Meet Rachel, one of our Therapists

Hi, I am Rachel Bunce. I live in Mattawan, Michigan. My husband and I, along with our eight year old son, have a small hobby farm. In my spare time, I enjoy riding our horses.

I am a certified massage therapists and received my training at the Kalamazoo Center of Healing Arts. My training includes 600 hours in Swedish / relaxation massage, pregnancy massage, geriatric massage, chair massage, sports massage, reflexology, polarity therapy, acupressure, cranial sacral therapy, and myofascial release. I have also trained in hot stone massage.

Besides working at Castle in the Country as a massage therapist, I also work for Dr. Kayla Ranger-Dean, a chiropractor at Mattawan Chiropractic Clinic. Also, the school that I attended, contracts me to give massage to hospice clients. Other experience that has helped me in my massage therapy is that years ago, I was a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). My nursing has helped me with a true understanding of the anatomy of the body.

My purpose in massage is to provide each and every client with a safe and comforting environment. At the same time, being a guide for their bodies to receive therapeutic in relaxation massage. I hope the massage you receive at the Castle in the Country is a memorable part of your vacation.

Meet Erin, one of our Therapists

My name is Erin Little, and I received my massage training and certification through the Kalamazoo Center for the Healing Arts. I have also acquired training through the Dr. Upledger institute for CranioSacral Therapy. This specialty massage involves light touch to manipulate the central nervous system (CNS), relieve restrictions, and improve overall function. It has been known to assist with chronic neck and back pain, migraines, TMJ, spinal cord injuries, fibromyalgia and much more.

Outside of my involvement here at Castle in the Country, I provide massage services at Core Chiropractic Studio & Wellness Center in Portage. I am the sole massage therapist at the practice, and I have the pleasure of working with a successful, knowledgeable wellness doctor whose philosophies and values on healing are similar to mine.

I believe that the body is extremely sophisticated and has the ability to heal itself naturally. When the body does not function as it should due to stresses, illness or disease, massage therapy can assist in healing by increasing bloodflow and joint flexibility, decreasing pain, suppressing anxiety and depression, enhancing immunity, and eliminating toxins, among other benefits. I have enormous faith in massage for its countless benefits and its ability to work with the body’s natural process toward ultimate healing.

Don't put that in your mouth-you don't know where its been!

Here at Castle in the Country, our approach to food has always been focused on using fresh and whole ingredients. This is rooted in a belief that the less processed ingredients are, the better their flavor and nutritional value. The price we pay for the convenience of cooking out of boxes, cans, or the freezer is that our food often tastes bland and artificial, it has had much of the nutrition stripped away, and it is more expensive than the real thing. This has been our thinking since the late 70s, when concerns for global starvation lead me to study overall food distribution and consumption. Frances Moore Lappé and her continuing work in this area is a great influence, see more about this at http://www.smallplanet.org/ .

Well, I have had been re-thinking and refreshing this approach of late, especially in the last couple of weeks. The price of convenience is higher than I had thought, and just because it is fresh and whole, it doesn't mean it is the best thing for us to use. I have been reading about the benefits of eating local foods. I would recommend the book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver or go to http://100milediet.org/ . Almost anything on our dinner (or breakfast) plate has at least 1500 miles on it. This also reduces the food value and flavor and increases the costs. For example, the fresh fruit we serve: Shipped in from South America or California.

With this in mind, I will be visiting two local Farmers Markets today, to get some fresh and local ingredients and to meet some local food providers. I am looking for local, in-season, organic ingredients and the good people that provide them. I would like to know where our food ingredients come from in order to assure our guests they are not being fed unknown additives. While the up-front cost of these ingredients may be slightly higher, I am convinced the overall cost is much lower. My hope is that the quality of our food gets even better.

I invite your comments as we begin this mission to be more local and more organic.