Donna has been a massage practitioner for 13 years, having graduated from the Brian Utting School of Massage in 1996.  She chose this school because of it's nationally recognized reputation and it's cirriculum focused on treatment massage.  Since graduating from massage school she has spent time working as an employee at a massage clinic and a year at the Salish Lodge and Spa.  She has had her own practice since graduation, dedicating herself to it full time in 1999.  She is co-owner of Park Lane Wellness Center, located in downtown Kirkland, where she has a full time practice.

Massage specialties include Deep Tissue Massage and Craniosacral Therapy.  Other modalies utilized are neuromuscular re-education, trigger point release, fascial release, somatics, relaxation massage and aromatherapy.  Donna is currently studying Reiki and is currently a level 2 Reiki practitioner. 

Her approach to body work is as a listener and problem solver.  Pursuing education in a variety of techniques and modalities has given her the ability to personalize each session based on the needs of each client.  After many years of massage, palpation skills get very heightened which has enabled her to detect subtleties in tissue condition and energy flow.  Training in cranial sacral therapy has increased her perception and she has incorporated this philosophy into her work but finds it especially applicable where deeper tissue techniques may be too invasive. 

Donna is an insurance provide with most insurance plans including Premera, Group Health, Aetna, Cigna, Uniform United Healthcare, Pacificare and First Choice.  She also accepts claims for L & I (workmans compensation) and PIP (motor vehicle accident insurance). 

Donna is co-owner of Park Lane Wellness Center www.parklanewellnesscenter.com located in the heart of downtown Kirkland at 143 Park Lane Suite 204.  She formed the center in January 2003 with fellow massage practitioner Denise Ragnone after taking over the lease on the suite of 6 offices they had been renting in since 1999.  The center is a cooperative of independent wellness practitioners who rent space in the center and come together for promotions and to make decisions about the direction of the wellness center.  The center currently offers massage therapy, craniosacral therapy, energy balancing, acupuncture and skin care therapy.  The center occasionally hosts art shows and was recently featured in an article in the local Kirkland Courier newspaper for its uniqueness as a healing center and art space.

As an educator, Donna has been a technique evaluation instructor at her massage school, has taught a massage class for couples at her local community center and more recently designed and is teaching a Body Mechanics for Gardeners class.  She has experience in corporate training, having designed and implemented manufacturing and procedural changes.  She spends time with her clients, educating them about the importance of proper body mechanics,posture and stress management.

A long time resident of the Seattle area, Donna moved to Kirkland with her family in 1966 from Salt Lake City Utah.  After graduating from Juanita High School in 1973 she spent the next few years in various jobs including selling tropical fish, birds and spiders at a local pet store and filing and typing at Children's Hospital in Seattle.  In 1976 she quit her hospital job and enrolled in community college where she spent the next 2 years studying music, art, philosophy and science.  After college she re-entered the work force and in 1981 was hired by a local medical device manufacturer where she spent the next 14 years.  She held a variety of positions at the company working her way from stock clerk to supervisor.  She had remained in school part time over the years, taking night classes in photography, math, history and creative writing as she contemplated getting her 4 year degree.

A change of careers occurred when the company she was working for had an economic slowdown and went through a large layoff.  Though Donna was not part of the initial layoff it did initiate some soul searching.  She knew she was ready for a drastic change and was ready for her life's work to be more consistent with her nurturing creative nature.  The decision to go to massage school was a long process and involved research into the local schools, interviewing people already in the field and thinking how the change would affect her economically as she had just purchased her first home.  After 2 years and lots of manuevering she managed to be included in the last of the layoffs and was able to use her severence to pay for massage school. 

The career change had a mushrooming affect.  After leaving her corporate job and coming down from many years of stress, Donna found other passions buried under all of the chatter.  The first was a passion for art.  She had always been involved in something artistic but had never thought about painting.  She was hooked after being given a watercolor starter set by a friend.  She filled the free time while she was building her massage practice with learning all about water and pigment and then began to take some classes.  Her interest expanded and she began to learn mono printing and block printing as well.  Before too long she was selling some of her paintings and prints, mainly from her home but also a few at a local gallery.  At this same time she was also getting involved in remodeling her house learning all about power tools and before she knew it she had remodeled the kitchen, scraped the popcorn ceiling and put in all new doors.  She was also getting involved in her garden, a small plot of land around her town home.  Before she knew it she had developed a passion for remodeling and gardening and was surrounded by lush plantings of flowers and bushes and trees. 

Currently Donna is living in Snohomish, having moved there in 2005.  She is busy remodeling her house and is still operating her primary massage practice from Park Lane Wellness Center in Kirkland.  In January 2008 Donna opened a new massage space adjacent to her home and is practicing massage there on a limited basis.  She is also an avid gardener and is involved with the Seattle Tilth Organization as a volunteer and has graduated from their Comprehensive Organic Gardener course and is now studying permaculture.

Donna has also recently become involved in study courses with the Northwest Earth Institute, where she is learning about ways to live a more sustainable life by growing more food, buying from local growers and farmers and creating less waste.  New projects for the coming year of 2008 include water collection, permeable landscaping (hoping to tear up that asphalt driveway)and continuing on with her project of planting an edible landscape for herself, her family and friends and the local wildlife.