Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeanette Lundell.
Hi Jeanette, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story with massage began in 2014, when I enrolled at the PIttsburgh School of Massage Therapy- signing myself up for a year of intensive curriculum, most of which I had never had exposure to. Why you might ask? I needed a career change, and after a conversation with a family member who had their own massage practice I decided I’d give massage a try. I can’t say that I was super confident in my first few months, but by the end of that year I enjoyed what I did, and was confident that I would be successful at it. I started my own business right away, renting from a few local spots before settling down in McCandless Township as Inner Roots Wellness. Originally I was just planning on it being a one-woman-show. I had established myself as a deeper pressure therapist, using a blend of what I knew needed to be worked on mixed with my clients expectations or what the enjoyed the most about massage. As the years went on, the economical shifts over the years led me to considering employing independent contractors-not employees- which is where we are today: A full time therapist and owner (myself) with three independent contractors. It’s been a wild ride since 2015, and one that I wouldn’t trade for the world. We’ve had our ups and downs, financially strained years just as any other business. The added bonus was that I had not a lick of business experience when I started. My business is where it is at today because I was blessed to meet valuable people who would become an integral part of its development along the way. Without those people, Inner Roots would not have made it to it’s ten year marker. Now, at our ten year marker, I have shifted the business pathway into something that I find unique-especially in our industry.
We have a great team that can work with any pressure preference, ones that I would consider your “neighborhood massage therapists”. We genuinely care about all aspects of your health because all of it-emotional, physical, and spiritual- affects how we address your body. Not every session should leave you sore-nor does it have to if you don’t enjoy that aspect. There will be times that no matter how badly your shoulders hurt, a firmer pressure relaxation style massage may be more beneficial. Frustrated that you didn’t get a raise after bending over backward? Grieving from the loss of a family member? It all matters. That’s where our team rocks it, truly. We support healthy lifestyles for the youth, senior citizens, expectant mothers, athletes- pretty much anyone that is experiencing pain. Our motto? If one of us isn’t the right fit for you, we will refer you to a colleague that we know, and trust. Not just a random massage place down the street. Even if you will not be a patron of our business, we still view you as our clientele family none the less.
Now, I grew up with sub-par math skills to be honest, So when it came to the numbers side of the business, I knew I needed it to be simple. (Honestly this is more for me, than anyone else. The more options you have, the more you have to track. As a small business owner still wearing 95% of the hats…) less is more and simple is better. In the end this would be an integral part of why we were so successful, and continues to be a core value that serves the business and the clientele well. We do not offer add-on’s- simply because we do not feel that our client should have to be the expert on what professional treatments are appropriate. That’s the whole reason you pay us to do, what we do, how we do it. More importantly, I could not fathom having to say to someone mid session “You know, hot stones would really break this up. It’s an extra fifteen dollars.” The last thing I want any client to do, after they’ve already relaxed, is to start calculating whether they have enough to add that on. The session becomes useless. I never wanted to assume that everyone was flush with cash. We have a variety of techniques we offer-cupping, gua sha, hot stones, hot towels, heat packs, essential oils- all available to you in our standard sessions at no extra cost. We offer specialized sessions as well: prenatal, manual lymph drainage and cranial sacral work is available. Our office is a homey comfy cozy vibe. I wanted it to feel like my home away from home, and so far we have had ten years of clients who have felt the same.
Easy, simple and affordable massage care. Without the hassles of long term contracts or any of the other tiny bullet points. We have individual sessions for those who visit us several times a year, memberships for those who require a little more maintenance and specialized services for unique moments in life.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has NOT been a smooth road. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. If there was one person that made all the mistakes- it was me and there are too many to list. Most of us small business owners that start with no capital, no business credit usually make alot of mistakes the first 3-5 years. I took out several capital loans with my credit card servicing company, sold packages I had no business selling and occasionally hit a few great months where I spent, when I should’ve saved. Only a quiet few knew when I suffered. A few folks graciously extended helping hands and support. When I tell you that I would do it all over again, just to have those same experiences- I am not kidding. Most folks overlook the tiny connections we make along the way. Thanks to my brains over-analyzing tendency, I usually don’t miss out on all those little joys, those moments of gratitude.
