Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Brown.
Hi Emily, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I decided to go to massage school after having gotten a degree in Jazz Vocal Performance. I was supporting myself working an insurance job after college, and quickly discovered I hated the feel of Corporate America. Even though I was working at a small pediatrics office, after two years of pushing pieces of paper around a desk all day I was very ready for something different.
I remember thinking as a kid that I might want to go into massage, but was never sure if it was a valid career choice. After going to school for it, there was no way I could think of doing anything else. There’s nothing like seeing the difference in how a client feels and moves after a massage and knowing that you are the one that made that change in them.
My passion for learning and for understanding the body helped me to develop my craft quickly, and to build my clientele. Any time someone on my table had an issue I didn’t fully grasp, I was researching everything I could about it so I could be more effective in their care. I grew to have a very solid understanding of musculoskeletal issues, along with various modalities and techniques to help improve those issues.
By 2017 I was working for myself, and by 2020 I was ready to open my own brick and mortar and start hiring. I had reached a point where I could not fit any more people on to my schedule, and so I decided it was time to bring on more sets of hands. Two weeks after I opened my doors and was about to put out a job ad, Covid hit and lock down happened. I closed my doors soon after.
Fast forward three years of waiting for massage therapists to be allowed to work again, along with several other hiccups including developing Long Covid, having to move my office because of building damage in the tornado of 2021, and searching for office space that fit all of my needs, the downstairs of the building I had been in before the pandemic opened up. The chiropractor who had been there for years called me out of the blue and told me she was thinking of moving and wanted to know if I wanted to rent the space. What a dream come true!
Present day, we have taken over both floors of this beautiful old stone farmhouse filled with natural light, and Jazz Hands finally feels like it’s come home. I have spent the last 2.5 years building an amazing staff with a focus on learning, growth and development. Our ethos is to heal the world one body at a time, and we all work hard to make steps towards that goal. We have consistent trainings, working on body mechanics for the therapists and techniques for providing the most effective sessions possible for our clients. We have grown to include a sauna in our services, as well as a variety of styles and modalities to provide therapeutic, meaningful sessions for everyone who comes in the door, whether they need help rehabilitating an injury, or are looking for a reset after a stressful week.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the first two years, I feel like not a week went by where I didn’t question my sanity, or the validity of the business, or both. I have been battling various stages of Long Covid the entire time I have had Jazz Hands, which made the professional challenges all that much harder.
For starters, before this iteration of Jazz Hands even happened, Covid pushed everything back a minimum of three years. I had to close my first attempt at Jazz Hands before it was even off the ground. Then the tornado of 2021 damaged my home office and made it so I had to find another place to work.
Now that Jazz Hands is fully up and running, the struggles seem to be consistent with what all new business owners must go through. There are so many hats you have to wear at all times, so many financial concerns constantly overhead. From trying to find a way to be an affordable service – because I believe self care should be accessible to all – while also making sure my staff feel properly compensated, while also having enough left over to cover my own bills, to figuring out marketing so people come in the door, to providing training and mentorship for my therapists, striving to be a good boss, and still seeing my own clients….burnout has been a constant threat. But in the end, I have happy staff, and happy clients who see a different in their bodies because of our services. That makes it all worth it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Jazz Hands Therapeutic Massage. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Jazz Hands Therapeutic Massage is the place people go to feel a difference in their body. Our mission is to heal the world one body at a time, and we are constantly striving to make that a reality. We specialize in all forms of therapeutic massage, ranging from helping pre- and post-surgery and collaborating with PT’s to helping rehabilitate an injury, all the way through general aches and pains from sports and activities in daily life, to chronic pain from repetitive stress, work tension, and providing relaxing sessions to calm the nervous system, helping to reduce anxiety and general discomfort.
We provide tailored sessions specifically curated for each client instead of a cookie cutter experience. Our sessions are a full hour or 90 minutes instead of the more common 50 or 55 minute sessions provided elsewhere, and our therapists use every bit of that time to make it the best experience they can. Each session starts with a quick conversation with the therapist so they can get an idea of what you want to work on and your history, and they take it from there, using various modalities to help make your session exactly what your body needs. Our goal is for every client to walk out our door feeling their best. Feeling like a difference was made to their body instead of feeling like they just got a good lotioning.
I am so proud of my staff, and of our reputation for healing. Each of my therapists has their own style and their own areas of expertise, but they all have a deep love of helping people and providing therapeutic, healing work. We have become know for our focus on giving meaningful massage, and the people who care about quality in their bodywork sessions find us.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
My hope for the Massage Therapy industry as a whole is that it continues to trend towards being seen as a part of healthcare instead of being healthcare adjacent. Since licensure became mandatory in 2012 Massage has gained credence as a legitimate form of self care instead of just a luxury, frufru service. But I would love to go one better and start seeing it incorporated into preventative healthcare plans. I’d love to see it being offered as a precursor to surgery, either to see if the issue can be healed without surgery or to help with the healing process after a surgery is performed, which massage has been shown to do.
In any case, I see Massage Therapy continuing to grow in popularity in the field of self-care. Society as a whole is learning the value of mindfulness, of self-care, of checking in with one’s feelings and one’s body. Massage is such a core part of all of those things, and many people are learning the importance of regular body work. At Jazz Hands, we believe in the power of a monthly massage, and offer loyalty programs to help people to stay on their monthly self-care routine, because we see the difference it makes in our clients. More and more people are becoming believers in consistent, meaningful body work, and I hope to continue to see this trend grow. This way we can continue working towards our goal of healing the world one body at a time.
Pricing:
- 60 Minute Massage: 110
- 90 Minute Massage: 150
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jazzhandsmassages.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazzhandsmassages
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jazzhandsmassages
