Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Strand.
Hi Heather, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in rural northeastern Nebraska and in my town of less than 600 people we had a massage therapist. I started getting massage in early high school and was fascinated by how it could help people. I would give friends “back massages” in high school and college and my mom suggested that I should get some actual training so I didn’t mess up my hands. So after I graduated with my BS in Family Studies (minors is Special Education and Social Work) in December 2009 from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, I moved to Omaha, NE and went to massage school at the Omaha School of Massage Therapy. I took 1000 hours of classes, including Reflexology, Hot Stone and Thai massage among their other required classes. I then took my boards testing through the National Certification for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. I also managed to graduate as Valedictorian of my class. I passed on my first try thankfully, two days before Christmas 2010. I was officially licensed in Nebraska at the beginning of January.
My first job out of school was doing massage at a chiropractor’s office and shortly after starting there, one of my teachers went on maternity leave and needed someone to take over for her at the Jerry Graizer Center in Ralston, NE. This center provided adult day services for individuals who relied on caregivers for their daily needs. Every two weeks, I visited to provide massage therapy for clients whose families requested it. The experience taught me how to carefully position each person with pillows and bolsters for comfort while also getting to know their unique personalities, even though they were all nonverbal. It was an incredibly meaningful experience that inspired me to one day work in a Special Education classroom, helping students find comfort and relief from the physical demands of their assistive devices through massage. I haven’t had the opportunity to pursue that dream yet, but I still hope to someday.
I moved from Omaha in August 2012 to Hastings, NE and worked at a day spa and yoga studio there for a couple years. During that time, I also became a Reiki practitioner and trained in Manual Lymphatic Drainage. In August 2014, I moved to North Branch, MN. I’d met my future husband and wanted to be closer to him. I took a hiatus from massage therapy for a couple years while I toured with my husband. He was a Front of House Engineer for a singing group and I became the production assistant for them. In 2017, I returned to massage therapy and worked briefly at a salon near Forest Lake and a chiropractic office in North Branch before opening my own practice on February 1, 2018. I started by sharing a space with another therapist, and today it’s a thriving business that’s all my own. I love helping people feel better and being part of their journey toward better health.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Honestly, overall I feel like it was a fairly smooth road. The biggest bumps were getting clients in the door in a new town I was not familiar with and navigating my business during the Covid lockdown. I was closed from the middle of March until June 1st and then in June and July I was only taking one client or clients from one household a day when I had the space since I was sharing space with a new lady at this point.
Along with my diploma and learning to manage a lot of moving parts while touring with my husband when we first got married, I became confident that I could manage a business. I didn’t start off intending to open my own practice but with the incredible support from my husband and the things I learned along the way in additional to the experiences I had the opportunity to have, I love that I am here 8 years later thriving!
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?
I love to help people feel better and keep them on their health journey, whatever that may mean to each client. Healing is a process, and I guide my clients through it. I believe in setting realistic expectations with my clients. While many people leave their first session feeling better, true healing often takes more than one appointment. Tension and pain that have built up over weeks, months, or even years take time to unwind. That’s why I offer several massage techniques and work with each client to create a plan that supports their individual goals.
I specialize in therapeutic massage, focusing on relieving tension by working through the layers of muscle rather than forcing my way to the deepest knot. I often compare it to a roll of paper towels: you could poke your finger straight through to the cardboard tube, or you could gently unravel each layer until you reach it. By working with the body’s natural response, I can address deep tension without relying on excessive pressure or leaving clients sore after their session.
I was trained in Manual Lymphatic Massage in 2011 and fell in love with the modality. It is a very light massage that focuses on the lymph system which is nearer to the skin than muscle. I act as a heart for the lymph. I have quite a few clients who are breast cancer survivor warriors and I get to help them reduce the swelling in their extremities caused by the removal on lymph nodes during their cancer battle. I also help clients who have swelling from lymphedema and additionally for clients that have general swelling or want it for helping inflammation. There aren’t a lot of therapists in my area that provide Lymphatic massage, so I love getting to use this in my business.
I learned Reflexology in school and have loved getting to do these sessions on clients. This modality focuses on the feet, but can also be used on the hands or ears. It associates different points on the feet with different organs and joints in the body. So by working the feet, I can kind of work the whole body. It is a great option for someone who is intimidated by one of the other types of massage, but still wants to relax. I have worked on clients with extremely ticklish feet and they still seem to do fairly well with Reflexology.
I do side-lying prenatal massage, which focuses on moms-to-be and uses pillows to cushion their bodies. When I tested out at massage school to be able to do massage in the clinic, my client was pregnant. Our teacher asked for volunteers and my hand shot up. I was really excited to get to help relieve the pains of this client. I also do Reiki which is a form of energy work and can use hot stones during certain massage sessions or my suction cup set called Cupping. I have hot towels for the back and feet, heat packs for the back and neck, and essential oils (upon request) all available during my sessions as well.
Each of my sessions is tailored to what that client needs that specific day. I have the option to use different modalities as well as the free add ons I listed above. I like to make sure my treatment room is nice and cozy. I also check in with the client to see if they like chatting to relax or if they need it quiet so they can “zen out” as a few like to say. I also have a heated table and blankets available for the chilled or a fan if they get too hot.
One of my favorite moments is when a client slowly walks out of the treatment room with that relaxed, peaceful feeling we jokingly call “massage drunk.” It’s the smile, the deep breath, and the sense of relief that remind me why I love what I do. Helping someone leave feeling lighter than when they walked in is one of the greatest compliments I could ever receive.
At the end of the day, my goal isn’t just to help people feel better for an hour, it’s to help them leave feeling lighter, moving easier, and reminded that taking care of themselves isn’t a luxury; it’s part of living well.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think massage is going to continue to grow and prosper. People are becoming more aware of massage being a part of their health journey. A lot of my clients want to get pain relief in a way that does not depend on medication. And even though there are AI machines that can do massage, it will never replace actual human touch.
Pricing:
- Half Hour Massage: $55
- Hour Massage: $85
- 90 Minute Massage: $115
Contact Info:
- Website: https://heathersmassagenb.wixsite.com/home
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeathersHelpingHandsMassage/
