Wellness Specialists
Be exhilarated by exploring, be relaxed and rejuvenated by wellness
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A variety of spa treatments are available. Recharge after a day of exploring, or book one as a mid-day pick me up.
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Greet the day with morning stretching class in the open air.
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Your wellness specialist will sometimes offer longer kayak outings or aerobic hikes.
Our wellness program is the embodiment of our belief that nature is vitalizing and that wildness, as Thoreau famously said, supplies a tonic. The program is designed to complement the natural tonic of wildness. Wellness specialists lead morning stretches aboard, or stretching-oriented walks ashore. And they provide a range of nature-inspired body and facial treatments from Humpback Whale Deep Tissue Massage to a Marine Iguana Salt Glow to soothe, reenergize, and feel more connected to the unique region you’re exploring.
Wellness specialists are aboard every ship in the National Geographic-flagged fleet.
Featured Wellness Specialists
Roxana Chiriboga
Wellness Specialist
Roxana was born in Guayaquil, where she discovered her love for aviation. It took her many places around the world for over twenty years. During her time traveling, she had the chance to indulge another of her passions: beauty and wellness. She studied and received a degree as Master in beauty in 1986. While living in Argentina in 2005, Roxana received a second degree in cosmetology. She later returned to Ecuador, residing in Quito, where she began practicing all she had learned during her travels and studies.
Susan Moebus
Wellness Specialist
Susan is a Licensed Massage Therapist, qigong practitioner and passionate whale-watcher. She is fascinated with energy, and with the endlessly creative ability of our bodies - and our Earth - to seek balance. Her work embodies a spirit of curiosity, sensitivity and depth.
Amy Sobesky
Wellness Specialist
Throughout her years of study, performance, and teaching as a professional ballet dancer, Amy Sobesky was drawn to the inspiration and awareness of the mind-body connection through the healing arts. The study of ballet, modern, and flamenco dancing lead her to the practice of meditation, massage, and yoga. She began her training and knowledge of hands on healing with a very powerful session of the Grinberg Method in Berlin, Germany in 2004. Since then she has studied massage therapy in California learning modalities of Swedish and prenatal massage, deep tissue/trigger point work, craniosacral therapy, relaxing hot stone massage, reflexology, acupressure, cupping, and aromatherapy.
Sheila Soriano
Wellness Specialist
Sheila graduated from the Dominican College San Juan in Manila, Philippines, with a B.S. degree in physical therapy in 1998. After graduation, she worked as treatment staff and fitness trainer at Slimmers World International, one of the largest set of fitness centers in all the Philippines.
Susan Weber
Wellness Specialist
Susan grew up playing in the forests and lakes of Northern Michigan and learned independence and a strong work ethic on a family farm with five siblings. She earned a degree in social work from Western Michigan University and practiced in Traverse City for ten years. Drawn to the spirit of the American West, she moved to Santa Fe in the mid-1980s and completed a 1,000-hour program with the New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts. “The mountains, mesas, vistas, blue skies and 300 days of sunshine per year captured my soul; I call it home now, living on the Chama River with red-tailed hawks, yellow-shafted flickers and a queenly cat name Cassiopeia.”
Michelle Brugiere
Wellness Specialist
Michelle grew up in France and found “home” upon her arrival in California in 1985. In 1987, a near death experience opened the doors to the deep connection between Body Mind Spirit and she became fascinated with the human body. Instead of furthering her teaching career she became a licensed massage therapist and wellness practitioner. She discovered many ways to deepen and understand the connection through the art of therapeutic massage and a daily practice of yoga, meditation, and qigong. Her deep connection to Nature and her passion for adventure and the great outdoors took her to many mountain tops in Colorado, California and South America, rock climbing on beautiful sandstone spires in Utah and on challenging granite walls in Colorado and Argentina. Her love for water took her swimming with dolphins in Kauai and New Zealand, dancing with sea lions and manta rays in the Sea of Cortez, and sea kayaking to the islands in Baja.
Maria Concepcion Peña
Wellness Specialist
Maria was born and raised in Guayaquil, Ecuador. In 1989 her father moved to the Galápagos Islands to work, he spent a great deal of time there getting to know the archipelago. She visited for the first time in 1995, but continued to visit her father every year and enjoyed visiting the different sites in the islands.
Alexandra Cueva
Wellness Specialist
Alexandra was born in Quito, also known as the "City in the Center of the World". Since she was a young child, she showed an interest in wellness and health. She studied chemistry and biology and after high school started business management studies to work in the family business as a general manager.
Chella DeVoe
Wellness Specialist
Chella DeVoe grew up in part of America’s heartland, Indianapolis, Indiana. From an early age she was gifted with a spirit of adventure that has taken her on many journeys, including those with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic. Since obtaining a degree in biology from IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis), Chella has travelled and lived in numerous locations from Ireland to Colorado, Guatemala, and Laos. Most recently, Chella has chosen to call Vancouver, Washington her home.
Hilda Sarmiento
Wellness Specialist
Hilda was born in the city of Cuenca, and subsequently moved to Quito where she has lived ever since.
Nancy Sheehan
Wellness Specialist
Nancy Sheehan has been a practicing massage therapist for over 20 years. Her interest in massage therapy began while training for her first triathlon. That experience prompted her to begin studying at the International School of Massage Therapy in San Francisco. Later she founded Cranbury Therapeutic Massage, a thriving massage practice dedicated to the belief that regular massage therapy can be a powerfully relaxing and centering experience that contributes to lasting improvements in health, balance and awareness.
Becky Timbers
Wellness Specialist
Becky Timbers was born and raised in Vermont, where she spent her childhood exploring the outdoors and enjoying country life. She is fortunate to have parents who love to travel, so at an early age, she was bitten by the travel bug and subsequently spent five months in New Zealand and a year in Kenya through study abroad programs.
Darcy Vanderbush
Wellness Specialist
Darcy lives in Boulder, Colorado, and has worked in the wellness field for over 20 years. She is a yoga teacher, massage therapist, and fitness instructor. Darcy also provides people with nutritional counseling as well as offering instruction in meditation and relaxation practices. She received her M.A. in counseling psychology from the University of Colorado in 1997.
