Tim Cowen

  • CA License #: 74362
  • 47

"Living life with an open heart and doing what you love can only manifest great joy!"

About me:
Originally from Boston, I have lived and worked in San Francisco for over 30 years and have been a massage Therapist as long; and starting TLC Massage Therapy in 1993.

I live in the Cole Valley section of San Francisco, a quiet little enclave near the park near UCSF. I am an avid walker and enjoy navigating around SF by Foot when time allows.

The focus in my Massage practice has always been more aligned with preventative, recovery, and maintenance care, specializing in working with Ath...

About me:
Originally from Boston, I have lived and worked in San Francisco for over 30 years and have been a massage Therapist as long; and starting TLC Massage Therapy in 1993.

I live in the Cole Valley section of San Francisco, a quiet little enclave near the park near UCSF. I am an avid walker and enjoy navigating around SF by Foot when time allows.

The focus in my Massage practice has always been more aligned with preventative, recovery, and maintenance care, specializing in working with Athletes and those with neurological disorders and oncology-based Massage.

My Career:
In 1992 I graduated from the San Francisco School of Massage and soon started TLC Massage Therapy; then, in 1997, I became affiliated with the University of California San Francisco by working at the UCSF Fitness centers as a Massage Therapist. In 2005 I became the UCSF Massage Program Manager, and then in 2012 helped to develop the UCSF Inpatient Massage programs in partnership with UCSF Compass Care at UCSF Children's hospital, as well as the Adult BMT oncology unit and AntePartum unit and helped raise over 30K to keep these programs sustainable. 

However, in 2017 after 20 years at UCSF, I had an opportunity to create, open and manage a massage business in the Mission for the San Francisco School of Massage and decided it was time for a change, so in the spring of 2018 MassageLabSF was opened and it was a tremendous success. Unfortunately, due to the Covid Pandemic in 2020, we needed to convert the MassageLabSF space into a student clinic for the SFSM Students. As a result, MassageLabSF was closed permanently in December 2021. Still, where one door closed, another opened, so as a Massage Instructor and Student Clinic Manager, I began a new chapter in my career, coming full circle to my roots at the San Francisco School of Massage.

Education: 
University of Massachusetts Amherst 1986, San Francisco School of Massage 1992, Kripalu Yoga Institute 1995, Mayo clinic inpatient massage 2012, Liddle Kidz Foundation 2012, Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 2012

Certifications: Swedish, Deep tissue, MyoFascial, Prenatal, Sports massage, Hospital based massage Oncology massage, Pediatric massage, infant massage teacher, Kripalu Holistic lifestyle teacher, Kripalu Yoga Instructor, Kripalu Massage, Burn/Scar massage, and SportStretchUSA cert.

Experience: Massage Private practice since 1993, Massage Practitioner UCSF Fitness & Recreation 1997-2016, Massage Services Manager UCSF Fitness & Recreation Centers 2005-2016 , UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine Oncology massage research project 2001-2005, UCSF Inpatient Massage Services/ UCSF Benioff Children’s hospital Palliative care team 2012-2016,

Specialization: Deep Tissue, Sports, Prenatal, Swedish, Myofascial, Trigger point and assisted stretch, specialized medical training for Oncology Massage for Adult and Pediatrics, Neurological disorders, Burn/surgical scars and Lymphatic massage.

Book a massage with me today

Where I Work
Contact for availability
Licenses
Massage

CA # 74362

Massage Practitioner/City and County of San Francisco CA

# 07291

Education
1992

San Francisco School of Massage

Massage Therapist

2015

San Francisco School of Massage

Prenatal Massage

2015

San Francisco School of Massage

Deep Tissue

2014

Mayo Clinic

Hospital based massage

2015

Liddle Kidz Foundation

Pediatric Massage 1 & 2

2015

Liddle Kidz Foundation

Massage in the NICU

2014

Liddle Kidz Foundation

Infant massage teacher training

1995

Kripalu School of Massage

Kripalu Bodywork

2012

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Medical massage for the cancer patient

2015

Handle with care Massage Therapy

Burn/Scar Massage

2019

SportStretchUSA

Sports Stretch Massage 1

Experience
Bodywork

University of California, San Francisco

Massage therapist / Instructor (Spinning, Couple's massage) 1997-2005, then transitioned into management and facilitated startup for the new UCSF Bakar fitness center, developed the massage program. Hired and recruited new staff, executed marketing, purchasing/inventory management, managed online booking systems, website content management, maintained HIPPA compliant client data base, customer service, created PCI compliant billing systems and additional operational duties. 2009-2016 Expanded operations to include UCSF's Millberry Fitness center massage program and created a multi site employee based seated massage program. 2012-2016 Developed and managed a fee based UCSF medical center inpatient massage program, implemented a pediatric inpatient oncology massage pilot, that led to a funded program for the UCSF Benioff children's hospital, now including patients on the Pediatric BMT unit, PICU and NICU. 2016 Created 2 Adult inpatient massage pilots, Co-authored an 8k grant for Antepartum and co-created a crowdfunding campaign with over 10k in donations for Adult BMT patients

TLC MASSAGE Therapy

Owner/ Massage therapist 1997-Current Private practice specializing in working with Clients experiencing Neurological and Autoimmune diseases such as Muscular Sclerosis, Parkinson's and HIV, including Adult & Pediatric Oncology massage and Sports massage incorporating deep tissue and active and passive stretching.

MassageLabSF

Manager - 3/2018-12/2021 Developed business plan for a new massage business affiliated with the San Francisco school of massage as a landing place for recent SFSM graduates, Manager duties also included client interaction and retention, advertising and all aspects of business systems development including managing online booking and staff management software, as well as budgets, P&L reports, and payroll, and marketing for the business Massage Therapist - 3/2018-12/2021 Provided Massage Services for MassageLabSF clients, worked to increase client base and maintain client retention.

San Francisco School of Massage

Massage Instructor - 2020-Current Responsible for instructing San Francisco school of massage students in all aspects of the 600 hour Massage Therapy Program curriculum, including practicums and administering exams Clinic Manager - All aspects of managing a student clinic, including student instruction and client interactions.

REVIEWS for my massage services

by Nathan on Dec 11
Tim did a great job on my massage. He addressed all my areas of concern plus identified another, and gave me recommendations for how to continue working on myself at home
by Zack on Nov 02
Friendly, adapted the massage to my needs.
by Anonymous on Oct 20
Amazing massage. Tim has amazing hands and really knows how to work out the kinks in my neck, shoulders and back. His massage is unique and wonderful.
by Alexandra on Sep 28
Great sports massage, this team knows what they are doing
by Anonymous on Sep 18
Very focused massage
by Christine on Sep 18
I've been going to Tim for years, and he's not only a great body worker, he's a true friend while remaining totally professional.
by Anonymous on Aug 07
Five stars all around for Tim! He is very professional and attuned to your needs. You can tell that he really cares.
by Anonymous on Aug 05
Tim is the best!
by Christine on Mar 15
Terrific as always!
by Anonymous on Mar 14
Always a solid attentive massage.

Check my availability and schedule appointments for a massage