Key West Florida Weekly

LOCAL FOCUS

Daria Kohler Stone: She’s got your back



 

 

There’s a popular saying that “you can’t truly love someone until you love yourself.” Most of us aren’t born thinking that we’ve got it going on. First, we have to learn who we are and then, here is the hardest part, we have to accept that we are of a certain character due to a lot of design and by a little bit of choice. Only once we have become friends with the man — or woman — in the mirror can we then go on to help others do the same.

Not too long ago, Daria Kohler Stone had a moment that caused her to wake up and brought her into the now. She was on her seventh year of bartending at Irish Kevin’s, 211 Duval St., a place that she still remembers as “a big part of my life,” and was going through some difficulties. It was at this time that she had an epiphany, or a reminder of herself, if you may. It was the time for her to choose to do what she was designed to do. So, she left town for a few months to enroll in the Costa Rica School of Massage Therapy, in a little village along the coast called Samara, to pursue a dream.

The school followed a total immersion schedule, which meant five classes a week with tests given every single day and clinic hours that needed to be completed when, and if, you were ever free. It left little time for exploring. In the days that she did get to enjoy traveling around the country and to take a bus to Nicaragua for a few days, Daria saw the world as she had never seen it before.

“It was unbelievable,” she says. “I still think about it and miss it a lot. It happened at a perfect time in my life. I discovered myself, I was pushed to my limits and I realized how strong I really was.”

Technically speaking, it took her back to her roots.

“As a child, I always knew that I wanted a job where I could take care of people. I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know what it was until I found massage.”

Massage is something that she describes as “very Zen, peaceful and quiet,” which is very different from what she had been doing. But Daria seems to have found her direction as a massage therapist. She’s very happy when she talks about it and, at one point, it even makes her cry a little.

“I’m taught not to use the word healing because healing can mean a lot to many other people,” she explains, “so I can’t heal your problems, but I can make you feel better. Whether it’s stress or muscle tension, I just want you to feel like a new person or a better person.”

So, if that’s what she does, then the next question is why does she do it?

“When someone leaves and gives you a hug and thanks you for helping them,” she says with her eyes starting to well up a little, “that’s a great feeling. I had a patient who was fighting cancer tell me, ‘I just needed someone to talk to and make me feel good for a second. It meant so much.’”

Daria’s journey of enlightenment actually started a long time ago when she was just a child walking on her dad’s back.

“I would ask him why he wanted me to hurt him, and he would reply, ‘It’s called a massage,” she laughs.

As she grew up, Daria would attempt to treat her friends and family’s physical ailments simply because she liked massaging. So, she went to school for it. Then years later while working as a physical therapist assistant, Daria started to notice a common question that all the patients kept bringing up. “When is my massage?” they would innocently inquire or much more bluntly ask, “Can I have my massage now?”

So, she decided to give the people what they were asking for. Daria is now a highly sought after experienced massage therapist at three spas around town including Isle Style at 1204 Simonton St., Southernmost Beach Resort at 1319 Duval St. and at Sunset Key Cottages on Sunset Key — a small, rather luxurious island across the channel from Margaritaville Resort & Marina. Other spas have tried to hire her, but between the hotel work and her own mobile business, the demand for her trade keeps her schedule booked by appointment only. Even in the 30 or so minutes that we talk, she is between an “eleven-thirty and a one o’clock” appointment and sets the alarm so she won’t be late to the next one.

If you would like an appointment of your own, you can book one by emailing her at DariaStoneLMT@yahoo.com or by calling one of the places she works. Local’s get 20 percent off the already fair prices of her home visits, when she will bring her table right to the comfort of your house. I also hear that Southernmost has an ocean-view cabana option and that Isle Style has Key West’s very own secret garden.

And don’t wait to throw out your back before you go.

“People are under the impression that you should only get a massage when there’s a problem,” Daria says. “It’s always good to get a massage even when you just want to relax. It’s part of self-care. A lot of people don’t take care of themselves enough because they are so busy taking care of other people.”

Which is kind of what Daria is doing. She’s taking care of people. Her purpose now that she has learned to love herself is to love others and massage has become her message.

“It’s a rewarding job,” she says. ¦

One response to “LOCAL FOCUS”

  1. CBRXX says:

    Daria is a kind-hearted and wondrous human. So happy for her!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *