Get to know Adam Cardona, the founder and Chief of Operations at Elite Healers Sports Massage in New York City. With more than 17 years of experience as a licensed massage therapist and certified personal trainer, Adam has established a massage clinic based on precision, care, and results. The services at Elite Healers include sports massage, medical massage, deep tissue therapy, and more, specifically designed to address the individual needs of each client, from professional athletes to weekend warriors.
Since establishing Elite Healers in 2019, Adam has assisted people in recovering, rejuvenating, and performing at their best. In this interview, Adam opens up about his experience, the inspiration for his practice, and what distinguishes Elite Healers in a crowded NYC wellness scene. He also gets into how his YouTube channel teaches clients and other therapists, and why his hands-on, client-centered approach is changing recovery and performance optimization.
1. Adam, your journey with Elite Healers Sports Massage has positioned you as a leader in the athletic recovery space. What inspired you to create a specialized massage practice focused on athletes, and what was the defining moment that set you on this path?
My journey with Elite Healers started from my roots in fitness and athletics. I kicked off as a personal trainer back in 2005, and over the years, I saw how recovery was the make-or-break factor for performance. Athletes push their limits daily, but the recovery options out there—like generic massages—just weren’t cutting it for their specific needs.
What inspired me? I’d say it was spotting a real gap in the New York Sports Massage market. Most massage practices were all about relaxation, not the targeted care athletes need to bounce back and keep performing. It made it really difficult to find that rare massage therapist who was familiar with your sport. The need was there, I saw it for both athletes and myself. On a personal level, I was born with a deformed hip socket and had reconstructive surgery as a kid. I managed to bounce back and was athletic throughout my late teens and 20s, and valued the need for proper athletic recovery from a young age. This made high-quality massage therapy part of my life before I even started working in the fitness world. That experience of my need for high-quality athletic recovery ignited my drive to help others manage pain and optimize their bodies.
2. In your interview with Voyage New York, you mentioned that traditional massage techniques often fall short for athletes. What were the key limitations you observed, and how does Elite Healers Sports Massage bridge these gaps to optimize athletic recovery?
Traditional massage techniques are great for unwinding, but for athletes, they often miss the mark. They’re too general and are focused on relaxation rather than tackling the specific issues athletes face, like muscle imbalances, repetitive strain, or injury risks.
In my Voyage New York interview, I pointed out how these standard approaches don’t sync up with an athlete’s training cycle or sport-specific demands. You might feel good for a day, but they don’t dig into the deeper problems or set you up for long-term success.
At Elite Healers, we flip that script. We craft custom treatment plans mixing sports massage, deep tissue therapy, and myofascial release—tailored to each athlete’s needs. Whether it’s prepping for a big event, recovering post-game, or managing chronic pain, our program-based approach (think multi-week therapy plans) ensures we’re fixing the root issues, not just slapping a Band-Aid on symptoms.
3. Your recent feature in NY Weekly highlights how your team combines stretching with myofascial release and deep tissue massage to re-educate muscle movement patterns. Can you elaborate on how this approach enhances both recovery and performance for athletes?
Our team’s approach, as highlighted in the NY Weekly article, is all about layering techniques like stretching, myofascial release, and deep tissue massage into a sports massage for enhanced results. It’s not just about feeling better in the moment; it’s about retraining how your muscles move and function over time.
Here’s how it breaks down: Stretching boosts flexibility and keeps injuries at bay. Myofascial release zeros in on the fascia, which is the connective tissue that gets tight and restricts your movement, allowing the athlete to move better. Deep tissue massage hits the deeper muscle layers, breaking up knots and scar tissue that mess with your peak performance.
Put them together, and you’ve got a powerhouse combo. It corrects imbalances, cuts down tension, and rewires movement patterns. Athletes recover quicker, move smoother, stay stronger, and are ready to crush it on the field or in the gym.
4. Sports massage has evolved significantly with advancements in therapy techniques. What are some of the latest innovations or specialized methods that your practice incorporates to stay ahead in the field?
Sports massage is always evolving, and we’re all about staying ahead of the curve at Elite Healers. One big innovation we’ve leaned into is our program-based massage therapy—structured, multi-week plans that prioritize long-term recovery over quick fixes.
We’re also exploring how to weave in other modalities. Think red light therapy or Graston techniques to round out what we do with massage. It’s about giving athletes a fuller toolbox for recovery.
On top of that, we’re cooking up some proprietary methods, pulling from the latest research in sports recovery. Our team’s constantly leveling up with new certifications, and fresh insights to keep us sharp and cutting-edge in the massage therapy game.
5. As both an athlete and a trainer, you have firsthand experience with the demands of high-performance sports. How have your personal experiences shaped the philosophy and specialized techniques offered at Elite Healers Sports Massage?
Being an athlete and a trainer myself has totally shaped how I run Elite Healers. My hip condition as a kid and the surgery that followed taught me early on what recovery really means. Then, as a trainer, I saw how athletes could grind hard but still stall out if their recovery wasn’t on point.
Those moments built my philosophy: it’s not just about patching people up today—it’s about preventing problems tomorrow and boosting performance for the long haul. I’ve been in their shoes, so I get it.
That’s why our techniques, such as sports massage, medical massage, and custom programs, are practical and dialed in to what athletes actually need. We’re here to keep them moving better, recovering faster, and dominating their game, period.
Conclusion
This interview establishes the position of Elite Healers Sports Massage as not just a wellness treatment but as a personalized experience towards peak performance and health. Adam is considered one of New York City’s top-recommended massage therapists as his philosophy centers on long-term wellness and meaningful results. His passion for educating others, evident through his in-person work and digital outreach, reflects a broader mission: empowering individuals to take ownership of their healing and growth.
