The Vitality Center Professionals
Dr. Steven Schwartz, DC
Dr. Steven Schwartz, DC has been specializing in the underlying cause of inflammation, allergies, chronic degenerative conditions and chronic pain using sound, light and frequency technologies for the past 13 years.
The broad spectrum of advanced technologies utilized by Dr. Schwartz fills in the gaps between traditional and other alternative modalities and techniques. Using advanced Biofeedback, laser and sound frequencies, the underlying aberrant trigger can be appropriately identified and corrected leading to better overall health and balance in all aspects of one’s life. These are more than just symptom relieving modalities. They tap directly into the innate framework of the human body and assist in facilitating healing as well as increase human performance.
Dr. Schwartz is the national trainer for all of these technologies and has logged more patient treatment hours than any other practitioner in the world. He is available to evaluate members of the VAC and the Vail Valley community every Monday, exclusively at the Vail Athletic Club starting April 1 2013.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Lisa Leigh Muncy, MD, ABIHM Vibrant Health of Vail Owner Operator
Dr. Muncy is a board certified Internal Medicine specialist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine. She is a graduate of the Georgetown University Residency Program in Internal Medicine at Washington Hospital Center.
In her integrative medical practice, she collaborates with patients to restore vibrant health and promote longevity by using state-of-the-art biomedical evaluations to create personalized nutrition recommendations, anti-aging strategies and comprehensive hormone balance.
Combining her interest for the internal wellness with a passion for skin health and anti-aging aesthetics, Dr. Muncy, offers aesthetic services which are designed to reveal a natural looking, more youthful facial appearance.
In addition to her private medical practice, she volunteers as the attending physician to The Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic during Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. Dr. Muncy resides in Vail, Colorado with her physician husband, Michael Pietrzak, and their sons Landis and Darek.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Dr. Mark J. Pitcher, Vail Integrative Medical Group
Dr. Mark J. Pitcher DC, MSc, is a Chiropractor and Exercise Physiologist with VIMG. Dr. Pitcher has been practicing for 14 years and specializes in sports injury, rehabilitative medicine and functional training. In addition to learning from some of the best in rehabilitative medicine such as renowned biomechanist Stuart McGill, anatomist Andry Vleeming and physical therapist Diane Lee, he has conducted his own research and taught kinesiology at Atlantic Canada's largest university. Dr. Pitcher combines a traditional chiropractic approach with specialized functional movement assessments to help indentify dysfunctional movements and muscle imbalance that can be the root of the problem. Using chiropractic manipulation, active release technique and specific corrective exercise prescription, he is able to treat not only the pain, but also the underlying reasons the pain occurred. This approach leads to more rapid recovery and less recurrence of symptoms.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Dr. Joel Dekanich, Vail Integrative Medical Group
VIMG founder and director Dr. Joel Dekanich has 15 years of experience in chiropractic medicine and is a seasoned athlete, as well. His experience resonates with amateur and professional athletes, as well as everyday patients. Dr. Dekanich is dedicated to treating typical spine-related injuries, and also specializes in sports and extremity pain. He is a member of the PGA medical/chiropractic staff and has worked with the Olympic Committee medical staff at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Dr. Dekanich is VIMG's golf specialist and offers golf-specific training, including Swing Fault Analysis, by appointment.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Jackie Garvey MPT, CKTP, Vail Integrative Medical Group
Jackie Garvey is a Physical Therapist with Vail Integrative Medical Group. She is a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner and has additional training in vestibular rehabilitation and sports related injuries.
Mrs. Garvey attended The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth MN where she earned her Master of Physical Therapy and Bachelor of Arts degrees. She has been working with VIMG since 2005 as a physical therapist and office manager.
