Meet Ricardo Vieira | Licensed Massage Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ricardo Vieira and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ricardo, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Well, when I think about work, I can’t disconnect it from having a purpose in life. Looking back, I believe that almost all the work I’ve done has been trying to make people feel better.
So, I really believe that this was the strongest motivation for me to choose my job.
But thinking about the process of starting my own business was choosing not to work for someone else; I was really tired of working for others, and depending on them to have a job or not – that was the crux of starting my own business: I wanted to make my own hours, work with people I wanted to work with, and do my own thing. what I believe I do best: helping people to find well-being through a balanced body, without limitations or pain.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am a massage therapist passionate about what I do – I firmly believe that everyone can improve their quality of life through a relaxed and balanced body without limitations. Pain limits you, it doesn’t allow you to live well, work properly, have restful sleep. I offer my clients a high-quality massage, starting with understanding what is causing their pain and discomfort, to focus my work on alleviating or completely solving their complaints. But not all my clients know that before becoming a massage therapist, I was an actor. I did a Theater School in Brazil, and for most of my life I worked on and off stage – I did plays, musical theater and was also a drama teacher. I never wanted to be famous, my intention was to make people’s lives be transformed by my art, or for my students to discover more about themselves during classes. The most valuable feedback I received was when someone said to me: thank you for your work, I will never forget it.
Then I got tired of the entertainment industry, people were trying to get more followers on social media, because producers were looking for influencers and not talented people. This was the opposite of what I always believed in art. That’s when my younger sister told me: why don’t you go study acupuncture? She knew that I loved acupuncture and enjoyed giving massages when someone in my family was in pain.
So, I went to an acupuncture school in Brazil and fell in love with everything. I fell in love with all the ancient teachings of Eastern medicine and became obsessed with the human body. But a lot of people are afraid of needles, so I decided to go to a Japanese school to learn shiatsu massage and started a path of no return. I built a solid career as a massage therapist in Brazil and a solid clientele. Now the best feedback I can get from a client after a session is: thank you for your work, I feel so much better!
Two and a half years ago I moved to Houston, I got my massage therapist license – which was a challenge having to learn anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, all in English – but it was definitely a great achievement in my career.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I really enjoy the city of Houston; I think there are a lot of places to visit and things to do. Whenever I have a day off, I love going to the museums and spend the whole day there – Museum of Fine Arts, those three buildings are amazing, the Museum of Natural Science is very cool, the Holocaust Museum is pure poetry, it makes me cry and sigh at the same time, it’s a place that make me thing about History and the Human Nature.
Regardless of your religion, it is worth visiting the Rothko Chapel, a beautiful and silent place and take the opportunity to take a walk through the squares and buildings of Menil Collection. By the way Hoston has wonderful parks to visit.
If you like animals you have to visit Friends for Life Animal Shelter, they have an amazing program saving animals, and if you want you can be a volunteer there. I was a volunteer when I first moved to Houston and that’s where I met our cat Pogo and we decided to adopt him.
On Sundays, you will probably find me getting a brunch at Urban Eats, on Washington Avenue – the best brunch in town! As I miss the Brazilian pizza, sometimes I like to go on Bollo or Piola, they have very nice pizza there. And one of my favorites restaurants in town is North Italia, I love the food, the vibe.
It’s always worth checking what’s on at the Hobby Theater, or on the other amazing theaters in town.
And if you have kids, or if you’re looking for some touristic vibe, the Kemah Boardwalk is a nice place to go.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I certainly have a lot to thank my family, my beloved parents Mari and Ivalmo who gave me support, love and taught me to love and respect the others, my beautiful sisters Renata and Raquel who are always there when I need it, and my husband Daniel, I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without him.

Website: www.rvtherapeuticmassage.com

Instagram: @rvtherapeuticmassage

Image Credits
Caio Gallucci and myself