Bellingham Massage Therapist at Prime Sports Institute
Prime Sports Institute connects you with a licensed massage therapist in downtown Bellingham. Choosing a therapist is personal. This page introduces the person behind the table, explains what a session looks like, and helps you decide whether Prime is the right type of care for your individual needs.
For the full picture of what we offer, start at our Bellingham massage page.
Meet Kerry Gustafson, Founder and Licensed Massage Therapist
Kerry Gustafson is the founder of Prime Sports Institute and works as both an athletic trainer and a licensed massage therapist. She has over 20 years of experience providing health care to patients in physical therapy, high school, Division I athletics, and professional athletics.
That dual background matters. An athletic trainer sees movement patterns and load. A massage therapist feels tissue. Kerry uses her background in sport biomechanics, performance enhancement, movement quality, and muscle imbalances to specialize in all aspects of human performance, which is why her massage practice looks less like a spa hour and more like treatment with a purpose.
Her extensive experience is backed by additional trainings in the Mulligan Concept, Graston M1, Blood Flow Restriction, and Neuromobilization (NOI). At Prime, massage is treated as an important tool for injury recovery and performance, not a luxury add-on.
A Full Range of Massage Techniques
Our licensed massage therapists specialize in a range of massage techniques to address your specific needs, and your therapist chooses what your body needs that day rather than running the same routine on everyone.
Sessions may include deep tissue massage, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, Swedish massage, sports massage, relaxation massage, hot stone massage with soothing hot stones, prenatal massage and pregnancy massage, cupping, neuromuscular techniques, and structural integration sessions.
Deep tissue work reaches the deeper layers of muscles and connective tissue to release the problem areas that surface stretching never touches. When the goal is deep relaxation rather than treatment, a relaxation or hot stone session offers a rejuvenating massage that still follows the same attention to your body. Our sports massage focuses on myofascial release in the deeper layers of muscles to enhance performance and speed recovery.
For the full breakdown of techniques and session lengths, see our Bellingham massage therapy page.
Book With a Bellingham Massage Therapist
Find the Right Therapist for Your Body
Call (360) 922-3120 or schedule online.
Schedule Your Session
What to Expect at Your First Visit
At your first visit, our team takes ample time to understand your needs before any hands-on work begins. We take a holistic approach focused on your overall comfort and nervous system support, whether it's your first massage or your hundredth.
Your comfort is a high priority from start to finish. Your therapist adjusts pressure, pacing, and technique as your body responds, paying close attention to each client's nervous system so that therapeutic sessions feel effective without feeling overwhelming. Clear communication, years of experience, and a skillful touch keep you comfortable throughout, and every massage room experience stays focused on your comfort, movement, and results.
The 90-minute session may include an orthopedic and musculoskeletal evaluation with measurements, detailed techniques for your primary complaints and compensations, plus self-care strategies and a more thorough, customized recovery plan. Those treatment plans carry forward across your massage sessions, so each visit builds on the last.
Conditions Your Massage Therapist Can Help With
Massage therapy work at Prime supports pain relief and injury recovery for a wide range of concerns, including chronic pain, neck tension, back pain, and shoulder issues. Sessions are designed to ease the physical symptoms that come with those concerns, improve range of motion, reduce discomfort, and help you maintain top condition.
Because Prime is a sports medicine clinic, your massage care connects to athletic training, guided recovery, and physical therapy under one roof. If your situation calls for a treatment-focused approach, our Bellingham therapeutic massage and Bellingham medical massage pages cover that care in detail.
Not Sure Kerry Is Your Match?
Prime's team includes several licensed and certified massage practitioners, each with their own specialties, including graduates of the Whatcom Community College Massage Therapy program. Browse our Bellingham massage therapists page to compare approaches and find the right fit.
Come to Prime and find out first-hand why people consistently have said Prime is the best massage they've had in Whatcom County. There's nothing we love more than giving our clients the best experience possible and a positive change in their quality of life.
Visit Your Bellingham Massage Therapist
You will find us at our convenient location, 1704 N. State St. in downtown Bellingham. Clients come to us from Bellingham & Lynden, Lake Whatcom, Sudden Valley, and near Bellis Fair Mall.
For clinic hours, parking, and directions, see our Bellingham massage places page.
Paying for Your Session
Massage therapy is self-pay, and we accept HSA cards. See our Prices for Services page for current massage session rates. Prime can provide a SuperBill for you to submit to your insurance company for out-of-network benefits, though this does not guarantee reimbursement. Contact your insurance provider and request a bill at the time of service if this is of interest to you.