Laura is a Nationally and State Certified Massage Therapist and the founder of Metta Integrative Wellness Center (now the cooperatively owned Metta Integrative Wellness Cooperative) in Baltimore . In addition to running a successful community wellness center for 11 years, Laura has organized many wellness related projects, fundraisers, and community events, including seasonal Community Energy Healings, The Baltimore Healing Music Project, and the former Heal Baltimore Project. Her experience curating the Wellness Camp at Fields Festival sparked a strong inspiration to expand her practice beyond the walls of her office, And she spent her sabbatical year in 2017 offering Bodywork on her “TRANSFORM massage tour” up and down the East Coast. (The animated travel trailer magically zooming across the bottom of this website is a replica of her mode of travel during that special trip.)

Since graduating from The Baltimore School of Massage in 2005, Laura has continually refined her skills to expand her therapeutic knowledge and better serve clients and communities. Her most influential trainings have been in Dynamic Body Balancing with Dr. Carol Phillips, Chi Nei Tsang as taught by Master Mantak Chia, Upledger's Craniosacral Therapy, Plant Spirit Aromatherapy with Amy Meilman, and the Jivan Yoga Teacher Training with Anjali Sunita. Laura also studied Traditional Thai Massage in Chiang Mai, Thailand and is a long time student of the Sivananda Yoga lineage.

Laura is passionate about art, ritual, the outdoors, and being with good people. In 2022, Laura is developing her holistic interior decorating, organizing, and energetic space clearing practice, in addition to beginning a year long certification course in Jungian and Depth Psychology Coaching with the Journey Path Institute.

Client Testimonials

"I haven’t been able to stop talking about how amazing my recent massage with Laura was! I can’t remember the last time I felt this level of nuanced attention, nurturing, and understanding of my body. Laura’s gentle and attentive energy created an environment in which I really felt safe…a space where I could let my guard down and trust fully in her work with my body. She combined elements of deep tissue massage, aromatherapy, and Reiki energy work, and she also moved and stretched my arms and legs in incredible ways. She is highly intuitive and receptive, and the session followed a natural flow in response to my body’s physical and energetic blocks, sensitivities, and subtle requests.

Laura is someone who cares deeply about her work and aims to provide an experience that transcends an informal massage—she really wants to connect and communicate and be a facilitator for a deep level of grounding, relaxation, and release in her clients. It is an honor to receive a massage from someone who is so committed to their practice and to the transformative possibilities of body work. Thank you Laura!!!!!"

~Amanda S, Baltimore, MD

"Laura is a gem. She is enthusiastic, well-trained, highly skilled, and -- most importantly -- has the rare ability to connect authentically to her clients. I enjoy our sessions on so many levels, including the stimulation of talking about all sorts of things under the sun. Most of all, though, Laura is a great massage therapist who I would heartily recommend to anyone. My sessions with her have been restorative, restful, calming, and fun all in one."

~Julie G, Baltimore, MD

My session with Laura exceeded my expectations. I knew that Laura had abundant skill and technique to bring my body into greater balance and ease, but I was really struck by the sense of safety and spontaneity with which she navigated the session. I felt met and stretched but never pressured or over extended. Her hands are strong, kind, and wise. As a massage therapist myself, I feel confident saying that Laura is one of the best therapists available and you would be lucky to have a session with her!"

- Amy I, Philadelphia, PA 

"Laura Kalman is an outstanding massage therapist and healing practitioner. She is professional, kind, and perhaps the most non-judgmental person with whom I have had the pleasure to meet. I first saw her about two years ago. I decided to try massage as part of my journey to transform my often tumultuous relationship with my body. As a person who experienced childhood sexual abuse and rape as an adult, feeling distant from my body and other people served me well for some time, but also held me back from actually living in my life and meaningfully connecting with others and the world around me.

