Hidden Gems: Meet Michelle Mercier of Santa Monica Sports Massage

Michelle Mercier

Hi! My name is Michelle Mercier. I am a manual therapist and the founder of Santa Monica Sports Massage in West LA. We are dedicated to helping people move more freely in the activities they love through sports massage. Whether it’s training for a triathlon, or caring for a new child, we help people to feel better in their every day movements.

I was born and raised in East LA. From early on, I played YMCA basketball and also for my high school team. Playing team sports was not only a great way for my parents to keep me busy, but it also taught me the importance of discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

I traveled a bit after high school: I worked as an au pair in Ireland and I interned on a farm near Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 2011, I graduated from the Academy of Somatic Healing Arts, a manual therapy school in Norcross, Georgia. They taught a clinical approach to massage, a way to help fix and prevent injuries.  As an athlete myself, this was something I completely resonated with. Since then, I have received certifications in neuromuscular therapy and sports massage, as well as a degree in Community Health Education from CSULB.

When I’m not working, I love going on surf trips up and down the coast with my family. I no longer play basketball (although I still have a mean jump shot), but I love camping, hiking, and ocean swimming. I’m also involved with an organization called CASA of Los Angeles; we volunteer to work one-on-one with foster youth in the welfare and justice systems.

When it comes to my job, I love what I do. I love the personal connections I make when I get to know the people on my table. There’s gratification in being a small part of someone’s ability to go out and crush a tennis tournament, or to play drums onstage without any discomfort. I particularly enjoy working with youth athletes. I’d like to someday create a program that provides sports massage to youth athletes in underserved communities. In the meantime, I’m proud of my recent decision to hire another manual therapist to my team, Jake Wainscott. He’s very good and clients are loving our complementary styles of massage. It’s a small expansion, but with his help, we’re able to see nearly twice as many people now, and I’m really happy about that.

There have been so many challenges along the way. One of the most difficult was having to shut down during the pandemic. I couldn’t go remote for obvious reasons so I took an office job for a while. As someone who is used to working with her hands and having autonomy in my work, it just wasn’t for me. There were moments I doubted the future of massage so, when when the industry got the green light, I was thrilled to get back to business.

We are a small team of two.  Jake and I do the massages, and we’re both certified by the California Massage Therapy Council.  People usually call us because they have some kind of injury or pain that they’re dealing with.  We focus on conditions that interfere with daily living, like sciatica, nerve pain, post-surgery healing, etc. through various sports massage techniques.  We enjoy the problem-solving aspect of these kinds of messages. It’s gratifying when people tell us they’re finally able to return to their sport and that they’re moving better than ever.

Our sessions last between 30 to 90 minutes.  We incorporate different sports massage techniques, deep tissue, neuromuscular therapy, and laser light treatment (which aids in inflammation and shortening the time between onset of injury to healing).  We also use Graston instruments, cups, and a forearm device that Jake and his company developed that allows manual therapists to directly apply heat while working the tissue.  It’s amazing!

We never go on “auto-pilot”.  We take thorough notes after each session.  We document our techniques, application, and progress from sessions, including patient preferences and important information about health history.  The notes are helpful for when clients alternate between seeing Jake and myself – which many do. They’re also extremely helpful in understanding where we need to work in the next session.

One thing that sets us apart is we offer a way for people to get reimbursed for their massage sessions with us from their health insurance companies.  Anyone, with or without insurance, can come in and pay for a massage with us.  But, many people are realizing that their health insurance plan will sometimes offer reimbursement for manual therapy.


Adaptability.  I learned young to adapt to my surroundings.  I think that quality has helped me push through and face the challenges that I’ve been presented with as a business owner.  It’s the voice inside my head that tells me, “Okay – something isn’t working. Something needs to change.”  I adapt to the situation, usually learn something from it, and keep moving forward.