Today we’d like to introduce you to Bonnie Rich.
Hi Bonnie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
In 1997 I became a widow at 32 years old. A woman in my young widows’ group suggested that I get a professional massage to help with my stress and anxiety since it helped her so much. She gave me the contact information for her massage therapist and I scheduled a session.
I felt safe and cared for during my massage. I also noticed how much my breathing and my brain calmed down during my appointment and for the first time in quite a while I got a good sleep that night.
I asked the therapist what was involved in becoming a massage therapist. Interestingly enough, I noticed that the next month there was a local massage therapy school that was going to hold an Open House. I attended, asked a lot of questions, and went home to think about it.
In June 1998 I enrolled in massage therapy school and that changed the entire trajectory of my life.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It’s been an interesting road but not a smooth one.
I am lucky in that I’ve had lots of experience during my career. I’ve worked in large spas, chiropractors’ offices, offered chair massage at the convention center and local office buildings and was on a sports massage team working with local triathletes and marathoners.
But this industry can be challenging because massage therapy is something that people get when they have expendable income. During difficult economic times such as right after 9/11 and during the recession of 2008-2011, it was all I could do just to pay my bills (and sometimes I couldn’t even do that).
I was also in a car accident where three cars piled into the back of my SUV and I sustained a serious neck injury. I couldn’t work for quite a while afterwards. This changed the way that I work in that, I had to learn how to work with clients in a smarter, more body-friendly way to myself so that my career would last. Because honestly, this is the only thing that I love to do. It sounds so cliche, but it’s true for me: I don’t feel that I’m going to work. I get to do what I love every single day.
This brings me to owning a massage therapy company during a pandemic.
2020 was a scary time on many different levels. Especially so if you’re like me and your career requires you to be in a small room with a client for one to two hours at a time. Lots of air droplets. Not a lot of ventilation. I and my client breathing the same air.
Scary stuff indeed.
I closed down my business for three months in 2020. Which meant no income whatsoever.
I realize how incredibly privileged I am to have a partner who has a good job. I’m also lucky in that my landlord at the time worked with me and basically told me to pay her whatever I could afford: if it was half of my office rent, pay that, and if I couldn’t afford that, pay whatever I could. Yet again, I was so very lucky to be awarded a grant for small, women-owned businesses. All of this helped me keep my business alive and I thank my lucky stars every single day. I know many of my colleagues aren’t as fortunate.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Massage or Knot offers a safe space for all who self-identify as women or non-binary humans to practice radical self-care.
I don’t believe in creating pain to alleviate pain.
I believe that you have a right to determine what’s best for you and your body. If that means that the only way you can feel safe getting a massage is to leave your clothes on, then that’s what you should do.
So many people are survivors of some type of trauma, violence, or abuse.
This can manifest itself as anxiety, depression, or PTSD and it can look in the body like chronic stress, headaches, fibromyalgia, and a host of other chronic issues.
I specialize in meeting you and your body exactly where you are.
Massage or Knot is known for:
*Pregnancy massage-I’ve been certified in this modality since 2003. I’ve literally worked with thousands of pregnant folks by now.
*Working with people that are survivors of violence/trauma and it manifests itself in the body as chronic headaches, anxiety, and chronic pain.
What we are known for:
*Offering a non-judgmental and safe space for clients to come back into their bodies.
What I’m most proud of, of my brand and company:
*That members of the LGBTQ+ community and humans that are trauma survivors have told me time and time again that they feel safe and welcomed while in my office and on my massage table.
What I’d like readers to know about Massage or Knot:
*That when you come into Massage or Knot, you’ll never be rushed. There is an hour booked between each appointment to allow me ample time to talk with you prior to your session, for you to take your time after your massage and have water, hot tea or even a snack. We also use this time to completely disinfect our office from top to bottom.
*That you and your body deserve respect just by virtue of you breathing air.
*That I don’t come to your massage therapy or Reiki session with my own agenda. This is YOUR time and you get to choose if you’d like a little more attention to your back or feet or to skip an area.
*That I don’t talk during your bodywork session. Again, this is YOUR self-care time.
*That I am fully vaccinated and wear a mask at all times. We also require all clients to wear masks when they are in our office and during their massage or Reiki appointments.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happy?
Meditating so I can get to know myself better. That’s a lifetime job.
Spending quality time with my family and my furry kids. Because they make my heart full.
Walking through my garden. Because I miss seeing the sunshine, flowers, and plants since I work in a dark room all day!
Cooking and baking because it puts me in a meditative state.
Traveling (whenever we can do that again!) because I think it’s hugely important to see how other people in the world live.
Pricing:
- 60-minute massage (regular or pregnancy) $85
- 90-minute massage (regular or pregnancy) $120
- Headache Be Gone $65
Contact Info:
- Email: Bonnie@MassageorKnotFL.com
- Website: www.MassageorKnotFL.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/MassageorKnotFlorida
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/MassageorKnotFL
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/massage-or-knot-orlando-2?osq=massage+or+knot
