Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
Bringing together local businesses and neighbor of the Tri-Cities region. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Skip Mauney helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around The Tri-Cities.
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Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
Ep# 149: Transformational Touch: Tricia Frazier's Journey with A Peace of Heaven Therapeutic Massage
What makes Tricia Frazier with A Peace of Heaven Therapeutic Massage a good neighbor?
Discover the transformational power of therapeutic massage in our latest episode featuring the inspiring Tricia Frazier, owner of A Peace of Heaven Therapeutic Massage. Uncover how her journey from aspiring physical therapist to passionate massage therapist has not only shaped her career but also impacted the lives of her clients. Tricia's expertise spans Swedish, deep tissue, pregnancy, and hot stone massages, and she brings a unique holistic approach that nurtures the mind, body, and spirit. Whether you're a massage enthusiast or a curious newcomer, Tricia's insights into the rigorous training and continuous education required for massage therapists promise to leave you informed and enlightened.
Join us as Tricia breaks down common misconceptions about the massage industry, shedding light on the extensive 650 hours of training and the health board regulations that govern this profession. As an instructor at the Reflections of Health School of Massage, she offers a glimpse into the educational journey of future massage therapists. Explore the vital role massage plays in promoting overall health and how it impacts the body at a cellular level. Tune in for a conversation that redefines the concept of massage, emphasizing its significance far beyond simple pampering.
To learn more about A Peace of Heaven Therapeutic Massage go to:
https://www.apeaceofheaventherapeuticmassagestudio.com/
A Peace of Heaven Therapeutic Massage
(423) 384-5539
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monty.
Speaker 2:Well hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast of the Tri-Cities. We have a very special guest with us here today and I'm pretty excited about it, because if you're like me and you love a good massage therapeutic or just for pleasure you're in for a real treat today. Because today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, ms Tricia Frazier, who is the owner operator of A Piece of Heaven Therapeutic Massage. Tricia, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3:Good morning, nice to be here.
Speaker 2:Well, we are thrilled to have you. Like I said, I am a big fan of massage, as many people are. I'm sure lots of our listeners are, and so, if you don't mind, why don't you kick us off by telling us a little bit about what you do?
Speaker 3:Absolutely so. I do specialize in Swedish deep tissue pregnancy, hot stones and lymphatic drainage massages. I have two people that work here with me, so there are three massage therapists on site, and we do have a second location now in Gate City, Virginia, as well as Kingsport, Tennessee. I'm also an instructor at the School Reflections of Health School of Massage in Johnson City, Tennessee, so I've got my hands in a few different pots. I'm also an instructor at the school in Johnson City Reflections of Health School of Massage, and we have classes going on right now so I'm able to have some say-so and help the upcoming students that are getting out into this industry.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow, you sound like a busy lady.
Speaker 3:Very, very busy, but very blessed.
Speaker 2:Very blessed. Well how, tricia? How did you get into the therapeutic massage field?
Speaker 3:So I actually was looking at physical therapy as a choice to start a career and I really liked physical therapy, but I noticed that they weren't as hands-on with some things. They would give you the exercises, which has its benefits. I wanted something more hands-on, to have that ability to work with people, not only just with the physical side of things, but with massage. It does touch the mind, body and spirit. So I was able to do things as a whole instead of just the part that needed to be worked on, like a hip replacement or a shoulder surgery. So I wanted to do the whole body.
Speaker 2:Very good. Very good Mind, body and spirit.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:I get that Well, trisha. What are some myths or misconceptions in the massage business?
Speaker 3:So I think one of the misconceptions straight out of the gate that I see, especially with the students, is that you think that you just come out here and put lotion on skin and it's so much more intricate than that, and it's so much more intricate than that you have to have 650 hours of education and then every two years you have to have 24 hours more. So you're continually learning in your craft. And also, when you surround yourself with other like-minded massage therapists, you can glean information from them as well, and that the majority of us are out here not just to make a living at what we do, but to help heal. We are just the vessel, but we help to heal things that are going on in someone's body, whether it be psychological or physiological, from both ends, and some people think that it's just for pampering.
Speaker 2:Right, right. Yeah, I think that is a big misconception.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:As far as you being a teacher, are the requirements even stricter as far as education and hours.
Speaker 3:So right now we are sitting at 650 hours. According to the Tennessee board, it's under the health board, so we're not even under. That's another misconception. We're not under a board like cosmetology. We are under the health board, which is where your doctors and your dentists, things like that, exist. So we are in a very important board by my standards as well. But with the 650 hours there's so much that we have to do, not just on hands-on learning, but also with anatomy and physiology. They have to learn the systems of the body and how those systems are affected by massage, For example, respiratory, cardio, things like that.
Speaker 2:Much more intricate than one would think.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. We go down to the cellular level down to the cellular level. Wow, wow, that's incredible.
Speaker 2:So, uh, tricia, you're incredibly busy, you're teaching, you're, you're actually doing massages as well, Therapeutic massage. Um, when, if there is time, what do you? What do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:Well, I have a daughter who is uh, she just finished her master's degree, so she's all set to go and got herself a nice little job in Greenville Health Department, and so she is a registered dietician, and she has my two-year-old grandbaby with my son-in-law, and she has one on the way. So busy, busy with those as well with family.
