A B O U T
My name is Linnea Villegas Gilbar.
I grew up a child of the redwoods in the small town of Arcata, California, surrounded by a raw natural beauty and easy going pace that still lures my soul. I moved to Santa Barbara in 2003 to attend Westmont College and I still can’t believe that I get to call this place home after all of these years.
Funny enough, it was at Westmont that my interest in attending massage school kicked off. Despite having never taken an actual class in the trade, I ran an underground side biz out of my dorm room giving massages to fellow students (think blankets and pillows on the floor, candles galore, and tracy chapman on the stereo) and charged something like $15 for a half hour treatment. It was four years later, during that idyllic summer post-graduation, that I started my official training at the Santa Barbara Body Therapy Institute (SBBTI) and thus commenced my journey as a bodyworker.
My practice here in Santa Barbara didn't start immediately out of school. South America came first. But it was during that time abroad, and more specifically during those months living in Buenos Aires, that I purchased a massage table, threw my skills up on craigslist, said my prayers and got to work. The ease in which I was able to dive so easily into this newfound passion of mine was liberating and empowering. Those first, real world experiences I had while administering this incredibly powerful tool were (thankfully) all positive and truly life changing — setting the tone for a healthy and positive energy in which to grow my practice back home.
Once back in Santa Barbara, I continued with my studies while working as a caregiver, all the while laying the foundation for my private practice. I graduated from SBBTI at the end of 2010 with 550 hours, obtained my massage certification from the California Massage Therapy Council (certificate #30082), and moved into my downtown studio in the Spring of 2011. I am a life long learner and will never tire of being in the classroom: my most recent classes being a deep bodywork workshop at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.
On a more personal note, you can probably guess by now that I love to travel. Polished or gritty, I'll take it. I swoon over beautiful design, interiors, and aesthetics. Farmers market-ing, beach days, and dinner parties fill my cup. Yoga, Pilates, and hiking are my favorite forms of movement. In addition to my bodywork practice, my best friend, Colleen Ferguson, and I realized a longtime dream of ours and started a creative x wellness retreat venture in 2018 called BEAUTIFUL NOMAD — see “retreats” for more insider ! Finally, my greatest accomplishment to date goes to my twin daughters, Alma and Soleil, who were born in July of 2019 ◡̈
I am tremendously grateful to be doing what I love and I am hopeful to share this passion of mine with you x x x