Our Mission

The mission of Saint Sophia is to honor and respect the personal life journey that each person is on and lend a helping hand. The massages, music, and movement therapies at Saint Sophia are all designed to be peaceful, comfortable and rewarding for both body and mind. All massages are for relaxation, stress reduction, and healing.

Our emphasis is on serving the needs of the "walking wounded" whether it is from sore muscles or stress or to aid those in recovery or living with chronic conditiions.  

We have a special love for those far from home, whether tourists, villagers, or people recently moved to Alaska.

What's in a Name? 

Sophia means WISDOM in Greek

Saint Sohpia  had three daughters, and she named them Faith, Hope, and Love.

Without having and sharing FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE we are truly all missing the most profound purposes in our lives and we become diminished in body and soul. Holding on to faith, hope, and love takes great wisdom and sometimes effort. But still, hold on.

WISDOM! Let us attend!

Who Owns Saint Sophia?

Mary Catherine Barker, LMT, AAS, NCBTMB,  is the owner of Saint Sophia and a licensed massage therapist in the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska. NCBTMB is the national credential  in both massage therapy and bodywork.  In addition to being Nationally Ceritfied,she is an active certified and insured member of the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals.

Her passion for personal and environmental health led her to graduate  from the Licensed Practical Nursing program at UAA, and then from the Matanuska Susitna College in Agriculture.  She completed her massage education at The Career Academy Massage Therapy Program, the longest program in Alaska.The Career Academy is an accredited post secondary institution  recognized by The US Departent of Education. 

Her many years experiece in nursing at Providence Hospital and API had a profound effect on her. Her work during the 1970's with the critically ill and injured in the ICU and NICU gave her an immediate  realization of the important benefit of touch in both achieving wellness and in peacefully accepting  the end of life. She was fortunate to have taken a class led by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in the early 1970's.

Her family moved to Nome, Alaska in 1919, and she has lived in Kotzebue, Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage. Her massage studio reflects that heritage. styled like a remote cabin and not like an uptown spa.