Appalachian Medical Massage Associates is owned and operated by Paul and Amber Vachon of Kingsport,Tennessee. This husband and wife team has extensive education and years of experience in the massage and healthcare field. They met while studying at the Utah College of Massage Therapy (UCMT) in Salt Lake City.

Amber and Paul lived in Asheville, NC for three years, where they established a private practice with three locations. Three years later, they decided that it was time to make a permanent move closer to family. In 2005, they left their thriving practice in Asheville to move back to Paul’s hometown of Kingsport.

Thomas Wolfe was wrong: you can go home again. Since arriving in Kingsport, Amber and Paul have enjoyed taking part in the revitalization of DownTown, which is enjoying the dawn of a revival. For them, strong family, church and community ties help make Kingsport a wonderful place to live, work and play. Together, Paul and Amber are members of Knetic, a civic and social association of young professionals and actively volunteer with the Symphony of the Mountains.

Paul and Amber are both certified by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork and are each licensed as massage therapists as required by the state of Tennessee

Amber Vachon

Amber received her undergraduate training at Berry College in Georgia, her home state. After working in the physical fitness and physical therapy field for a few years, she decided it was time to go back to school. She opted to attend the Utah College of Massage Therapy as a “stepping stone” and a way to help pay her way through osteopathic or naturopathic medical school. It wasn’t long before she realized that massage therapy is much more powerful than she previously thought.

After graduation from UCMT’s Professional Program, Clinical Career Track and Spa Career Track, Amber worked at the Spa at the Grove Park Inn Resort before joining Paul in full-time private practice.

Amber studied Manual Lymph Drainage at the Dr. Vodder Schule in Walchsee, Austria and holds current certification as a Certified Manual Lymph Drainage / Combined Decongestive Therapist (MLD/CDT) by the Dr. Vodder School of North America. In 2009, she completed a three year term serving on the Board of Trustees for the North American Vodder Association of Lymphatic Therapists.

After completing additional advanced physical therapy level courses, Amber was also able to sit for the exam administered by the Medical Massage National Certification Board. by which she is now board certified as a medical massage therapist. She is a professional member of the United States Medical Massage Association.

Amber’s primary specialty is the treatment of whiplash and TMJD (temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction).

When she is not at the office, Amber exercises her creativity through work with leaded stained glass, quilting and playing the fiddle. She is an avid reader who tutors with the Literacy Council of Kingsport and serves as a commissioner for the Kingsport Public Library Board as well as on the Board of Trustees for the Symphony of the Mountains.

Paul Vachon

Paul received his undergraduate training at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. After working odd jobs (in a hospital emergency room, in a bakery and doing carpentry work) for a few years, he also opted to attend the Utah College of Massage Therapy as a “stepping stone” and a way to help pay his way through osteopathic or naturopathic medical school. It wasn’t long before he too realized that massage therapy goes well beyond gentle relaxation and can be extremely effective work.

After graduation from UCMT’s Professional Program and Clinical Career Track, Paul stepped immediately into private practice in Asheville, NC. He later continued his education with the Guild for Structural Integration (GSI), studying first in Boulder, CO and then in Sao Paolo, Brazil. He holds certification from GSI in Structural Integration (SI) and is a professional member of the International Association of Structural Integrators (IASI). Among the first examinees to sit for the Certification Exam for Structural Integration, he is a Certified Structural Integrator ^SM. He is also a professional member of Associated Massage and Bodywork Professionals (ABMP).

When he is not helping to bring better balance into his clients’ lives, Paul enjoys playing the guitar, working with the church youth group, taking in a pickup game of soccer, or running barefoot. He serves as president on the Leadership Team for Knetic and spends many hours blogging the praises of DownTown Kingsport at DownTown Kingsport Square.