Problem-Solving Through Healing Touch
Robin Faux's approach to pain relief at Cloudcroft Therapeutic Massage
Massage therapist Robin Faux welcomes me into a cozy room at her second-floor practice at the Otero County Electric Cooperative building in the heart of the village.
Surrounded by framed certificates and Southwestern decor, we sit in cushy consultation chairs and discuss her work. Surprisingly, Faux doesn’t mention relaxation or stress relief. Instead, she speaks about healing.
This article originally appeared in the February 2026 Mountain Monthly.
She explains, “What my training is in is very muscle-specific stuff. I think of it more as problem-solving and pain relief. Not just relaxing muscles, but helping to rehab them.”
Faux says she’s one of only 74 board-certified massage therapists in New Mexico, among the 2,417 active licensed practitioners statewide. “I see that not so much as an achievement but as a commitment to my clients that I’m going to continue pursuing more education, I’m going to continue expanding my skill set,” she says.
The certification process tested her on advanced skills, including gait analysis—observing how someone walks to identify pain sources. The exam also covered manual lymphatic drainage. Faux uses this method to help clients with conditions ranging from chronic lymphedema to post-surgical swelling.
Her path to massage therapy began in Ohio, where she originally planned to become a physical therapist. The independence of massage therapy appealed to her—treating patients without navigating insurance restrictions and doctor referrals. When her school began offering a massage therapy degree program, she enrolled.
Since moving to Cloudcroft permanently in 2011, Faux built a practice that serves everyone from athletes to people recovering from joint replacement surgery. “I see a lot of people who have chronic pain,” she says.
What makes each session unique is Faux’s individualized approach. “I come into the room with an idea of what I’m going to do, and it doesn’t always end that way,” she admits. She gathers information through conversation, observation, and touch—noticing imbalances in “tissue density, texture, even temperature changes. It’s constant. It’s like a constant science experiment.”
Since 2016, Faux has run Cloudcroft Therapeutic Massage with her partner, Jim Swaagman, who recently retired from massage. Despite providing up to seven massages a day during busy summer stretches, she’s learned to use leverage rather than strength, protecting her body through careful mechanics.
“This little town of Cloudcroft has been so supportive of us in our business,” she says. “It’s kind of fun when I’m anywhere in the community, and people say, Oh, hey, this is the person who helped with my shoulder issue. This is the person who was helping me with my knee replacement recovery. Who wouldn’t appreciate that, to have that kind of career?”
“I never thought I would be so happy with a job,” Faux reflects. “I feel fortunate that people trust me enough to let me do this.”
Find care online at cloudcrofttherapeuticmassage.com. Faux takes appointments Friday through Tuesday, including weekends, and recently added online booking for tourists and part-time residents seeking her services.
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