Thomas Westran
Thomas has lived most of his life in the Portland, Oregon metro area, primarily Hillsboro and Beaverton. In 1991 he met Kate, his life partner and together they were involved in a serious automobile accident. The recovery process led them to seek massage at the suggestion of their physical therapist. When massage helped both of them with their recovery Kate started massage school. Thomas was working in the aircraft industry. With two very busy lives he found that he could take a Saturday massage class so that he could spend the day with her. Finding a skill for massage, it quickly became a passion.
He never expected to make a career of massage, but shortly upon licensing as an LMT, an economic downturn hit the machining industry. He and Kate took this opportunity to open Of Earth & Air in 2001. He has advanced training in working with people to help them recover from their injuries and control their pain. His skills working with injuries as diverse as headaches, whiplash, and surgical recovery has led to the most satisfying phase in his life so far.
Kate Westran
Kate also grew up in western Washington County. Due to a hereditary family medical condition she developed an early interest in health and nutrition. This interest was considerably expanded during time spent in Germany during her 1st marriage. There she was exposed to the European health model, which made a much wider use of herbs and alternative medicine. In 1991 she met Thomas, 6 months or so later They were involved in a life changing auto accident. The recovery process included massage after her physical therapist told her that “The only thing that is helping is the 10 minutes of massage I’m doing and I’m limited to 10 minutes.” This had such an impact that she decided to attend massage school. Licensing as an LMT in 1999 she was doing massage in a small herb shop. A subsequent accident severely limited her massage practice, she currently does only craniosacral work and reiki along with the double therapist sessions. When the shop owner was hit with a serious ailment Kate held the clearance sale for the shop. At the last minute, at the urging of customers, she and Thomas opened Of Earth & Air with her as the resident herbalist. Her ability to interact with customers and her huge store of herbal knowledge has enabled her to educate the community about herbs and alternative health practices.