In addition to her work with VIMG, Mrs. Garvey has served on the medical staff for the Vail International Dance Festival in 2011 and 2012, and is a volunteer youth basketball coach.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Abby Ruby, Ph.D
Dr. Abby Ruby earned her Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. She is a Senior Coach for Carmichael Training Systems and a USA Triathlon Level II Coach. She has her CISSN Sport Nutrition Certification and is a RYT Certified Yoga Instructor. Dr. Ruby currently writes, teaches, coaches, races triathlon and ultra marathons and practices yoga. She has completed over 50 marathons, 5 Ironman triathlons including Kona, the Leadville 100 and multiple 50 milers and 50k races. Dr. Ruby recently published: In Sickness and In Health: Exercise Addiction in Endurance Athletes available at: http://amzn.com/1453801227 and in the lobby of Vail Vitality Center. In addition to a variety of workshops and class options offered each month at Vail Vitality Center, Dr. Ruby also offers group and one-on-one coaching options, including: nutrition counseling, optimal performance strategy, life coaching and sports psychology.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Julia Clarke, Yoga Studio Coordinator and Instructor
Julia Clarke is from Glasgow, Scotland, but has been living in the U.S. for the past 11 years. She learned the Transcendental Meditation technique in 1993 and took up yoga and martial arts as an adolescent. After a student exchange program took her to Missouri in 2001, she decided to complete her journalism degree there and spent eight years working in the radio and recording industry before leaving to fulfill a lifelong desire to share her love of yoga with others. She completed her 200-hour teacher training at Integral Yoga of New York City and, shortly afterward, moved to Vail where she teaches, loves, hopes and plays everyday. Clarke's classes are soulful and dynamic, revealing her love of language, movement and music. After training to teach Anjali Restorative Yoga, Clarke was a student in the first-ever Bhava Vinyasa teacher training led by founder Shannon Paige Schneider in 2010.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Ellen Miller
Ellen Miller is a 20-year resident of the Vail Valley. She is one of only five women to have summitted Mount Everest from both sides – Nepal and Tibet – and has climbed four 8,000-meter peaks in the Himalaya. In addition to her climbing achievements, Miller is the owner of an outdoor fitness business called Mountain Divas, available at the VAC. She is a certified Level 2 USATF Endurance coach and coaches/manages the U.S. Women's Mountain Running Team. She is a former competitive athlete (adventure racing, Nordic skiing, running) and was named Colorado Sportswoman of the Year in 2002 for excellence and longevity in mountaineering and competitive sports. Miller is the founder of The Climb for Literacy, an annual fundraiser involving children's climbing teams, which raises funds for Third World Education. She is involved in numerous community events in the Vail Valley. She also works as a trek/climbing guide in the Himalaya.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Angela Muzic, Pilates - Personal Training - Group Fitness
Angela has been working in the fitness industry since 2003. She has been an athlete since the age of six and has competed in softball, tennis, swimming, martial arts, gymnastics, distance running and golf. Angela also participated in a variety of dance modalities throughout her youth, including modern, jazz, ballet and hip hop. Upon graduating from Ohio State University in 2006, Angela moved to Vail, Colo. to pursue snowboarding. Since arriving, Angela has coached athletes of all levels, including celebrities and professionals in the sports of tennis, football, soccer, hockey and baseball, as well as professional snow sports athletes. She also utilizes her adaptive skills in the rehabilitation field, incorporating her movement expertise and relationships with some of Vail’s best chiropractic, massage therapy, physical therapy and body work professionals and practitioners. Angela joins the Vail Vitality Center as aPilates, personal training and group fitness professional.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Drew Tarkington, Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor
American College of Sports Medicine, CPT Certification and BS in Exercise Science - 5 year trainer
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Colin Davis, MS, CSCS
Colin Davis, MS, CSCS is an Exercise Physiologist with specialties in
Running and Cycling Performance Physiology and Biomechanics. He holds an
Advanced Certificate in Athletic Therapy from Mount Royal University in
Calgary, is a Functional Movement Specialist, is trained in clinical
kinesiology and applies a wide range of modalities in Corrective Exercise
and movement re-patterning to address muscle imbalances in the body. He is
certified through the NCCP as a Mountain Bike and Triathlon Coach, and works
with mountain athletes of all abilities and passions to achieve their goals
whether they center upon weight loss or performance. Colin is an
accomplished endurance athlete with multiple Transrockies Mountain Bike Race
finishes, Ironman Canada, and various Half- and Olympic-distance triathlons.
