By Steve Hubrecht
Windermere resident Matt Robertson recently launched a new massage business — Robertson Massage Therapy — based in the Valley Fitness Centre (VFC).
For Robertson, the business is another step in putting down roots in a community he’s come to love. He originally grew up on the coast, eventually moved to Vernon, and then Calgary. In 2017 he and his wife Susan came to the valley from Alberta on a camping trip and to visit friends.
“We had an instant attraction to the area,” remembers Robertson. Instant attraction indeed: later the same year, the couple bought a home in Windermere. They continued to live in Alberta, visiting the valley on weekends and vacations. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, they moved here and worked remotely.
“We enjoyed it so much, we didn’t want to go back,” said Robertson. The pandemic has subsided but the couple and the family’s Siberian forest cat Olliver remained in the valley. Robertson has already tweaked his career path a few times, so he decided to tweak it once more: he went back to school and became a registered massage therapist. The change allows him to work face-to-face with people, and help them with their health and wellness goals — something Robertson much prefers to sitting on a computer all day long.
In some ways, becoming a registered massage therapist has brought Robertson’s career full circle. When he was a kid he was active in sports such as volleyball, basketball, and track and field and had several injuries. He was fascinated by the way physiotherapists and other health practitioners helped him heal. It sparked something in him.
“I realized that was what I wanted to do — guide others to help them improve their function. I’d had that help, and I wanted to give it to others,” he said.
Robertson graduated from university with a degree in kinesiology and became a professional kinesiologist, working in clinics with other health practitioners. He ended up assisting ICBC clients with their rehabilitation, and eventually became a Canadian registered safely professional, starting a whole new career.
As a safety pro, Robertson helped organizations big and small make sure their health and safety practices were top notch. It was this work that took Robertson to Vernon, where he met Susan, and then on to Alberta, first in Airdrie, then in Calgary. But now they’ve been full-time valley residents for more than three years and have no intention of ever moving back to Alberta.
“This is the lifestyle we’ve always wanted. It’s incredible here,” said Robertson. The pair spend time skiing, snowboarding, hiking, or out on the lake. Robertson loves every outdoor pursuit, but when you press him to pick an absolute favourite, he’ll tell you it’s a powder day at Panorama Mountain Resort, ripping down the Heli High run.
“You look out from there, and it’s amazing,” he said.
In setting up Robertson Massage Therapy, Robertson has found an open niche in the valley’s health and wellness industry that he wants to fill — he works Fridays through Tuesday, right over the weekend, and he works evenings (until 7 p.m.) each night. He noted it can be hard for active, working valley residents to squeeze massage appointments into the Monday to Friday timeframe, so he wanted to offer something alternative. He’s ICBC approved, and also offers mobile massage services (i.e. he will come to the patient’s home) for those with mobility issues or who might otherwise have trouble accessing appointments. To learn more visit robertsonmt.com.
