Our Story

In April of 2005, Dr. Shuel sold his chiropractic practice in Santa Paula, California where he had practiced since 1988. He and his wife Kathleen moved to San Antonio Texas, along with their four daughters. His retirement plan was to take a few years off and decide what he wanted to do with the next phase of his life. His two youngest daughters still had a few years of high school left. The plan was to get the girls out of school, travel a bit with Kathleen and enjoy life.

The plan was going pretty well for five days. Then on the fifth day he decided to get a massage – that massage triggered an idea. “What if he opened a massage center, where clients could get a therapeutic level massage session – similar to the session he and his staff did back in California?” Most massage centers were giving a more relaxing, spa like massage. He thought there might be a market for a more medical style massage. He thought about this idea over the next several weeks and had several discussions with Kathleen. Then in May 2005 he made the decision to open a new business and was ready to end his retirement.

Oak Haven Massage opened its doors in November of 2005. As of July 2023, they completed 1.7 million massage sessions - they currently employ 250 employees including 200 full time massage therapists ... so much for retirement.

Today, Oak Haven Massage is proudly led by the second and third generations of the Shuel family. Dr. Shuel’s daughters, Allison and Becca, have taken the helm, expanding and evolving the business while staying true to its original mission of providing therapeutic excellence. His granddaughter, Rylee, has also joined the team, bringing fresh energy and perspective as the company looks to the future. Together, they are honoring Dr. Shuel’s legacy while writing the next chapters of Oak Haven’s story.