Speaker 2:Wow. Well, congratulations on three things there the master's degree, a two-year-old and expecting another one.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Excuse me, I just had my first grandbaby, december 26th.
Speaker 3:Nothing like it.
Speaker 2:It's a blessing. It is a blessing. Wish he was closer. He's in Washington DC. It is a blessing.
Speaker 3:Wish he was closer. He's in.
Speaker 2:Washington DC oh my goodness Wish it was closer, but we're burning up the road, grandma Gigi's burning up the road.
Speaker 3:I don't doubt it, not one bit.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep. Well, let's switch gears for a minute. Tricia, can you describe a hardship or a life challenge that you've overcome, either professionally or personally, and how it made you stronger coming out the other side?
Speaker 3:Oh gosh, I have a few to choose from. And, of course, with everything in life, everything is a lesson. So that's the way that I try to look at things from the whole aspect. So I'll try to make this quick. So I'll try to make this quick. I got a divorce when my daughter was two and didn't have a whole lot of help from that side, so I was living paycheck to paycheck, working for a call center, and so I knew that I wanted to do something different, to not only support myself and my daughter, but to also help where help is needed. So that's what sent me on the path for massage school.
Speaker 3:I went to school in 2010 as a single mother and I was 32 years old, so at that point, my daughter was eight, nine years old, so that was rough, but I did have a wonderful support group behind me, including my mother and some of my dearest, dearest friends. There were seven in my class and I still I'm still in contact with a couple of them. And you know, unfortunately, the lifespan I'll throw this out there. The lifespan of a massage therapist is three to five years, and that's if they don't take care of themselves. They either injure themselves or get burnout. Thanks to that degree I'm now working on 14 years, so I do feel like that.
Speaker 3:I come to work and I don't work. When you love your job, you don't work. You know a day in your life as far as the struggle of it. But I did have to overcome the situation with getting to the point where I would go to the grocery store, for example, with pocket change and buy a box of hamburger helper without the hamburger to feed my daughter prior to getting into this field, and the first six months was rough, getting things built and getting things.
Speaker 3:But the thing that I did that I feel like is lost is I didn't wait for the appointments to be made. I didn't wait for the appointments to be made. I sat at that office waiting for the walk-ins, waiting for the person getting their hair done that might want a quick 30-minute session to build that clientele, instead of waiting at home for the phone calls. That is a huge part of marketing yourself, and word of mouth is the biggest one. So no one can talk about you unless you're out there doing the work, not sitting at home. So that that's something that I feel like I did overcome pretty quickly.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow. Well, you've come a long way, and congratulations.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, thank you.
Speaker 2:No doubt, no doubt. I interview a lot of locally owned small businesses, interview a lot of locally owned small businesses, and I asked that question and that's the answer most of the time is you know, starting a small business is very difficult and hard and, like you said, I think a lot of businesses don't last over a year or two. So it takes a lot of perseverance and a positive attitude to get through that and it sounds like you've done an amazing job, so congratulations.
Speaker 3:Thank you yeah absolutely so, tricia.
Speaker 2:If there was, if there was one thing that you would like our listeners to remember about a piece of heaven therapeutic massage. What would that be?
Speaker 3:We are in the heart of Kingsport, near Indian Path Hospital, so we're not hard to find, we are dependable and we are consistent and again that also ties into building that business and that's what I've made for myself in my name is that I am dependable. I'm here, I'm present, I've hired massage therapists who I feel are the same, and we're here for the people and we're here to make them have a better quality of life.
Speaker 2:Awesome, very good thing to remember.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:So, for those of us who are interested and would like to learn more, how can we do that?
Speaker 3:There's two ways to reach out Well, actually three ways. We do have a Facebook business page under A Piece of Heaven. I also have a website, a Piece of Heaven Therapeutic Massage Studio, all one word com, and it's got a price list and you can actually email me from there to request a session list. And you can actually email me from there to request a session. Or you can contact me at my phone number, either call or text, at 423-384-5539.
Speaker 2:5-5, 423-384-5535.
Speaker 3:3-9.
Speaker 2:5-5-3-9. Yes sir Gotcha Gotcha. Okay, very good, all right. Well, tricia, I know you're obviously a very busy person. 5539. Yes, sir gotcha gotcha, okay, very good, all right. Well, tricia, I know you're obviously a very busy person, running between the school and and working with with your clients and with your your therapist as well yeah your massage therapist.
Speaker 2:so I don't want to take up much more of your time, but I do want you to know how much we appreciate you taking time out to be on the show and we wish you and your family and your team at a piece of heaven all the best moving forward.
Speaker 3:Well, I appreciate the nomination and for you reaching out to me.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and maybe we can have you back on the show one day soon when you got something else going on.
Speaker 3:I would love to yeah.
Speaker 2:All right, sounds great. Thanks so much.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Tri-Cities dot com. That's GNP Tri-Cities dot com, or call 423-719-5873.