Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Wilkerson.
Laura, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started LUNA Masssge and Wellness 9 years ago in uptown Minneapolis with just myself. Today, it has grown into a wonderful team of skilled therapists who work alongside me. We are honored to be a staple in this community, which is filled with vitality, strength, and a palpable richness to it.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being in the centre of Minneapolis, we have witnessed our own community go through multiple high-profile traumatic events within just a matter of a few years. In 2020, I feel like all you have to do is say the year and people get a visceral heaviness with that, but in our city, the feeling of fear and uncertainty lingered heavily and low on all of us.
The Covid-19 lockdown forced us to shut LUNA’s doors for 3 months. Upon reopening, we then watched the tragic murder of George Floyd that took place just miles away from LUNA. As we all know, our community was in uproar, filled with pain and sorrow, lit on fire with rage and despair.
Fast forward to today, and you will see that our city has been slowly rebuilding the damage; however, the majority of us still have not begun to unpack and process the events of that year.
To add insult to injury, in January 2026, Operation Metro Surge came to heavily occupy our already fragile city with ICE agents. We watched in horror as our own community and neighbors were being torn from their homes and families, harassed, “detained,” and shot dead in the street.
Like ripping off a band-aid on a wound hardly healed, that feeling of fear, rage, and uncertainty came rushing back for us all again but with a raw sting this time.
Although a total trauma response, our city wasted no time getting donation drives up and running, deliveries to those in hiding, and community watch to safely walk our kiddos home from school. We protested and fiercely protected our own, blowing our whistles in -25 degree weather. I have never been more proud to have LUNA be a part of this city.
As a massage and wellness practice, the bodies that walked through our doors were all too similar to those in 2020. Nervous systems totally fried, bodies holding so many emotions the brain can’t yet comprehend, and muscles so tight it’s like we built our own internal armor for war. Safety was a distant feeling, and we all felt like we were in a free fall. Holding space for our fragile community in these moments of 2020 and 2026 could be seen as a challenge or an obstacle, but honestly, it has been the greatest honor and privilege.
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?
We offer both Massage and Reiki services. We offer custom sessions that can involve cupping therapy, grastons, and CBD. We also offer Prenatal Massage.
LUNA is a place for healing, not just in the sense of bodywork and massage but as a safe space for the tired. A sanctuary of safety for those who need comfort. A place where the body can be heard and respected. A place for the burdened to drop the baggage. A soft place to land amid life’s continual unfolding. No matter how long you’ve been gone, you always have a home at LUNA.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
When I started Luna back in 2017, I didn’t just want to start a business; I wanted to create a service for my community. Not just with what we offer at LUNA, but also what we can do through us.
We’ve held multiple Heal to Help sales, where we donate a percentage of profits to local non-profits. This past year, we gave to food shelves within the city during the SNAP benefits freeze, and then to The Immigrant Law Office during ICE occupation. In 2020, we did a donation drive, led completely by our own clients, to gift 20 free sessions to those in our Black community, to offer a safe space to heal during the uprising.
For the past 3 years, we have also done a monthly giveaway on our Instagram, gifting a free 60-minute massage to the winner.
Community and accessibility to all for self-care will always be at the cornerstone of who and what we are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lunamw.com
- Instagram: @lunamassageandwellness
