Silvia Pintea’s GOOD TOUCH Spreads Happiness and Health

Silvia Proves that With Hard Work and Dreaming You Can Accomplish Anything

Silvia Pintea left Moldova to pursue her dreams of massage therapy in sunny California, and while things weren’t always easy, her motivation to reach for a bigger and better life shown through as an incredibly inspiring example of what dreaming can do. Her hard work has paid off tremendously, and I was very excited to sit down with her to discuss GOOD TOUCH, her massage therapy brand, and the dream she set forth to make for herself.

Silvia, thank you for speaking to me. First, can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Silvia Pintea, and I am from a small country called Moldova. I am 27 years old and feel so happy about the things I’ve been able to accomplish thus far in my life. I’ve met a lot of amazing people on my journey who planted a seed of love and happiness in my soul. And I’ve promised myself that I will help people as much as I can and always see the good in them. No matter where we come from or the color of our skin, we all bleed red. I always like to say, “You get what you give”.

Since I was little, I knew that I loved helping people and being there for them. Love is what allows us to feel better, and when we do things that we love, we love what we do. We live in a world full of stress and anxiety, and even though we have everything we need to be happy, because we don’t know how to appreciate things, we can feel empty. 

I have an older brother, and when he was born, he had health issues, so doctors recommended my mother to get him regular massages to help him. So long story short, massage helped him grow up a great, beautiful, and healthy boy.

One day, when I was in college, my mother came to me and said, “My dear daughter, you are 17 years old, and one day you will be a mother. You must learn some things now, so you can be ready for those times.” She told me that it would be good for me to take some classes on self-development and to also take some massage, cooking, and makeup classes. She said, “This is what you need to start with. You will have an easier life knowing these things.” I felt excited to take her advice, and with my dad helping fund these opportunities. I did it!

Being a teenager, I was going through a lot of anxiety and learning about the world and love. Being at the massage school, I was the model student, and the teacher would regularly explain the massages on me. He was showing how to perform the techniques on my body, and this was such a pleasure, I remember. It actually helped me with my anxiety and stress relief. And I remember thinking that if I felt so good from that, maybe I could do the same thing for other people and have a part time job doing massage therapy. I started doing massages for my neighborhood at that time, and I was charging just $3.00. But I remember being happy making my own money to show my parents that they made the right investment in me. 

In 2016, I moved to the US. I worked as a babysitter for the first 3 months and then in the grocery store for a month after. Then, I went to ask for a job as a massage therapist. At the time, I was in Chicago, and nobody wanted to hire me because my certification wasn’t accepted in this country, so they recommended I go to another school. I was living with my boyfriend at that time, and he actually helped me to get things done. I graduated “Estelle Medical Academy” from Skokie. There, I had one of the best teachers and learned the most valuable lessons in my life. My schooling was during the weekends from 8 am to 6 pm, and around that time, during the week, I was providing cleaning services. 

After I graduated in 2018, I moved to California. It took me some time to get comfortable and meet people. I always felt uncomfortable because I had trouble finding the words. English is my third language, and never felt confident enough speaking it. Little by little I felt in love with this state, and deep in my soul, here I feel home. I feel like I belong to this place.

Little by little I found new clients here, and everyone I met was telling me that I was born to do massages. I started to question myself, “Is that really true? Am I truly that good?”

Last year, I took classes to become a Life and Health Coach, because I wanted to learn how to be a good listener for my clients and maybe help them additionally in a professional way. I have always been told, “Silvia, you are a body and soul healer, and your GOOD TOUCH has the power of healing.” I started to believe that maybe they were right, because I do enjoy my job and always invest in it. This is where the name of Good Touch MT (massage therapist) comes from. From my clients. They said, “This name represents you and who you are.”  

Silvia, your story is very inspiring. How did growing up in Moldova shape the person and business owner you are today?

I never felt home in Moldova. I always felt that I didn’t belong there. Leaving for America was a dream for me, and I always thought that if you work hard here, one day you will see good results. I can’t say that about Moldova. Over there, everyone has graduated university; it’s easy and cheap. And it’s hard to get a good paying job. Nothing is impossible, but my dreams were bigger than that. That lifestyle motivated me here to work very hard and be unique in what I do. 

You have a history of massage therapy benefiting your family, specifically your brother. Could you tell us a little about that and why massage therapy is so important to you, personally.

