WCCMT class of 16J graduate Justin Yang knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur and in April 2018 that dream came true. Yang opened PRE-Therapy on Boundary Road and Canada Way in Burnaby and brought on board 7 other WCCMT grads.
This wasn’t always Yang’s big dream however. Before becoming a WCCMT student, he was studying criminology at SFU but wasn’t finding any passion for it. After receiving registered massage therapy for lower back pain and powerlifting injuries he realized that becoming an RMT was in fact what he wanted to do.
“Not only did it facilitate healing,” he said, “it also lined up with my active lifestyle!”
PRE-Therapy is focused around a culture of wanting to better the craft, changing perception, and engaging in a community of people with similar active lifestyles.
Yang believes that it’s important for RMT’s to push themselves to adapt to new research and find better ways to get patients to a truly pain-free lifestyle. PRE-Therapy practitioners treat with what he calls a “predictive maintenance mindset”. To help with patient education, PRE-Therapy practitioners are active on social media, sharing easy modality drills on Facebook and Instagram for people to do at home.
“A lot of people wait for pain, but our goal is to get them out of pain and give patients tools to stay out of pain.”
Overall, PRE-Therapy aims for a “cool athletic vibe”, and looks to challenge the stereotypical health care industry look.
“I was worried that my tattoos would affect my ability to work but people have been very accepting!”
Now PRE-Therapy is expanding! After only a year, a second location is coming to Kitsilano on Burrard and West 4th.
Besides a host of benefits such as dental, Yang plans on hosting monthly workshops at PRE-Therapy locations and everyone in the industry is invited!
“The goal is to change RMT perception as a whole and start that conversation together.”
