Joe Alberico
Staff Writer
Through his willingness to quickly relieve a nagging ache or pain, John-Ray Gonzalez has gained a reputation within his circle of friends as the resident massage therapist.
Outside of that circle, the Harlingen native is a licensed one. And quite good to boot.
Just ask his new friend — UFC fighter Michael Johnson.
“I actually haven’t had real great work until I met John-Ray,” said Johnson, the No. 9-ranked competitor in the UFC’s lightweight division. “I’ve only worked with John-Ray (since meeting him). If I have an opportunity to get him out, I make sure I can.”
By ‘get him out,’ Johnson means flying Gonzalez to Las Vegas, a common host city of the UFC’s nationally televised events and pay-per-views. Gonzalez recently spent a week in Sin City ahead of Johnson’s July 7 lightweight fight against UFC newcomer Justin Gaethje in the main event of the UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series finale fight card on Fox Sports 1.
Gatheje defeated Johnson by TKO in the final seconds of Round 2 in what many have deemed the fight of the year so far in 2017.
Gonzalez spent the week attached to Johnson’s hip, grinding out knots, strains and bruises Johnson endured during a rigorous training regiment leading up to his bout.
“I move differently when John-Ray works on me,” Johnson added. “I can feel that I’m stronger in different areas.”
The Vegas venture wasn’t Gonzalez’s first gig with Johnson. He also helped the St. Louis product prior to his TKO of Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC Fight Night on September 17, 2016, at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo.
It hasn’t taken long for Johnson to become a believer.
“(Massage therapy) is very essential. People see the fights and they don’t think we’re putting our bodies through much. But it’s not the fight — it’s the training camps. It’s the 10-12 weeks we’re killing our bodies before the fight. That’s what John-Ray is here for.”
Before is the key for Gonzalez, who at just 24 years old owns and operates the Greater Therapeutics massage clinic at 1409 Stuart Place Road in Harlingen, and has made his living preparing his clients for a higher quality of life.
The Harlingen South High School graduate left behind a dead-end job as a restaurant server to pursue a passion for people. That fervor took him to the South Texas Vocational Technical Institute, where he earned his education in massage therapy before becoming licensed in his field in Jan. 2016.
“I was so hungry for knowledge. I was never the best in my class, but that never stopped me from pursuing and achieving my goal,” Gonzalez said of his time at STVTI. “I had to spend hours and hours studying.”
Gonzalez spent his 7 1/2 months at STVTI learning anatomy, physiology and pathology before eventually moving on to message techniques for each portion of the human body. Prior to earning his graduate certificate, he was required to complete 700 hours of school time and an internship, and said he got his money’s worth.
“It was harder than it looked,” he said. “There were tests I had to take twice. I would finish classes, go to tutoring for a few hours and then go home and study more. I wanted to be the best I could be.”
Gonzalez said two motives propelled him during his initial schooling: a desire to help people and a refusal to spend his working life behind a computer or in a restaurant.
“I love people,” he said. “And I knew if I could do something to better other people’s lives, I’d be happier with the direction my own life was going.”
Gonzalez’s desire to aid others by perfecting his craft took an interesting path that led him to Johnson and elevated his skillset.
After finding an ad for a massage therapy training program in a magazine, Gonzalez took a plane to Boca Raton, Florida, where he trained under world-renowned massage therapist George Kousaleos, a 39-year veteran of the craft who has made his mark working with NFL athletes, Olympians and others during his decades-long career.
Kousaleos’ program runs for just 10 weeks out of the year, and Gonzalez was one of 60 students to train under the instructor in 2016.
It was under Kousaleos that Gonzalez learned a new technique named CORE myofascial therapy — or CORE sports body work. According to Kousaleous, CORE myofascial therapy focuses on structural integration body work, and goes beyond surface tissues with an emphasis on intrinsic tissues to improve balance and flexibility improvement.
The training saw Gonzalez hone his skills on current NFL players, including New Orleans Saints veteran running back Mark Ingram, and then-rookies Joey Bosa (San Diego Chargers) and Keanu Neal (Atlanta Falcons) who were preparing for the NFL combine. It was during his week in Florida that Gonzalez also met and began to develop his relationship with Johnson.
“My time in Florida really changed my career,” Gonzalez said. “It made me realize how much I enjoy working with athletes, and how much athletes can get out of what I do.”
Kousaleos said Gonzalez’s passion was visible from the moment the training began, and said the young therapist has a future in sports therapy if he decides to pursue it.
“He was younger than most of the therapists that came in, but I could tell that he was dedicated and had great skills,” Kousaleos said. “I think whatever he does he probably displays that level of passion. It’s not manufactured, it’s sincere.
“I hope someday I get a call from the Dallas Cowboys where someone tells me ‘Give me four massage therapists, we want to interview them.’ John-Ray would be at the top of the list.”
In the meantime, Gonzalez is hopeful he can convince local high school athletes, among others, to discover the benefits of massage therapy.
“My goal right now is to expand my business and bring things that aren’t normally brought to the Rio Grande Valley,” Gonzalez said. “I want to bring a certain type of recovery that will allow our athletes to explode and play their best — to gain attention and to go to the best colleges in America.
“People look at a high school like Austin West Lake and say ‘Man, they have a nutritionist and a massage therapist,’ but hey, I’m here. I’m right here in the Valley and I can help.”