Massage therapy is adventure for woman whose life is full of them

Robyn Faike figured out what she wanted to do when she grew up while summiting Mt. Everest, which she did at 4:02 a.m. May 24, 2008.

The day after returning from that adventure – one of many she's had in life – she enrolled in courses to pursue her next adventure, massage therapy. After receiving her certification from the Boulder College of Massage Therapy, Robyn opened her own practice, Evolve Therapeutics, 2027 Broadway Street, Suite A, in Boulder in June. She is also is certified through the The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, which means the massages she offers can help a body heal, not just relax.

"The therapy that Robyn provides is much, much more than a simple massage," says her patient, Richard Silverman. "She is a very intuitive therapist and is able to provide a form of therapy that is unavailable in today's world of medicine. Not only is she unusually caring and compassionate, but she has mastered many different styles and forms of bodywork that can provide not only relief from pain but, in many cases, the eradication of its cause."

Faike says it was realizing that injuries have a mental, emotional and spiritual as well as physical impact on people reaching their goals revealed her calling.

"Nobody was a massage therapist (on her Mt. Everest summit team), but it got me thinking, because people would have muscle strain and it pretty much inhibited them from progressing and doing the climb in a comfortable way," she says. "I realized how it’s important to connect mind, body and spirit. An injury would take over psyche, cause depression, and I saw how beneficial (massage therapy) could be.”

Mt. Everest wasn’t Robyn’s first peak to climb, either. She’s climbed the highest peaks in five different continents, four of which she did with her mom.

Before discovering her true calling, Robyn was an elementary school teacher, though she originally went to Indiana University to pursue opera singing. She completed her teaching certification and student teaching in New Zealand before moving to Boulder, where her brother and grandparents lived (she’s originally from Carson City, Nev.). She also worked for five years with the Boulder YMCA in its mountain biking camp, helping older teens train for races.

None of those experiences, though, gave her the satisfaction that working as a massage therapist and doing bodywork does, she says.

"Every day is so amazing for me," Robyn says. "I walk away each day with different stories. I connect with people on unique and special level. I feel completely fulfilled in my life.

"It's really complementary to all my life adventures," she adds. "I really believe that everybody has their own summit in life. Through massage therapy, it's so exciting to support people in whatever adventure they're on, no matter how big or how small. It all feels connected to me."

Evolve Therapeutics' hours are by appointment 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Call (303) 246-7178.