Our Team.
Meet Dr. Brad Johnson and Dr. Lukas Johansen — Gonstead-trained chiropractors serving the Santa Barbara community with over 30 years of combined experience.
Our Philosophy.
Chiropractic the way it was meant to be.
We believe your body is not broken — it's adaptable, resilient, and capable of extraordinary healing when given the right conditions. Our job isn't to cover up pain with medication or rush you into surgery. Our job is to find the cause of your problem, correct it with precision, and give you the tools to stay well long after you leave our office.
That philosophy has guided this practice for more than three decades. It's why so many of our patients have been coming to us for years — some since the very beginning — and why we take the time to actually listen, examine thoroughly, and adjust with care.
We're not a high-volume clinic. We know your name. We know your history. And we're genuinely invested in your wellbeing.
Our Doctors
Founder | 35+ Years in Practice | Gonstead Specialist
Brad Johnson, DC
Brad Johnson didn't find chiropractic in a textbook — he found it in crisis, the way many people do.
At 21, while surfing in Kauai, he had a serious accident that left him with a traumatic neck injury. Over the following weeks, severe migraine headaches, blurred vision, and facial numbness developed. Reluctantly — at the insistence of friends — he ended up in a chiropractor's office in Kapaa, Kauai. After a few visits, he was symptom free. The injury had misaligned his upper cervical spine, producing all of his symptoms. Specific chiropractic adjustments corrected the misalignment, and the symptoms resolved. The experience changed his life.
Years later, at 28, while traveling in Bali, he ran into a chiropractor — who turned out to be an intern from that same Kauai office. For the next six weeks, Brad shadowed Dr. Ryan as he treated patients from the surrounding communities, with remarkable results. The inspiration was undeniable.
Back in California, Brad returned to UCSB to complete his undergraduate requirements, then enrolled at Life Chiropractic College West, graduating in the fall of 1988. He has been in practice for over 35 years.
Brad graduated with a deep specialization in the Gonstead technique, an approach known for its rigorous analysis and highly specific adjustments. Rather than taking a generalized approach to the spine, Gonstead practitioners study the biomechanics of each individual patient — finding exactly where the problem is, understanding why it's there, and correcting it with precision.
After 35 years in practice, Brad is still as passionate about chiropractic as the day he started. He's a living example of what consistent chiropractic care and an active lifestyle can do — and he brings that energy and commitment to every patient he sees.
Outside the office, you'll find Brad on the water, spending time with his wife, and keeping up with their dog Sprocket.
Credentials:
Doctor of Chiropractic, Life Chiropractic College West
Gonstead Technique Specialist
35+ years in practice
Lukas Johansen, DC
Like many of his patients, Dr. Lukas Johansen discovered chiropractic because an injury left him searching for answers.
When he was 19, Lukas was hit by a car in a crosswalk. Weeks of standard treatments failed to clear up the severe back and chest pain that followed. Frustrated and skeptical, he finally tried a chiropractor. After his first adjustment, he took his first full, pain-free breath in over a month. That moment completely changed his perspective on medicine: real recovery means fixing the root cause, not just masking the symptoms.
His interest in how the body moves and heals deepened a few years later while playing soccer at UC Santa Barbara. Sidelined by a torn MCL and recurring low back pain, he learned firsthand how frustrating it is to be restricted. While rehabbing, he began working with patients here at Santa Barbara Family Chiropractic in 2019, seeing how precise, corrective care restores not just movement, but a person’s daily confidence.
Driven by those experiences, Dr. Johansen enrolled in and graduated summa cum laude at the top of his class from Life Chiropractic College West. To handle complex joint and spinal issues, he specialized heavily, serving as President of the Extremities Club and Vice President of both the Gonstead and Chiropractic Biophysics Clubs.
Today, his approach is straightforward and individualized. Whether you are an athlete, a busy professional, or simply want to move without limitations, the goal is exactly the same: find the true mechanical issue, map out a clear plan, and get you back to doing what you love.
Credentials & Expertise:
Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) | Life Chiropractic College West (Summa Cum Laude)
Gonstead Technique Specialist
Chiropractic Biophysics (CBP) | Certified
Extremity Adjusting Specialist
Former President, Extremities Club, LCCW
Chiropractor
Our Staff
Kaelyn Ivers
Walk into Santa Barbara Family Chiropractic and the first thing you'll notice is Kaelyn. She knows your name, remembers how you were feeling at your last visit, and somehow makes a waiting room feel like a living room.
As Office Manager, she keeps everything running smoothly — scheduling, coordination, all the moving parts that let the doctors focus entirely on their patients. But her real gift is simpler than any job title: she makes people feel at home the moment they walk through the door. This place wouldn't be the same without her.
Office Manager
Our History.
Thirty years in the making.
Santa Barbara Family Chiropractic was founded in 2011 by Dr. Nick Araza, who moved across the country from Boston with his wife Jen to build something from the ground up. They poured themselves into it — and the Santa Barbara community poured back. One patient at a time, one adjustment at a time, the practice became a trusted fixture on Hope Avenue.
Dr. Brad Johnson had already been practicing chiropractic in Santa Barbara for years when his path crossed with Nick's. A shared passion for the Gonstead technique and a genuine belief in what chiropractic could do for people drew them together. Brad came in as a partner, bringing his decades of experience and his deep roots in the community.
A few years ago, Nick made the decision to move his family back east — a personal choice, made with love, and one that Brad fully supported. Brad took the helm, kept the doors open, and kept doing what he'd always done: showing up, adjusting spines, and taking care of Santa Barbara families the way only someone with 35 years of experience and genuine community roots can.
Now, with Dr. Lukas Johansen joining the practice, the story enters its next chapter. A new generation of Gonstead care — trained to the same standard, committed to the same mission, right here on Hope Avenue.