Massage therapy was recommended for my newborn brother back in 90’s, and long story short, massage helped him grow up into a great, beautiful, and healthy boy. And my mother, being a nurse, recommended for me to take at least one class for myself. She told me that it would be good to know for my future. Once I graduated in massage therapy, I realized how much I enjoyed helping people with my massages. Some of my clients were calling me a healer or a girl with a good touch. It felt good to hear so much of that positive feedback, and that motivated me to study more about it and attend more schooling in Chicago. To me, personally, massage is very important, because every time I see my clients happy, I understand how useful I can be for people.  

Your inspiring personality and want to help others is truly remarkable. How does this kindness and sense of devotion towards others incorporate into your massage work?

Since I was a little girl, I saw a lot of people who needed help. I can’t explain how, but since I was little, I knew one thing for sure, I wanted to help people. Helping people gave me a lot of pleasure.  It’s like an intuition I had; I didn’t know exactly what type of job I would do in the future, but I knew “I want to be around people; I want to help them.” I am very dedicated to my massage career, and I like to personalize every session for my clients. Massage, for me, it’s not math. It can’t always have the same style and result. People and their needs are different, and personalizing the style for each client makes it more unique and special.

Was moving to California a real shock for you?

Moving to California was a dream for me, but reality hit me when we moved. I didn’t know anyone here at all. I had no family, friends, classmates, or coworkers. It was just me, my husband, and my baby daughter. Starting from scratch was extremely hard. It took a lot of time for me to prove my skills and my style. But here I am today. I did it!

Through GOOD TOUCH, you have mentioned having the power to help people, body and soul. That is so wonderful. Can you tell us the ways in which your massage therapy helps people?

My massages help people in many different ways. Having a good touch and a good soul, it’s something I was born with.

The ways in which my massages help people are as follows: 

• First of all, by being mobile, I save clients their precious time.
• Always being on time so they don’t get nervous waiting or have to change their plans.
• Making sure to listen and take into consideration their needs 
• Since I am also a life and health coach, I make sure to apply those skills and provide them a consultation before the massage and listen to their needs.
• Relaxing their mind before the actual massage; it’s very helpful and powerful.
• Confidentiality is one of the most important things I am offering since the majority of my clients are public figures.
• I understand everyone needs someone neutral who’s able to listen, understand, and keep things private. 
• I’ve set up my professional boundaries. I always make sure to let my clients know that I want to keep it professional and never cross the boundaries. 
• Always make sure to have everything with me nice, clean, and organized. 

You mentioned massage therapy being an important treatment with stress relief and anxiety. Can you explain the ways in which getting regular massages can help with stress and anxiety, a problem that is becoming more and more common in the current world.

There are many reasons why I say my sessions help with stress and anxiety.

First, a massage does more than just ‘feel good’. It can lower the amount of cortisol in your body. This hormone is produced when your body is stressed. It increases glucose in your bloodstream, enhances your brain’s use of glucose, and curbs functions that are nonessential in a fight-or-flight situation. A one-hour massage lowers cortisol in your body while also releasing serotonin. This hormone neurotransmitter is sometimes called the ‘happy chemical’ because it reduces feelings of depression and carries signals between nerves and your body. By lowering cortisol and increasing serotonin, you’re boosting your body’s ability to fight off pain, anxiety and feelings of sadness.

Also, a massage could be considered an hour-long hug, as it can fulfill the need for human contact and comforting touch. A session provides you with a nurturing safe place to physically rest. I always tell my clients, massage is not just a treat, it’s a lifestyle. It’s recommended to have it once a week (for people who are not doing any exercise, otherwise it’s best every other day).

Do you offer any unique or special services when it comes to your massages? What makes your sessions so special?

My special attitude is what makes my sessions special.

Where do you see yourself and GOOD TOUCH 5 years down the road? What are your future goals?

I want to connect with as many people as I have the chance to and be there for them when they need help. I want to find and build a whole community where people can feel emotionally safe and protected. Being around a lot of opportunities and a good life, we forget to be thankful for what we have, we forget to enjoy what we have, and we don’t know what real happiness feels like. My future goal is to make an online school, where people will learn how to reconnect to their own self and find happiness in the little things. I can’t say any more about this plan since I am still working on it, but one thing I can say for sure is, “I won’t stop here, and my mission in life is to heal and help as many people as I can”.