Alla Mia Basaldua
Alla Mia Basaldua is a CEO, educator, and long-time professional in the field of massage therapy based in Capitola, California. She is the owner and operator of the American Institute of Medical Massage, where she oversees school operations, curriculum development, instruction, and administrative functions. With a business background and extensive hands-on experience, she combines leadership and education in managing a medical massage school and practice.
With over five decades of experience in massage therapy, her career began under the mentorship of her mother, a shiatsu master trained in the Namikoshi tradition from Japan. She initially worked within her mother’s school, helping expand it to multiple campuses in Central California before establishing her own independent institution. Her work has included teaching, school administration, accreditation evaluation, and curriculum design, including the development of a 960-hour medical massage program focused on pain management and therapeutic outcomes.
In addition to her educational and executive roles, she has served as an accreditation examiner and has contributed to professional standards within the field. Her areas of specialization include medical massage, shiatsu, Swedish massage, aromatherapy, and accreditation processes. She is also the developer of a massage modality called Petra-Atsu, which is being trademarked and marketed, reflecting her continued focus on innovation within therapeutic bodywork and clinical massage education.
• Fresno Pacific University - B.A.
• Best Massage School (Google Reviews, 2020)
• Best of Santa Cruz (Good Times publication)
• American Massage Therapy Association
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to tenacity and perseverance. I’ve learned to stay committed to my goals and continue pushing forward, even after setbacks and failures, rather than allowing them to deter me.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I can offer is to follow your dreams. While I cannot recall a specific piece of advice that stood out to me in the past, I strongly agree with the idea that staying true to your passions and pursuing what genuinely motivates you is key to long-term fulfillment and success.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering my industry is to follow your dreams. Staying true to your goals and pursuing what genuinely inspires you will help you remain motivated and resilient as you build your career.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field involve navigating evolving regulations around scope of practice, particularly in relation to treating specific conditions, as well as ongoing tensions with physical therapy associations regarding how massage therapy is defined and communicated. At the same time, there are meaningful opportunities to elevate the profession through continued education, clearer standards, and greater public awareness of the benefits of therapeutic bodywork, while also emphasizing the importance for practitioners to regularly receive massage themselves to maintain their own health and effectiveness.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are professionalism, integrity, and respect for scope of practice, especially within the context of ongoing regulatory challenges and the tension with physical therapy associations around how massage therapy can be described. I also value advocating for the legitimacy of medical massage in addressing pain and clinical concerns, while maintaining clear, ethical communication about what is within my professional role.