massage therapy and touch. She is committed to facilitating your body’s own healing mechanisms. She strives to work with her clients to create the most effective individualized treatment plans. She believes in preventative healthcare and that massage therapy is one type of complimentary care practice that can create a healthful, joyful life.

For clients with currently existing somatic conditions, her goal is to work as a part of your healthcare team. In this case, she values collaboration and communication with her clients’ other healthcare providers in order to create a unique and balanced treatment plan to alleviate acute or chronic issues.

Chelsey offers an intuitive approach in her massage sessions coupled with her strong knowledge of anatomy and physiology in order to treat the body as a whole.

Her practice serves families and individuals desiring to maintain healthful lives and has a special interest in the childbearing cycle. Chelsey is dedicated to providing quality bodywork to all people regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or marital status, to name a few. It is important to Chelsey to use gender-inclusive language to reflect our diverse population as humans. She is proud to serve the LGBTQ community.

Chelsey Swan