Gina Saka's Training & Experience

Licensed Massage Therapist since 1999. Certified in Craniosacral Balancing and Manual Lymphatic Drainage (Vodder Method). Mentor for and member of The American Massage Association.

I have served diverse populations, including the AAPI and LGBTQ+A communities, individuals experiencing poverty or homelessness, detained women, older adults, and members of the Chicago Police Department. My experience includes working with individuals with PTSD, veterans, and those affected by trauma related to abuse, sexual assault, chronic illness, addiction, recovery, poverty, and domestic violence. I am committed to supporting those impacted by generational and systemic racism, marginalization, exploitation, and lack of access to care.

I have provided care at The Aid's Alternative Health Care Center and The Chicago Women's Health Center. My experience includes working with individuals with ALS, Bell's Palsy, Polio, diabetes, cardiac conditions, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune diseases, thyroid disorders, Lyme disease, and fibromyalgia. I support clients recovering from chemotherapy, chronic pain, illness, and surgical trauma, as well as children with autoimmune diseases and those needing palliative or end-of-life care. My practice also includes care for individuals with GI disorders, gallbladder issues, and women throughout pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery. I have experience with scar management, eating disorders, body dysphoria, exercise addiction, post-surgical recovery, and clients experiencing depression, anxiety, insomnia, and muscle soreness.

I have provided chair massage services throughout Chicago, including at Whole Foods, corporate events, and private functions. My experience includes working with chiropractors and professional athletes, supporting injury prevention and recovery for events such as the Chicago Marathon. I have also worked in high-end spas, corporate offices, and on the North Shore, and served as a group fitness instructor in various Chicago health clubs. I am dedicated to supporting clients through emotional and physical challenges, offering bodywork in gyms and yoga studios to promote self-care, achieve fitness and yoga goals, and prevent repetitive stress injuries.

Massage Therapy: I was blessed to attend CSMT (The Chicago School of Massage Therapy). CSMT was a school with the highest standards, and applicants were chosen to attend. Graduate of CSMT- The Chicago School of Massage Therapy, Class 45. December 1999. Extensive study in Anatomy, Physiology, Career Development, Seated Chair Massage, Clinical Massage Therapy, 30 hours of Community Outreach, Professional Foundations, Acupressure, Kinesiology and musculoskeletal Pathology, Therapeutic Movement, Stretching, Sports Massage, Pre and Post Race/Event Massage, First Aid and CPR. Worked in the Chicago School of Massage Therapy Student Clinic 30 hours a week each semester.

Shiatsu & Thai Massage: Completed training at The Ohashi Institute (now Zen Shiatsu) in 2008, including Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Shiatsu. Additional coursework included Traditional Chinese Medicine, moxibustion, hara and face diagnosis, Flying Shiatsu, classical channel identification, Masunaga Extensions, and Cupping Therapy (fire, glass suction, and silicone sliding cupping), as well as various shiatsu workshops.

Thai Massage: Certified in Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Thai Massage (Northern and Southern styles). Served as a Teacher's Assistant in Southern Thai massage workshops in Chicago and the North Shore, with primary training in Southern Thai Massage. Assisted in adjusting senior teachers' yoga classes.

• Completed decolonization workshops as part of trauma-informed training, along with individual study in anti-racism and social justice.

• Certified in Manual Lymphatic Drainage (Vodder Method) through a 40-hour training at Jones Spa Training Academy.

• Certified in Reflexology

• Completed professional training in trauma-informed care, healing sexual trauma, and trauma-informed yoga and meditation for sexual assault survivors.

• Integrative Healthcare Studies: Completed programs in stress reduction through bodywork, including cancer and massage, anxiety and massage, and the pathology of the digestive and endocrine systems as related to stress and trauma.

Additional Certifications:

Acupressure, Reflexology, Shoshin Shiatsu, Ohashi Shiatsu, Chinese Medicine, Aromatherapy, Indian Head Massage, Zero Balance Therapy, and Polarity Therapy. Private independent study Maya Infused Abdominal Massage with a Certified Maya Abdominal Massag Additional certifications include Acupressure, Reflexology, Shoshin Shiatsu, Ohashi Shiatsu, Chinese Medicine, Aromatherapy, Indian Head Massage, Zero Balance Therapy, and Polarity Therapy. Completed private independent study in Maya Infused Abdominal Massage with a certified Maya Abdominal Massage Therapist.ion instructor, and bodywork workshop facilitator in Chicagoland and the North Shore.

Yoga

My roles included teaching private clients and at gyms and yoga studios such as Namaskar Yoga Studio, Yogaview Elston, Yogaview Wicker Park (closed), Shri Yoga Center, One Key Yoga, Spring Wellness, Equinox Gold Coast, Equinox Lincoln Park, and ID Gym. I have taught in-store yoga classes and at Oz Park for Lululemon, and I have facilitated workshops at DePaul University, Yogaview, and Chi-Town-Shakti. As a Group Fitness and Yoga Instructor, I led classes at several Chicago Athletic Club locations, including Lakeview, Lincoln Square, Lincoln Park Athletic Club, Bucktown, and Webster Place. My experience includes leading large public classes, small group sessions, and private instruction. I have also assisted in Thai yoga workshops led by senior teachers and attended workshops led by numerous yoga teachers over the years.

• Lululemon Ambassador 2011
• Licensed cosmetologist circa 1987
• Certified Personal Trainer circa 1997
• Volunteer Work: Volunteering and giving back have been central to my practice since my early twenties and continue to shape my approach as a healer.
• 1989 – Heiwa Terrace, a primarily Japanese American senior complex: Provided haircuts and assisted seniors with hygiene.
• 1998-99-Volunteered at The Aids Alternative Health Care Center in Uptown Chicago: This place was ahead of its time. It was one of the first holistic centers in Chicago that provided multiple modalities to people with end-stage illnesses such as HIV, Cancer, Stroke, and ALS. These patients had survived sexual violence, domestic abuse, trauma, and poverty. Many LGBTQ people were stigmatized, traumatized, and often denied their deserved care. This center was based on a sliding scale and never turned anyone away. This was my first experience working with various therapists who offered different modalities in one room together, and it shifted the trajectory of my practice. It was one of the most extraordinary places I have ever had the privilege of being a part of. It is where I learned that even the most impoverished and terminally ill human being has the right to dignified and compassionate care. It laid the foundation for the kind of therapist I wanted to become and the populations I would most enjoy serving. Here, I learned the importance of holding space and showing up for terminally ill people. It was the first place that I worked where I had formed friendships and bonds with clients that I genuinely cared about, and they passed away from their illnesses. I realized how essential massage therapy and bodywork were for special populations, the LGBTQ community, people of color, and the impoverished. This place is forever in my heart, and forever grateful I got to be a part of it. 
• 2005 – Volunteered at the Japanese American Service Committee, teaching seniors seated self-massage, breath work, and movement therapy to address stress, arthritis, and generational trauma.
• 2014- Volunteered at Cook County Jail, teaching yoga to incarcerated women.
• 2018-Taught guided breath work to decrease stress levels to law enforcement.
• 2019-Taught yoga classes to donate to various causes such as BLM.
• 2022-Taught a Monthly donation Restorative Yoga Class, where all the proceeds go to The Chicago Women's Health Center.
• 2022 – Volunteered at the Japanese American Service Committee, teaching seniors movement therapy, self-care stretching, self-massage, and breath work to reduce stress and arthritis. Provided seated chair massage to relieve pain, stiffness, and inflammation, and to promote circulation and well-being.