Meet the Team
Our team of New Haven massage therapists are thrilled to welcome you to the Well for Women in Connecticut! We offer everything from relaxing Swedish massage to deep tissue, and we specialize in prenatal, postpartum and geriatric body massages. We pride ourselves on putting women, in any stage of life, first.
Julie Robbins LMT, MSTR
LMT, Founder and Owner, Entrepreneur, Mom
I like to keep my fingers on the pulse of women and their care. In a world where women often find themselves last on the list, my passion is to notice and care for physical and emotional needs that often go unacknowledged and unaddressed. Through my work as a massage therapist and entrepreneur my goal is to provide pain relief, down-regulation of the nervous system as well as other resources to women so they can go out and be their best selves in the world. This is a sentiment that extends to trying to provide the best prenatal and postpartum massages for all women in Connecticut.
Along the way, this life-long mission has led me to found The Pregnancy Massage Center in Atlanta, The Tampa Bay Birth Network (with friends) Westville Massage, and now The Well for Women. My massage and doula practice has always centered on the childbearing year. When I see my clients in discomfort, I love nothing more than to provide or find solutions for them.
I have received certification in Massage Therapy (1995), Neuromuscular Therapy (1996), Prenatal Massage (1997), Thai Massage (2017), and McAllister Scar Tissue Release certification (2024). I co-developed Theta Hypnosis Massage with psychoanalyst David Norton in 2023.
I live in the Westville neighborhood of New Haven, and have two awesome kids. When I’m not obsessing about the comfort of my clients I enjoy swimming, learning to sail, and connecting with my friends.
I welcome you to meet our team!
Jess Artemchuk
Office Manager
Jess is adding her experience of office management and love of organizing to the front desk at the Well. Her combination of skills is perfect for our team--along with the warm welcome clients will receive from her when you walk in the door. This long time married mom of twins (and 8 pets) hails from Woodbridge via NYC.
Bridget Browe
Front Desk
Bridget Browe can be found at the front desk of the Well on weekends giving clients a warm welcome. They’ve lived in Connecticut for their whole life, and enjoy exploring local swimming holes and doing art in their free time. Bridget is a big believer in destigmatizing mental health and promoting safe spaces like the Well. She uses they/she pronouns, and is a graduate of Amity Regional High School.
Susan Francis
LMT, CPMT
My journey to massage therapy started with a simple desire: to help people reach their full potential through the emotional and physical support massage therapy can provide. Each massage I provide is customized to your needs, incorporating a combination of modalities including Swedish, cranial sacral work, stretching, and deep tissue techniques as needed. I believe in the power of health and wellness massages, and have seen the positive impact they have on people’s lives.
In August of 2018, I received my certification as a Certified Pediatric Massage Therapist (CPMT) specializing in providing Touch Therapy services to children on the autism spectrum. My training was provided by Tina Alle, founder of the children's health and nurturing touch organization Liddle Kidz™ Foundation. I welcome the opportunity to include woman and girls on the autism spectrum to the healing world of massage therapy.
Eboni Dinkins
LMT
Eboni is a graduate of Branford Hall Career Institute. While in school she fell in love with Eastern massage modalities because of their more holistic approach to balancing the body and all of its parts. Like Eastern medicine, the goal is to find the root cause of an issue, instead of just treating the symptoms. It goes beyond relaxation to relieve pain and restore the body’s natural homeostasis. This is also crucial in maternal massages and post-baby massages, so attention is always paid to individual experiences, and each treatment is tailored to our customers’ needs.
She actively challenges herself to keep learning and sculpting her craft to provide a variety of techniques that are then tailored to meet each individual's personal requirements. She believes massage therapy is not as simple as getting or giving a relaxing rub down, because much thought, science, and tradition has gone into the techniques behind your massage. She understands that we live in a hectic world where most of our time is spent rushing around and juggling a crazy schedule. Busy jobs, having family commitments, maintaining an active social life, trying to get or stay in shape, etc can seem to take up all of one's time. She helps you step back from this constant ‘on the move’ lifestyle so you can form a deeper connection to a healthy mind and body - you must always find time for self-care!
Kelly King
LMT
My goal as a massage therapist is to meet each client where they are on any given day. I specialize in therapeutic massage for anxiety/stress relief, preventative care and gentle pain management. I customize each massage to address my clients' current needs, utilizing a variety of modalities including but not limited to: Myofascial Release, Lomilomi, orthopedic techniques and Swedish massage. If a client is more comfortable remaining fully clothed for any reason, I am happy to customize their massage to accommodation. I'm also a Manual Lymphatic Drainage practitioner(MLD -Vodder Method).
My philosophy is that massage does not need to be painful in order to be effective and I aim to provide a safe, non-judgemental space for all. While the cornerstones of my practice are anxiety/stress reduction and pain management, my focus also includes the use of massage as a compliment to mental health care and LGBTQ health concerns. For example, I have training in massage for voice & speech, scar tissue work, MLD and knowledge about mental health through both continuing education and my current college course studies.
