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The Zubio story is one of those perfect storm convergences.
In this case the critical elements that came together
were the Messenger, the Method, and the Maestro.
The Messenger
For 27 years David Palmer has been on a mission
to make massage accessible to the masses. On a personal
level, receiving massage had helped him overcome a
debilitating stress-related condition called "torticolis,"
or stiff neck syndrome, that had become chronic during
his early twenties. The impact of regular massage
led him to become a massage practitioner and eventually
to purchase the school of Japanese massage that he
trained at in San Francisco.
As a school owner, David realized that
while most people have an instinctive understanding
of the value of massage, they did not perceive it
to be within their reach. It was too expensive and
inconvenient to incorporate it into their lives.
The Method
In 1982, David began experimenting with moving massage
techniques off the table and onto the chair.
Traditional Japanese massage turned
out to be the ideal modality for working on seated
clients. It requires no oils, so it could be done
through the clothing with no modification. In addition,
it is based on the 5,000 year old Chinese tradition
of acupressure points which, when activated, provide
the most efficient way to offer the positive effects
of massage.
From his martial arts teacher, Haruyoshi
Ito, David borrowed the concept of "Kata"
and developed highly choreographed sequences of acupressure
points and Japanese techniques that could be taught
to and reproduced by professional massage practitioners.
This approach, refined over the past 20 years, means
that Zubio remains the only massage business that
can guarantee a consistent, high quality experience,
no matter which Specialist provides the massage.
Finally, David developed a solution
for comfortably supporting customers in a face-down,
seated position and patented the first chair for professional
seated massage.
In 1986, with all of the tools in place,
David spent the next twenty years running a professional
association and training over 11,000 table massage
professionals in the techniques of chair massage.
The Maestro
Sam Keller came into David's life in August 2004.
Sam saw the fragmented, emerging chair massage services
industry as ripe for elevation to a new level of professionalism,
branding and credibility.
Sam sought out David because he was
the recognized "father" of the contemporary
chair massage industry, David recognized in Sam a
new breed of entrepreneur whose ambition was to use
the tools of business to make a positive difference
in the world.
After searching 25-years for a smart,
determined, principled business partner to realize
his dream of providing massage to the masses, David
knew Sam was the man.
The perfect storm had converged, Zubio
was born, and the next chapter in the history of chair
massage is now unfolding.
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