A Bit of Our History:
My history began in the very small town of Aynor, South Carolina, I came with my family to live in Charlotte when I was six years old. They moved us here because the public schools had begun to integrate blind students, and they did not want me to be sent to an institution for the blind. In junior high and high school, I participated and excelled in wrestling and beepball, a version of baseball for the blind. During this time, I also began to train to run the Olympic Torch for the 1984 Olympics. This was when I first realized the benefits of massage.
Young Ricky Prevatte holding Olympic torch that he ran for the 1984 Olympics.
It wasn’t long after that, I began training for a career in massage. I launched out on my massage practice immediately after high school and now have over thirty years of experience in massage therapy, consequently making me one of the longest practicing therapists in the Charlotte area.
Other interests while growing up were fishing, camping, water skiing and music. These have remained hobbies into my adulthood, and I now share these with my wife of 20 years, Wendy and our 12-year-old son, Aaron.
Over the past four years, I have had the pleasure of mentoring other blind massage therapists throughout the United States. One of the advantages of being an “old-timer” in the field is being able to share the experiences of what is and isn’t blind accessible so that other blind therapists may, too, have their own practice. It is my hope to enter the education field to share practice building methods.
Medical Massage:
I strive to remain on the cutting edge of the massage, having completed a 500-hour course in massage and structural body work in 2006. In the past eight years I have solely focused my efforts on medically-based results. I have begun to work much more closely with area doctors as they have embraced the results of my therapy, therefore, referring to me regularly. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Blake Prelipp, Dr. Jill E. Thompson, Dr. Heather Walters and Dr. Anthony Walker for their help, advice and feedback during my transition into medical massage. With medically proven results, I believe Ricky Prevatte Massage can make the difference in your life.
So now know the “history” behind us here at Ricky Prevatte Massage. I have more experience than most, but I prefer to give the glory to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am totally blind from birth, but have been given a sense of touch that has afforded me a means to make an honest living and to help others in the process. I love what I do. We encourage you to contact us with any questions or comments.