Founders
Laura Freed, Co-Founder and Director of Education
Laura originally hails from the east coast, but has made New Mexico her home for the last 25 years. After receiving a BS in Biology from Connecticut College in 1991, Laura found the pursuit of massage therapy and natural healing to be a great fit with her background knowledge, and it became her life’s passion. A career in healing arts also offered a great fit with her primary role as mother to three children. A desire to care for and raise them with the most supportive and natural methods of health and healing led her to her training in massage therapy and natural therapeutics. Her education in these areas was life-changing!
Upon graduating from massage school in 1999, Laura took a 32-hour intensive training program in pregnancy and post-partum massage therapy and made this a specialty in her practice. It has been a joy and a privilege for her to share in the journey to motherhood with so many women in Albuquerque! She has also graduated from two Homeopathy training programs, each lasting two years. Laura’s continuing education in her areas of interest has helped her create an eclectic and blended approach to bodywork that continues to inspire her to grow and learn. She is an experienced educator who loves sharing her knowledge and passion with her students.
Laura has been a Licensed Massage Therapist for 22 years (1999-present) and has owned and operated her own private practice for that length of time. In addition, she was a Registered Massage Therapy Instructor for 10 years (1999-2009) and taught a variety of classes at the New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics. She was also a member of the Leadership Team at Betty’s Bath and Day Spa for four years (2014-2018) and served as the lead trainer for spa treatments for all new hires at the spa.
In her spare time Laura enjoys yoga, hiking, reading, live theatre and spending time her now grown children… whenever they pop home for short or extended visits!
Sarah Ferrell, Co-Founder and Director of Operations
Sarah Ferrell moved to Albuquerque from Indiana in 2004 to attend the New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics (NMSNT). She was drawn to the school’s diverse curriculum and specifically to the Core Synchronism work taught by founder and instructor Robert Stevens. Sarah graduated from Indiana University in 1999 with a BA in Anthropology. She spent summers during college doing volunteer work in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala and touring the US with her all-female vocal group, VIDA. She continued to pursue music and work/ travel in Latin America after college. When her band dissolved in 2002 she knew she needed to turn her attention to her own health. She’d been exposed to massage therapy and bodywork in the years prior and was drawn to delving deeper into this work.
Sarah’s experience at NMSNT was transformative and set her on a path to personal health and vitality and a successful career as a professional massage therapist and bodyworker. She continued to study with Robert Stevens, completing all seven levels of Core Synchronism as well as exploring continuing education in yoga, nutrition, and deep-tissue massage.
Sarah has been a Licensed Massage Therapist for 17 years and has owned and operated her own private practice for that length of time. For 12 years she managed the bodywork collective Calle Ocho Therapies (2008-2020). She has nine years of spa experience as a part-time massage therapist at Betty’s Bath and Day Spa (2005-2014).
Sarah is a singer and musician with two local bands: The Squash Blossom Boys and The Hoth Brothers (2020 New Mexico Music Awards Album of the Year). In her free time she loves to spend time with her husband, children and dog, and tend to her backyard chickens.
