About Us

Chuck LaFrano has been a massage therapist and educator since the late 1980s. 

A graduate of the Chicago School of Massage Therapy (CSMT), he brings nearly four decades of hands-on clinical experience and teaching to his work.

Chuck taught at the 

Wellness & Massage Training Institute (WMTI) for over 

20 years, served as 

Head of the Massage Therapy Team for the 

Chicago Bears for seven seasons, and founded his continuing education school, 

LaFrano Massage Dynamics,

 in 2004. 

He continues to teach and present at health and wellness events and currently offers continuing education through Bodycraft Wellness at 

Rock Valley College in Rockford, IL, and 

SoderWorld Wellness Center in Willowbrook, IL.

His signature classes include 

Scar Tissue Massage 

(with an article published in Massage Magazine in 2001), 

Sports Massage, 

Philosophical Physiology, Floating Joint, 

Tensegrity & Bodywork, and Pressure Sensitivity & Patterns.

Before entering the field of massage therapy, Chuck worked as an accomplished automotive and motorcycle mechanic. His passion for mechanics began in childhood, working alongside his father, a mechanic and gas station owner in 

Riverdale and Palos Park, Illinois. 

Chuck later worked for BMW as a motorcycle mechanic and went on to own his own gas station and auto repair garage.

Chuck earned a 

BA in English Literature with a minor in Music from 

Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His musical background has been a lifelong thread. 

He played upright bass in his first band in 1978, later transitioning to 

electric bass guitar, 

performing across 

jazz, folk, rock, and Motown genres. 

Today, he contributes 

dreamy bass tones 

to conscious meditation music with the band 

Cosmik Giggle.

His sensitivity to movement and structure was further shaped through working with 

horses, training them in dressage—an experience that deepened his awareness of balance, subtle communication, and embodied responsiveness.

In semi-retirement, 

Chuck enjoys riding 

recumbent tricycles, studying and refining bass lines, 

teaching and mentoring, spending life with his wife Karen, 

and still seeing the occasional client.

Karen LaFrano is a massage therapist, educator, and continuing education instructor with over 25 years of clinical experience. 

A graduate of the 

Wellness & Massage Training Institute (WMTI) (1998–2000), she has worked extensively in private practice and interdisciplinary settings alongside physicians, physical therapists, and chiropractors, serving a wide range of clients—from professional athletes to medically fragile children.

Much of Karen’s early practice and advanced study focused on Sports Massage and Structural Bodywork, shaping a clinical approach grounded in assessment, precision, and functional outcomes. 

Since 2004, she has co-taught continuing education courses through 

LaFrano Massage Dynamics, contributing to a teaching lineage that emphasizes intelligent technique, perceptual skill-building, and practitioner sustainability.

Karen’s current teaching focuses on nervous system regulation and its practical application within hands-on work, 

informed by extensive training in somatic awareness and nervous system education. 

Her background also includes yoga teacher training, which supports a nuanced understanding of movement, breath, and embodied awareness as they relate to massage therapy practice.

Within LaFrano Massage Dynamics, Karen’s work supports massage therapists in refining presence, pressure discernment, and professional longevity—integrating structural clarity with embodied listening in ways that are immediately applicable at the table.

 Currently her work focuses on Nervous System Regulation and practical application.  

Self Care Coaching & Consulting 

as well as Cannabis Wellness Education. 

For more information:

www.selfcareinbalance.com