Soul to Sole

Maria Butler (Sole Proprietor)

My career in massage began in 1993 when I achieved a Certificate of Relaxation Massage with the Malvern School of Massage and Kinesiology in Melbourne Australia; this is also when I fell in love with massage and the whole concept of complementary therapies for inner health and general well-being. I achieved this certificate while working full time as a banker with National Australia Bank. At that time in my life I was not in a position to leave my job and take up massage full time so I practiced part time on friends and associates.

In 1999 I returned to Ireland to live permanently and initially worked with National Irish Bank in Dublin before securing a job in May '00 with Wexford Credit Union as Assistant Manager. I was delighted to get the opportunity to move back to Wexford and at last finally found that I could really settle at home. A lot of soul searching in 2004/2005 led me to leave my job, take a huge leap of faith, follow my heart and go back to massage and study. I booked onto a massage course, a reflexology course and an enterprise development course, which was designed solely for women. I then set about getting my Australian Massage Certificate recognised by A.R.C.H.T.I the association for registered complementary therapists of Ireland. I was proud to be accepted as a member of this association. In April of this year, 2006, I received a diploma in Holistic Massage from the Kilkenny School of Beauty Therapy, which is I.T.E.C. certified.

I finally felt that I could start up my business. Over the year I have added Hot Stone to my massage skills and I also received a practitioner certificate in Reiki. I am currently approaching the end of a diploma in Reflexology. I am interested in people and their well-being and I believe that I can make a difference. In May of this year 2006 I started to run my business from home. The name I chose, Soul to Sole has come from the soul searching I had to do to reach my decision to change careers at this stage in my life, together with the healing, that I believe can only come from deep within a person’s soul right through the soles of the feet where we all carry the burden of our whole body weight every minute of every day.

Soul to Sole is currently operating as a holistic massage and reiki business and will also include reflexology early next year in 2007. I operate the business from home on a strict ‘appointments only’ basis in order to give all my attention to the client I’m treating, without interruption. Appointments are spaced so there is no overlap and hence no rush, thus the client can take the time needed at the end of a treatment to enjoy the relaxation. The main focus of the business is to provide high quality holistic treatments to people who have a desire to improve their well-being or who just need to take time out for relaxation. A holistic treatment takes in the person as a whole being and each treatment will always take in the needs of the client on the day.

Maria Butler
Soul to Sole
September 06