Care Through Touch Institute

04/18/2026

To know Lisa is to love her. A former client, Lisa now gives her gift of healing massage to others seeking relief and connection. Every week at ladies night in the mission, she offers her joy and humor to clients who return week after week. Here, she shares her thoughts on Holy Thursday on the annual CTI ritual of foot massage on this day. Always by her side is her faithful companion Claude, her pet turtle. Scroll through the photos to meet him and see her keeping him cool in the planter with a little shower. Practitioners like Lisa are the heart and soul of Care Through Touch . @

04/04/2026

The following poem was written by Paul Totah a freelance writer on Good Friday, 2023 after observing Care Through Touch massage therapists providing foot massage at the Healing Well on Holy Thursday 2023

Washing the feet then, just as now,
Is a prelude to something else.
When the women at the well
In the Tenderloin began their ministrations,
They hold bare feet close to their sternum
before cleaning feet unused to tenderness.
The women massaged the fear straight out
Of the flesh and bones, held the longing
In their hands, hoping that the love
Shared would transcend from feet
To heart, then to hands and head,
Run through nerves and veins
Letting these people know they are worthy
Of touch. Only then, can our feet sustain us
When we walk on the hard pavement
Past fallen brothers, sisters who are fast asleep
In the torpor of their longing. Then the memory
Of love's touch, perhaps, will take on new form,
New life, and transcend into something corporeal
And caring. Something real. Something healing.

04/04/2026

Holy Thursday free foot massage, new socks and a bag of treats for Ladies Night at

04/03/2026

Treat for the Feet annual foot massage for our marginally housed neighbors in

04/01/2026

Free foot massage and treats for our unhoused and marginally housed neighbors on Holy Thursday.

04/01/2026

Every spring, we bring relaxing foot massages, fresh socks, and small treats to our unhoused neighbors across the city— a simple act of care that brings comfort, dignity, and connection.
We’ll be out again on Thursday, April 2 continuing this long‑held tradition of showing up with compassion and community.
A little care goes a long way.

04/01/2026

Treat for the Feet is almost here! 💛 Every spring, we bring relaxing foot massages, fresh socks, and small treats to our unhoused neighbors across the city— a simple act of care that brings comfort, dignity, and connection.
We’ll be out again on Thursday, April 2 continuing this long‑held tradition of showing up with compassion and community.
A little care goes a long way.

04/01/2026

Treat for the Feet is almost here! 💛 Every spring, we bring relaxing foot massages, fresh socks, and small treats to our unhoused neighbors across the city— a simple act of care that brings comfort, dignity, and connection.
We’ll be out again on Thursday, April 2 continuing this long‑held tradition of showing up with compassion and community.
A little care goes a long way.

04/01/2026

Human touch is a basic need. Caring,
Compassionate trauma informed massage helps reset the nervous system. Restore calm and relieve pain. CTI offers free seated massage 5 days a week across the City . Check out our website for details ! www.carethroughrouch.org.

03/25/2026

Celebrating Women’s History Month, we honor the women whose compassion, courage, and quiet leadership have shaped CTI’s story from the very beginning. Shout out to our long time massage therapist /master trainer/ supply replenisher and general do a little of everything Pamela - her quiet strength and commitment exemplify the extraordinary people who share their gifts and care with CTI clients and fellow practitioners. We appreciate all you do Pamela! 🙏🏽💜

03/19/2026

In this clip, Anthony, an unhoused client who has been showing up for free massage for over 6 years shares how trauma-informed massage helps him release the “toxins” of stress, fear, and exhaustion that build up in both body and mind. His words offer a powerful reminder of how compassionate, grounding touch can create space for relief, clarity, and dignity in the midst of daily hardship. Provided as part of the wrap around services from our long-term community partner Harm Reduction Therapy Center

In this clip, an unhoused community member shares how trauma-informed massage helps him release the “toxins” of stress, fear, and exhaustion that build up in...

03/06/2026

If you watch one thing today- let it be this!!! It will change how you think about healing and our ability as humans to connect and care for one another. Listen to firsthand accounts of the power of healing, trauma informed massage from our unhoused clients and massage practitioners. This is a true example of how a "small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world." (To quote Margaret Mead.)

Care Through Touch Institute (CTI) has brought healing and human connection to San Francisco’s unhoused and marginally housed neighbors through free, trauma-informed seated massage for over 40 years. 5 days a week across the City of San Francisco through partner sites like The Healing WELL SF , Hospitality House, Harm Reduction Therapy Center, Mission Resource Center, The Gubbio Project, Tenderloin Self Help, Tom Waddell Medical Center.

For close to 30 years the Care Through Touch Institute (CTI) has brought healing and human connection to San Francisco’s unhoused and marginally housed neigh...