He also knows and loves the mountains intimately as a Wilderness EMT, Denali
climbing ranger, retired Ski Patroller and a specialist in physical
performance at high altitude. With three of the Seven Summits under his
belt, he is always training for his next adventure somewhere special, and
brings this passion with him to Vail Vitality Center.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Shinji Tsuji, CMT Certified Massage Therapist
Shinji Tsuji's massage education began in 1996, and he started working at the Vail Vitality Center at Vail Mountain Lodge in 1999. Throughout his training and during his continuing education, Tsuji trained in many different modalities to improve his skills, touch, awareness, and intuition. His education is not limited to a basic Swedish, sports and deep tissue massages, but also Anma-Japanese traditional massage, Zheng Gu Tuina-Chinese medical massage, Strain Counter Strain, John F. Burns' Myofascial Release, and many more therapies. He has created his own unique style of massage and bodywork, which is customized for the individual needs of each client. Tsuji provides all treatments at the Vitality Center except facials and nail services. He enjoys the variety of performing each treatment because every one of them is unique. Through massage, Tsuji hopes to facilitate a strong mind-body connection to help each client unwind, encouraging natural healing energy for total well-being.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Menina Skelly, Massage Therapist
In 2008 I graduated from the Mountain Heart School of Bodywork and Transformational Therapy, located in Crested Butte Colorado, and started working at The Vitality Center. I have completed continuing education classes in Hawaiian Lomilomi and Thai massage, and enjoy using a variety of modalities in my work. I have always been fascinated by the workings of the human body and its natural ability to heal. My favorite treatment to perform is the Nature Body Spirit because it elicits a deep sense of rest and relaxation. Working at The Vitality Center has enhanced my life, and also the lives of clients who share my love and enjoyment of mountain life.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Sally Peterson, Massage Therapist
Sally Peterson began her work at Vail Vitality Center in 1989 as a massage therapist. She went on to study skin care and now, as an esthetician, incorporates massage expertise into her facial treatments. Her interest in a holistic skincare approach led her to study in Germany. Peterson is a passionate about providing clients with the luxury of a full body treatment, versus focusing solely on the face. And, she enjoys sharing her knowledge and natural approach with clients. Peterson recently began using Vail Vitality Center’s new Diamondtome machine to provide clients with therapeutic microdermabraison facials. The machine has diamonds embedded in the wand tip, as well as a vacuum, and it removes 50 to 75 percent of the top layer of skin. The treatment leaves the skin refined and polished, alive and refreshed. Peterson includes her signature full body treatment: a hand, arm and foot massage, as well as a neck, scalp, shoulder and face massage. No matter the type of facial, it is Peterson's goal to make each client feel comfortable and luxurious, while delivering a deeply healing treatment for the skin.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Jen Tracy Hooker, Massage Therapist
Jen Tracy Hooker is passionate about the human body on a physical, energetic and spiritual level. She has been a practicing massage therapist for over 15 years, beginning her studies of the human body in 1995 at the Ohashi Institute in NYC. She received her massage therapy certification from the Colorado School of Healing Arts in 1997. After running a busy practice, The Center for Therapeutic Bodywork, in Denver for seven years she moved to Vail and has been at the Vitality Center spa since 2004. Jen prides herself on meeting her clients individual needs whether they are looking for deep relaxation or therapeutic healing. She focuses her practice on deep tissue and advanced neuromuscular therapy. These modalities can help in treating chronic pain and aid in injury rehabilitation, and Jen feels that once most people are exposed to deeper work they get hooked. She truly believes that the human body is capable of ultimate healing and loves helping her clients live a pain-free life. In addition to massage, Jen passionately practices and teaches both yoga and Yamuna Body Rolling.
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
Jeff Morgan, Vitality Center Director
Jeff Morgan has had a very successful career in the health and fitness industry. Passion and dedication to discovering optimal balance in life has lead him to the Vitality Center.
Through proper exercise prescription to all health seekers, the Vitality Center has a unique opportunity to provide a new lifestyle. My goal in becoming the Director of the Vitality Center, is to create a measurable difference in the end users experience in a fitness facility. Through experiencing the wide range of practitioners and services available, our guests and members may obtain a clearer understanding of their true overall ability, physically, emotionally, and medically. . . A complete picture of ones health, under one roof, a complete solution.
My strongest passion resides with my family. Wife, Jody and 2 beautiful children. Jack and Taylor are the reason I strive to always improve what is available to our next generation in fitness and health. I am very excited to be in Vail Valley, and my family and I look forward to skiing, biking, running, golfing, or hiking down the mountain with you soon. Enjoy life.
Feel free to contact Jeff directly at jeff@vailmountainlodge.com or 970-477-3265.
Lisa DeKoster, Spa and Programs Manager at Vail Vitality Center
Call The Vitality Center to schedule an appointment. Email or call 970-476-7721
© 2012 The Vitality Center at Vail Mountain Lodge & Spa, All Rights Reserved | Location & Directions
352 East Meadow Drive, Vail, Colorado 81657
970-476-7960 | service@vailmountainlodge.com