Outside of massage, I am a college student studying pottery and psychology, as well as a mom and grandmother. As a life long learner, I enjoy reading for pleasure, taking continue education classes to improve my massage skills, and intend to continue one day earn a master's degree.
Laura Dostaler
LMT
Laura started receiving massages while pregnant with her second child after some personal difficulties. It had such a powerful impact on her physical and emotional well being she decided to dedicate herself to helping others feel their best, especially mothers-to-be. Clients describe her work as deeply relaxing with specific work in the areas that need it most. Laura’s understanding of the needs of both pregnant women and new mothers helps shape her approach. From after-delivery body massages to offering guidance on the best massage technique for lower back pain in pregnant women, Laura is on hand to help each and every one of her clients.
She graduated at the top of the class from Branford Hall Career Institute in 2012. In addition to her clients, she also obsesses over family, friends, music, art, books, and gardening.
Laura Chionchio
LMT
Laura is a graduate of the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy and a member of the American Massage Therapy Association. She is licensed in Connecticut and has been practicing since 2016.
Laura enjoys helping her clients work through tension and holding patterns, by taking a holistic approach to massage therapy and customizing each session based on the individual's needs. She is experienced in Swedish relaxation, deep tissue, stretching, and myofascial release, and often utilizes a variety of these techniques to help increase mobility and decrease pain and dysfunction. Laura's sessions are customized to provide a highly therapeutic experience.
In her spare time, Laura enjoys staying active and enjoying the outdoors through hiking, cycling and running. She is passionate about food and nutrition and loves to spend time cooking and creating new and healthy recipes.
Kasandy Mendiola-Gordillo
LMT
Kasandy is a licensed massage therapist with a passion for the healing arts. She discovered massage therapy as a means for her own inner healing and has since honed her craft.
Kasandy is dedicated to providing intentional and personalized care to her clients, always striving to meet their individual needs. Whether that’s releasing stress, anxiety or pain management, she uses a variety of techniques, from stretching to myofascial release and gua sha. She is also currently undergoing doula training to expand her birth work practice. She values the opportunity to work in this space and is committed to creating a safe and comfortable environment for all. She truly believes in holistic medicine and somatic practices.
Jennifer Zeidler
LMT
My interest in massage started very young. I would often rub and poke at my mom’s hands and wonder what I was feeling. I had so much natural curiosity about how the body was made up that eventually, she bought me a set of musculoskeletal flash cards. This was, unbeknownst to me at the time, the launching point of my path in life.
That instinctive curiosity carried me into a physical therapy program in college, but it didn’t feel like home to me. I turned to CCMT for massage therapy and completely fell in love. Because of my education history, I do approach massage with a clinical-leaning mindset. Over the last ten years of practice, I’ve weaved my knowledge and experience into a mixture of relaxation, sports, deep tissue, trigger-point, and orthopedic massage to create a customized session based on my client’s individual needs. Every massage is different, but my goals are always the same: to really listen to what you have to tell me and what your muscles have to tell me, and then guide your body toward fixing problem areas, increasing overall mobility, and improving your general well-being. I take into account my client’s daily lives and routines and their goals for the session to make sure you leave feeling and moving better than when you came in.
Shikaira Catchings
LMT
As a graduate of the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy, Shikaira has been a licensed massage therapist since 2015. Shikaira is a gifted, versatile therapist who is also certified in cupping and provides in-depth stretch sessions. Shikaira believes in tailoring each session to create a safe and comfortable space for each client's specific needs.
Sherry Thomas
LMT
Practicing the art and science of massage therapy has been the best decision I ever made. I love sharing my passion with my clients. Most women are so busy being caretakers that we put ourselves on the back burner. My mission is to address burnout so you can get back out there and do what you do best! I will work with you to create an individualized treatment plan to facilitate your healing and relaxation goals. I am a 2018 graduate of The Connecticut Center of Massage Therapy. I’ve kept up with continuing education in “Mother Massage”, “Deep Tissue – No Thumbs”, “Table Thai”, “Cranial Sacral Therapy”, Oncology, Arthritis, lower back pain, and more. My massage style is investigative - searching for those spots that need attention, and utilizing multiple techniques to address your needs. I look forward to working with you! Besides massage, my other favorite things are my family, my dogs, and the outdoors.
Nella Klos
LMT
I am passionate about holistic healing and exploring the mind-body connection. I approach life with curiosity and an open mind, which is reflected in my style of massage. My goal is to provide deeply intentional care to my client through relaxing pain management massage, affecting both physical and emotional changes. Massage therapy has been a guiding force in my journey of connecting with myself, the world around me and my clients. I look forward to expanding my lens as I continue to study holistic medicine.
Kayla Corey
LMT
Hello! I'm Kayla, a twin mom of two beautiful girls and a friendly face at the front desk. I'm excited to welcome you with a smile at The Well!