I thought bodywork in conjunction with acupuncture and more traditional therapy could help me stay grounded, figure out how to enjoy or at least tolerate touch and better connect with other people. I was incredibly nervous with touch, and Laura’s ability to move at my pace and stay grounded, present and non-judgmental was incredibly comforting and encouraging. She created a light filled, calming and welcoming environment, and, even when I found it difficult to relax on the table, I felt encouraged and lighter when I left. I am incredibly grateful. Laura is a truly gifted healer and am excited that she will be able to share her talents with more people."

~Amanda, Baltimore MD

"Bodywork with Laura has had a profoundly positive effect on my health and well-being.  As my massage therapist for the past ten years, she has helped me resolve both sporadic and ongoing muscle issues, and I honestly don’t know where I’d be without her.  I certainly wouldn’t be the healthy, happy, fit, limber, active 62-year-old woman I am without Laura’s ability to provide that healing touch when I needed it most.

Using deep-tissue massage, shiatsu, Reiki, Thai massage, aromatherapy, hot stones, and cupping therapy (to name just a few of the many modalities in which Laura is skilled) she has helped me overcome occasional acute discomfort as well as chronic aches and soreness.  How does she accomplish this?  It starts with listening.  She listens with more than her ears, though.  She listens with her hands and her fingertips.  Laura’s intuitive sense of knowing where your pain is, and the amount of pressure needed to deal with that pain, is remarkable.

However, it doesn’t end there.  Laura always seems to have an innovative idea, or on-point suggestion, or new way of looking at something you’re dealing with that pushes you in a positive direction.  Her energy and interest in the person you really are means that it’s never just a massage.  It’s been my great fortune to know and benefit from Laura’s talents as a health practitioner.  Don’t pass up an opportunity to work with her."

~Ruth S, Baltimore, MD

"Bodywork with Laura brought me four lessons: the need to focus on my own peace for ninety minutes every now and then, the ability to be comfortable with my own body, the capacity to relax while turning myself complete over to someone else’s care, and the need to take better care of my physical and spiritual needs when not on the table.

For the first lesson, I remember the first few massages being about “a muscle hurts here” or “I’ve been having iliotibial band issues there.” It was not a big deal to describe those issues.  But to say, “I just need to feel well and this helps,” was something I found harder. I found it difficult to justify just taking ninety minutes in peace for bodywork. Laura helped me realize how important that can be.

Second, I will admit that it took numerous massages before I felt comfortable being completely naked for the massage.  What got me there?  Realizing that I could be comfortable with my body. Am I a paragon of fitness?  No. But that does not matter to Laura, and it should not matter to me. I put my body through two calendar years of more than 2,000 miles during the year. When I use my body that much, I become familiar with every part of it. The parts that provide power to run. The parts that get tight. The parts that chafe.  The parts that drip with sweat in the summer. The parts that are cold for most of a run in the winter. But as I got to know my body that well, it made me more comfortable with what I originally felt was vulnerability of being on the table. I am vulnerable when I run.  I am vulnerable when I trust my body to someone. And I realized I am okay with them both.

Third, I learned to let myself completely relax being in someone else’s care for ninety minutes. In our early sessions, when Laura would work near my neck, I would try to hold my neck in what I must have thought would be a useful position. But the idea was not to tighten muscles and hold anything but to relax and let Laura do the work. Over time, I was better and better able to relax and let Laura work on my body rather than trying to “help”.  That level of trust was challenging but worthwhile to achieve.

Finally, Laura’s bodywork made me focus on taking better care of myself. Focus more on my running form. Focus on not sitting and typing in ways that led to my left shoulder to neck always being extra tight. Taking the few extra minutes to do some exercises or to just sit and think. Exercises to try to minimize the chances of pulling muscles or injuring my body. Moments to sit quietly just to give myself the peace that I can find when I am on the table.

Bodywork can bring many important lessons and not only improve health while on the table but improve health in all the other moments of life as well."

~Kevin F, Baltimore, MD