Inspiring Conversations with Shelby Owen of The Massage Collective

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Owen.

Hi Shelby, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a massage therapist and that I wanted to open my own business. After getting my associate’s for studying massage therapy and taking some business courses, I spent six years working in high-end spas in the Kansas City area, honing my skills and building clientele. I pride myself on my empathy and use a combination of many modalities to make sure your needs are put first and create a comfortable and safe space for all. With a lot of courage, I opened up The Massage Collective in February 2020 with the idea of being on my own for a couple of years and then collectively working with other spa providers and small business owners under one roof. Let me tell you, what we plan doesn’t always stay the course. And when you depend solely on yourself for income, you learn to roll with the punches. Just a short six weeks after opening my doors, the pandemic put us into total lockdown, and I had to close the doors I had just opened for an unforeseeable amount of time. But I am a silver-lining kind of gal; something unique happened during that time. I had people reaching out to me who were experiencing burnout at their current jobs and wanted to know if I had offices available to rent. I didn’t, but I sure would find out as quickly as possible! I was able to get just one more office acquired in my current space and was able to collaborate with Tiffany Irons of Integrity Esthetics. Rather than hitting a growth stage within two years, it happened within three months. Now, nearly three years into the business, I am happy to say that I am moving on to the next phase. I will open a new space with new construction in The Crossroads in early 2023. It will have six private offices and eight booths to rent out. A true collective of small business owners in the salon and spa industry under one roof, making it easy to collaborate and support one another while still having 100% ownership and control of their businesses. Customers will be able to enjoy a variety of massage therapists, estheticians, nail artists, and cosmetologists as a one-stop shop and know that they are genuinely supporting multiple local small businesses!

As you know, we’re big fans of The Massage Collective. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I consider myself a bit of a massage nerd and genuinely love an excellent ailment to work out! While learning massage therapy, I studied a wide range of modalities, my favorites of which were deep tissue, Swedish, Ancient Chinese Medicine, and medical-massage. It didn’t take long to see how well these styles flowed together, so I pride myself on combining these techniques while working with you. You will get deeper pressure while using Swedish massage strokes to feel like you got some work done while being able to relax. And if you have any specific concerns, I can refer back to my education and continued education to help get you feeling well.

Another thing I noticed over the years was that not everyone is comfortable getting a massage even though they know how desperately they need it. As a female queer small business owner, I know how important it is to feel comfortable and safe when taking time for healing, and I wanted to project that into my space for my clients to experience. So, I have taken extra care to make my space comfortable; I offer a custom music selection, a wide variety of complementary essential oils, and a gender-neutral design, coming together to create a cozy and safe feeling for all.

What characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to if you had to?
Empathy. Working in this field, you come across every walk of life. Every person experiences life differently, and with that comes the physical and emotional aches and pains of living that life. I, of course, can help with the physical aches and pains, but sometimes when you allow your body to relax, the mind can let go too. Every time a client leaves and talks about how much they needed that, physically and mentally, it makes my heart happy. We often forget to take care of ourselves in this crazy busy world, and to give a little bit of that back to people is the best part of my job.

Pricing:

• 30 Minute – $50
• 45 Minute – $75
• 60 Minute – $100
• 75 Minute – $125
• 90 Minute – $150

Contact Info:

• Website: Massagecollectivekc.com
• Instagram: @themassagecollectivekc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themassagecollectivekc

Image Credits
Photography by Kylie Barbour