"When I was a child in the Philippines, when someone wasn't feeling well in our house, my mom would send us to this lady to give us massages. The way it made me feel—recovered, with no medication—was amazing. I thought, 'How awesome must it be to give someone that sense of touch to make them feel better.'"
Gina Recto Smith's childhood memory never left her. Today, she's a licensed massage therapist, as well as an esthetician, and she gets to help people feel better every day.
Smith has seen countless smiling faces leave her table over the years, but one experience in particular stands out. A regular client asked her to do a session on the client's husband at the couple's home. The husband was 88 years old and had Parkinson's disease. "I can still remember his big smile every time I arrived," Smith says. "His shaking would stop as soon as I started the massage and he'd go to sleep. I always came away feeling rewarded in knowing I made him feel better and more relaxed. I worked on him once a week for three months until he passed away."
Being a dual-licensed esthetician and massage therapist sets Smith apart from other MTs because she's a one-stop shop for beauty and wellness. Many of her clients don't need to see anyone else. She keeps herself engaged with the beauty and wellness industries, and is always looking for new things to learn to better serve her clients.
In addition to her varied set of skills, Smith believes part of the secret to her success has been maintaining a good balance between her career and her personal life. "Therapists who work too much or simply don't pay attention to themselves are prone to injury," she says. "It's very important to do self-care and realize that if we are not healthy, we can't give."
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