We are celebrating our 25th anniversary – a crowning achievement in the light of the last few years’ events. A lot of hard work and dedication has put us on the podium of the Olympics of running a business. It’s not only the athlete who puts on the winning performance that is credited for their success, but the team behind the athlete that contributed to this moment.
The many massage therapists, guest services associates, managers, and other team members, who have helped mold Therapeutic Kneads into an iconic, legendary, and healing place, are passionate about and take ownership of the work they do. The team culture is what sets us apart and continues to propel our company forward.
The multitudes of clients who have come through our doors – the spectators – who have referred clients, written reviews online, invested their time and resources into our services and products are legendary in their own rite. If it weren’t for the clients who support our business, we would not have made it this far.
When we thought we were facilitating healing in our clients, it was they who in fact, who gave more to us than we gave in pain and stress relief. So many kind words, such great feedback on how to improve our business only came from those who were vested in the community and wanted us to succeed.
We listened, we changed, and we made mistakes. We learned and we grew. That’s what you do when you run a service business. Sometimes you make great decisions and other times you slap your forehead and ask yourself, “What was I thinking?”.
Ultimately, we evolved to counter the emerging business model that attempted to make massage mainstream by franchising and creating an assembly line, whereby massage therapists were overworked and underpaid with no benefits. Massage therapy was categorized with beauty salons, spas, and health clubs.
Therapeutic Kneads wanted to forge a new path where massage therapy could be seen as adjunct health care, not just a personal service. The aspiration to be the primary source of pain and stress relief and while also being a resource of emotional and physical transformation that changes lives continues to be our guiding light, our vision. We want everyone in our community of all ages to experience massage therapy as a means for a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle for years to come.
The challenges we have faced in 25 years have only given us more resolve to continue our journey to enlighten more people, making them aware of what massage therapy can do to reduce the need for medications, surgeries, and other interventions.
We look ahead to the next 25 years with anticipation of more growth through expansion of staff and other locations, new products like CBD, and a face lift for our current clinic coming soon! Like the many athletes who won medals in these recent winter Olympics, we strive to improve, become stronger, and push further than we have ever gone before to stay competitive for the future.
Looking back on the distance we have traveled to get to this place, it started as a moonlighting side gig while working with a local chiropractor and grew to a 3,000 square-foot space in the busy downtown area of Highland Park with prestigious involvement in the community and a large list of clients who have been with us throughout our history. It is a prideful moment to stand on the proverbial podium and bask in the glory of a job well done. There is still much to do, yet we rest for a moment and listen to the anthem of success, of joy, of honor.
Thank you to all who have contributed and made our silver anniversary a momentous occasion! Now, we are ready to go for the “gold” anniversary! Are you in?!