As stated previously, I had zero business skills. I set rates I thought were affordable, policies i thought were fair and provided honest therapuetic massage to the best of my ability. I was just “me”! Honestly, I was just happy to meet new people and provide them relief month after month. When you feel that important to someones self-care routine, it really doesn’t matter what you have to go through to keep the business going. Sure there were food bank weeks, ramen weeks, leftovers and stretch it as far as possible meals. There were more moments however where-whether God, the universe or mother natures energy-I was sure that whatever I was going through had a purpose, and that I would not be let down, as long as I continued to give it my all. Now- I look back on all that like ‘whew-okay covered that hurdle” and it feels like a BLIP on the radar. Now- after ten years of experience I have a very clear light of what the business path is, both for success and for an impact on our massage industry. I’m excited about our future now- so all those trials I went through? The lessons may not be valuable now, but I sure have a wealth of information to share with newer therapists when I run into them.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in massage therapy, as a licensed massage professional in the state of PA. I provide therapeutic massage sessions to a range of clientele using techniques such as Ashiatsu, cupping, trigger point therapy, myofascial release, relaxation techniques and heated elements. The goal of my sessions is to give my clients time to “just be”. My career started out as mostly chatters, but now I am happy to say that most are in that sleepy in and out zone. Which is exactly where I need them to be.
Massage is DIFFERENT now, if you haven’t noticed. It used to be Swedish or “Deep Tissue”. The world has changed. Deep Tissue doesn’t and shouldn’t equal deep pressure. There are techniques that target deeper layers of muscle tissue that don’t actually deliver hard pressure. We have a plethora of different techniques to learn now, and excellent ones too for folks that narrow their specialty even more to medical, orthopedic or sports massage. One massage is not the same as the next. We all work very differently now.
An additional factor is our current economy, and society as a whole. It used to be a few things-desk workers, an injury, those that drove for a living. Now, it seems that existing is painful, and no one has actual time for themselves. Even during the hour they set aside in the morning their head is swimming with to-do lists, kids game schedules and what needs to be paid when. All of these things-life really-affect your body. The goal of our work is to support lifestyle change and maintenance, in a positive way. We are affected by so many things on a day to day basis-we all know what they are. Now more than ever I feel like we as humans are so disconnected from our bodies. I’ve had many clients come in and say “I thought I knew my body, but lately I’ve been more aware of more things” and feel happy about that. They weren’t on auto-pilot anymore. When things popped up, they noticed them- and most of the time knew exactly what they did to flare something up. It’s humbling, because truly all we are providing as therapists is therapeutic touch. That’s the deeper more profound change that happens with regular massage. The pain relief just becomes a bonus at that point.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I want folks to not only feel good in their own body, but be aware of it and connected to it. I can’t do my job if my clients cannot read their own body and I don’t expect clients to know HOW to do this right off the bat. It’s a learned behavior, one that takes time to build up with any therapist. I know I keep saying it but.. less is more, simple is better! At Inner Roots, we ask about what matters, and understand when you don’t feel comfortable to answer something. We try to keep our verbiage simple and understandable- we do not assume that you read through the same 5 anatomy and physiology textbooks that we did. Just like you learn job at your company- you learn us and we learn you. It doesn’t work any other way.
The other thing that matters to me most is not sending folks to the wrong professional. In our industry, networking is important. Word of mouth is still our number one source of clients. We tend to network with PT, Chiropractic, Fitness and other wellness professionals. I only network with individuals that I think add value to Inner Roots Wellness mission.
I take passing along names, other businesses and individuals seriously. I don’t hand out other professionals information like candy hoping for volume, instead of accuracy. I share it when it’s needed, or when it is asked for. That’s when it’s more valuable.
Pricing:
- 60-Minutes: $105
- 75-Minutes: $120
- 90-Minutes: $140
- Memberships: $95-130
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.innerrootspgh.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innerrootswellness_burgh
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innerrootswellnesspgh/
