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Life and Work with Erin Poovey

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Poovey.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up along the coast in the most southern tip of Texas. At age 19, I began my career studying massage therapy in Austin, Texas, earning my Massage Therapy Diploma in 2002. Massage was supposed to be what I did until I could figure out what I really wanted to do with my life, but I loved everything about it and have been massaging ever since. I worked as a massage therapist in Austin for eight years in my cousins young and growing massage business. It was the perfect place to learn the in’s and out’s of the industry, what it takes to provide an exceptional massage and client experience and how to grow a business. I was so lucky to have been there for that time. My clients, coworkers, and boss were amazing.

During that time, I decided to go back to school and obtained a Bachelor of Exercise Sports Science at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. I wanted to learn as much as I could about how the therapy I was providing could be so beneficial to all the systems of the body and how to see the body more completely. I got to Colorado Springs summer of 2010 and immediately got to work building a new client base in a city where I knew no one. I became a certified Ashiatsu Barefoot massage therapist shortly after getting to Colorado. I fell in love with barefoot massage. Everything I was trying to achieve in my hands-on sessions happened almost effortlessly with my feet. I knew I had to open a business that was barefoot massage focused. I opened Camino Massage Therapy in 2014. I wanted to create a space for massage therapists to thrive and learn while getting to do what they love, and a beautiful space for clients to receive serious bodywork. The dream was and still is to have a business that is fulfilling to my spirt, helpful to others and gives generously to its community. We doubled the size of our space and increased the number of massage therapists on staff in 2018 when I was offered a job as an instructor for The Center for Barefoot Massage. I had dreamed of being able to teach other massage therapists barefoot massage since I took my first class back in 2010, so to be offered the position of being the instructor for the state of Colorado was a total pinch-me moment.

Has it been a smooth road?
There is ALWAYS struggle! Don’t fear it. Embrace it. When something feels uncomfortable or hard, pause and seek the truth. It gives us an opportunity to grow, to learn more about ourselves and builds our resilience. When I’m really struggling with something I hold on to the thought that just on the other side of it is more clarity, more joy, more prosperity if I do the work and march bravely into the hard things. But let’s get real, it is so hard to see it that way. It is something that I am always practicing and striving for. Do I still sometimes respond out of fear? Yes, but not as much as I used to. We are works in progress. Do not let struggle close you off or make you hard. Continue to use your giftings. Continue to draw others to you and share what you have and what you know. It’s ok for your team to see your imperfections and your desire to grow past them. It encourages them to do the same.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Camino Massage Therapy – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
At Camino Massage Therapy, we specialize in myofascial deep tissue barefoot massage. That means, we use our feet to massage you. We also offer traditional hands-on massage but we find feet to be much better tools and about 80% of the sessions at Camino are barefoot sessions. By using our feet, we are able to use our body weight and gravity to apply more pressure without the client’s muscles starting to guard because of pain. A secondary and wonderful result of the broader pressure and the added weight is the calming effect it has on the nervous system. The messages that your body receives all day telling you to do, be, and run are all hushed by the downward pressure applied by a therapist working directly above you. This signals the body to switch back into our “rest” mode instead of our “flight” mode. The best part is that the client doesn’t even have to try to relax. It happens instantly and naturally. Clients float out of our office in what we like to call “Camino Bliss.” It’s something to have to experience!

We also offer mobile barefoot massage. We are contracted by companies looking to care for their employees in a cool new way. Most of the employees have never experienced barefoot massage before. They are first excited to give it a try out of curiosity but once they feel how effective it is and how much bodywork can be done in a short time they are sold. Employees will talk about how awesome their massage was all day, will feel the benefits for much longer and be super thankful their boss chose barefoot massage over traditional chair massage.

Camino also serves as a training facility for The Center for Barefoot Massage. I teach other massage therapists, local to Colorado and surrounding states, how to give the barefoot myofascial deep-tissue massage that Camino specializes in. I love getting to teach therapists a modality that will save their bodies from overwork, prolong their careers, set them apart and allow them to really help their clients.

With all of that said, my favorite thing about Camino is our commitment to giving back to our community. Every year we donate 20% of our profits to local nonprofits and donate massage through the Colorado Springs Indy Give Campaign to incentivize others to donate. We live by “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” and every year, we’ve been able to “do” more. It’s a dream come true!

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well-positioned for?
LEADERSHIP!!!
What people are drawn to and inspired by in leaders has changed so much in the last few decades. We are inspired to follow those that lead with their hearts, connect, are engaging and empathetic. That is women! As Brene Brown says in her Leadership Manifesto: “The world needs our talent, our ideas, our passion.”

Pricing:

  • $88/60 Minute Barefoot Massage
  • $130/90 Minute Barefoot Massage
  • $175/120 Minute Barefoot Massage

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Elan Photographie, Tanya Kay Photography

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