Meet Dina Robitaille of Vox Bodyworks in Cherry Creek/Wash Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dina Robitaille.

Dina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to help. I brought home every stray in the neighborhood, I stood up for the kid who got bullied…helping has always been in my DNA.

I tried to find a career that would allow me to help others, and all of them seemed to be unsatisfying for one reason or another, and I would eventually burn out, leaving to seek out something more meaningful. Around age 24 I found the world of physical fitness. I got involved in personal training and my first job out of school was teaching “functional fitness bootcamps,” within a physical therapy office. During my time there, working with the movement therapists and physical therapists I fell in love with corrective exercise and rehab. It isn’t a particularly ‘sexy’ subset of the personal training world, but for me it was so incredibly exciting to watch a client’s movement patterns and ability to do life change for the better! As I continued on my own fitness journey I got really injured in my hips, knees and shoulders, and that is how I ended up receiving bodywork for the first time.

After a year of experiencing Certified Fascial Stretch Therapy, (FST), and observing the life changing benefits in my own body, I decided to attend the Stretch To Win Institute in Arizona. I got to learn directly from the creator, Ann Frederick and my life changed forever. I completely fell in love with hands-on bodywork. Within a few months, I decided to branch out on my own to open what was then Vox Fit Denver. I taught my own fitness programming to groups and offered stretch therapy to my clients along with personal training. Within six months, FST completely took over my practice. I closed down the personal training and bootcamps and opened my first practice, which focused on combining FST and functional movement-based corrective exercise.

It took OFF! Within two years I realized that I wanted to be able to offer more for my clients, and I decided to pursue massage therapy as another modality to expand my skill set. I attended the Berkana Institute of Massage Therapy and got to work directly with Jill Berkana, the director and founder of the school. That education gave me the confidence and tools to follow my intuition as a practitioner. My practice continued to grow and change over the years, and most recently my practice has been enriched by what I consider the cornerstone of my practice, Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT). Two years ago I began studying and incorporating this amazing technique. I had the great gift of being able to learn from the creator, David Weinstock at my level I and II training.

My path has been winding and sometimes has seemed random in nature. I list my teachers here because they are all an integral part of how I ended up here. Without them I would probably still be teaching bootcamps for someone else, or I may have changed careers altogether. I am extremely grateful for the knowledge that has been shared with me over the years. My teachers have made such an impact, not only on my life but the lives of every client who walks through my door.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I believe that my steps have been guided by a powerful force. Whatever you want to call it “Source, Universe, Serendipity or Luck,” I find the path upon which I stumbled into this work more than just coincidence. For every job that didn’t work out, for every boss who told me I couldn’t incorporate my ideas, for every location that didn’t work out…every time things didn’t go right, I decided to go Left. And, that is what guided me right here…right now. So, I am not sure that I would say I have had struggles, but more so that I have had nudges to choose a different direction. For that, I am pretty grateful.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Vox Bodyworks story. Tell us more about the business.
Vox Bodyworks is a bodywork studio where we are focused on the healing process. Although we don’t offer couples massages or spa treatments, we are a place where you can be “Met Where You Are.” I am a survivor of childhood trauma. I was abused as a young child and mindful bodywork was a powerful part of my healing process. It helped my body to find it’s voice, and my goal with every client is to help them feel at home in their body again, just as I learned to. My practice is dedicated to serving each client with a fresh set of eyes. There is no “one size fits all,” approach. Whether the wound is physical or emotional, a car accident, domestic abuse, a run in with a tree on the slopes or a sexual violation, our goal is to help you to process how that is experienced in your body.

The practice is known for being so much more than a massage. That is what I hear from my clients most often. Because of the wide range of tools that our therapists possess, the process ceases to be something that is done ‘to’ you and is something that is done ‘with’ you. Each client is always fully in the driver’s seat. That is why the work we do feels so different.

Certified Fascial Stretch Therapy is a pain free technique where the client is fully clothed. It is non-invasive and pain free. This offering brings relief for many where massage has failed in the past. It focuses on calming the nervous system and soothing the joints and connective tissue. For those who struggle with the vulnerability of massage and seek more autonomy in their therapy this can be a great choice!

Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT) is the missing link when it comes to chronic pain and injury for many! Often, clients come to the office with an injury that has no obvious cause. Many times an MRI or other imaging shows no ‘hardware,’ damage to the muscle, joints, or ligaments. Their pain is a mystery, and no other therapeutic route has been able to explain or relieve their discomfort. NKT allows the therapist to talk directly to the ‘software’ to figure out what dysfunction may be stuck in the nervous system which may be causing the ‘hardware’ to stay stuck in a painful pattern of movement or posture. Once we identify those patterns it allows us to effectively develop a treatment plan that is individual and customized to each client.

What is so wonderful about our practice is that we have this broad range of techniques along with massage, that allows us to meet each client exactly where they are, to provide precisely the combination of tools necessary to work with what they need.

I recently brought on my first team member, Anthony, and I am so pleased that he has the same skill set that my practice was built on. I work closely with him to mentor and collaborate on client care. Each of us brings a unique gift to the bodywork table, and I love that he brings his own magic to the room. Depending on your needs one or the other of us may be a better fit, and we are both committed to helping you find the therapeutic path that’s right for you.