Rio Grande Valley Region

Upcoming Rio Grande Valley Events

Tonia Esparza

Tonia Esparza was born in Rhode Island. In 2007, she found her way to the Rio Grande Valley after completing an Occupational Therapy Assistant Certificate program at Houston, Texas. Tonia has been practicing the John F. Barnes Myofascial Release Approach since 2012. She received her massage therapy license in 2013 to further her practice in Myofascial Release. She has taken multiple John F. Barnes courses and trained in his treatment facilities to increase her understanding, awareness, and techniques.

As a licensed massage therapist, Tonia has been able to impact the lives of many individuals in the Rio Grande Valley. Reconnection Myofascial Release & Wellness was formed with the GOAL of using the Myofascial Release Approach to help individuals recuperate their active and healthy lifestyle by relieving pain, tension, and stress.        

In 2019 Tonia studied The Arvigo® Techniques that have been use in traditional healing, modern medicine, and wisdom to provide holistic path to increase health and well-being for women, men, children, and adolescents.

Jacklyn Naranjo

My name is Jacklyn Naranjo but everyone calls me Jackie, I am a licensed massage therapist in the  Rio Grande Valley where I was born and raised. I am a mother of three wonderful children and a grandmother of two beautiful grandbabies. I spend my spare time with my family and friends as well as going to the gym and shopping. My interest in massage therapy began in 2009 although life took me in a different direction, I found my way back to massage therapy and love the work I do. My passion/specialization is in the rehabilitative aspect of massage therapy. I take joy in witnessing the positive results in my clients that once were in constant pain while performing the simplest tasks such as walking to now pain free. It is that passion and joy that pushed me to get a certification as a stretching and flexibility coach to better help my clients. I’m glad to see how much the massage therapy industry has grown and I’m excited to see massage therapy continue to thrive as I continue to study and learn more ways to better assist my current and future clients. I look forward to being a part of the AMTA team.

Daniela Ruiz

Hello Everyone! My name is Daniela Ruiz and I am absolutely obsessed with helping others. My sense of nurturing started as a child, from trying to save injured butterflies (as hopeless as it was)to secretly housing chickens inside my bedroom because I couldn’t bare see them out in stormy weather. My need to help later shifted towards people and here I am, in love with the trade and consumed by the fact that we CAN heal one another!  What an honor to be a part of the AMTA team!

Leslie Salas

Hello! My name is Leslie Salas, and I was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. My family has served as the biggest inspiration to my practice. Without them and my partner of 7 years, I would not be where I am today. 

      As a licensed massage therapist with nearly 5 years of experience, I pride myself in client/patient centered care. I specialize in therapeutic massage, and have been working specifically with veterans for a little over a year. I have a passion for helping alleviate people’s pain using the skills and knowledge I have acquired over the years. 

       In my free time, I am a homebody who enjoys spending time with my partner and pets (a dog named Korra and a cat named Pabu). Being an introvert has led me to hobbies such as crocheting, painting, and learning Japanese. I am also quite the movie and show enthusiast! I look forward to building community within my industry thanks to AMTA.