Today we’d like to introduce you to Teri Chilefone.
Hi Teri, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
In 2010, I worked for a large conference center as the Director of Operations. 85 employees, 5 departments, and a life without balance. In December 2010, I left my job, packed a backpack, and embarked on an around-the-world adventure spanning two years and visiting 25 countries.
With a thirst for adventure and learning, I took classes, and workshops and sought to learn different modalities and experiences. I traveled to Asia and learned Eastern massage techniques from many gifted therapists allowing me to begin to understand the body, mind, and spirit.
I promised myself when I returned home from my travels abroad that I would never have another J-O-B again and vowed to stay present with myself. While traveling I knew that when I returned, it was my intention to move to Lutsen for what I thought would be a summer. I had been coming back to the area for years and worked for Lutsen Mountain Ski Resort as a ski instructor since 1999.
As my circle of friends expanded, I met more people and opportunities appeared. The universe conspired to match me with my wonderful husband James Coleman. We had been friends for many years without even a spark of interest from me. Sometimes, when you least expect it, you get exactly what you didn’t even know you needed. I couldn’t dream of a better husband, business partner, and companion. We were married in 2014 and remain blissfully in love with life’s adventures, each other, and our black lab Cecil.
In 2012 Caribou Highlands Lodge hired me as a consultant to run the massage studios on-site. After a successful 2 1/2-year business relationship, life happened: a burst pipe mid-winter left the studios flooded, and me out of a career, at the time we had a full roster of massage clients booked out through the winter.
I was still working under Caribou Highlands Lodge ownership. This is when the amazing community that I am now proud to call home, stepped up to the plate- community members came forward to offer solutions and problem-solve with me. At the time I was pretty new to the community, and to this day I am still in awe of how supportive this place is and continues to be.
Chuck and Kim Corliss owners of the North Shore Winery offered me a short-term place to work for the remainder of the winter. It was sink or swim. I started my first company, LutZen Reflections LLC, and ventured out on my own. With no experience in this realm or capital, I took the plunge. I self-taught myself how to build a website, a booking site, and the million other things required when running a company that I had no idea of “how” I just took one day at a time, sometimes painfully through trial and error, and began to run the company.
Linda Garrity of Songbird Realty in Grand Marais has been incredibly helpful and has assisted me along my journey. Without her insight, I would not have landed where I am. When my studio flooded, Linda approached me to come and look at her “office” as a possible solution for a space to run my newly established business. (She gave me her office!) I had my heart set on Lutsen at the time because that is where I live. But with a little persuasion, some vision, paint, building expertise, and a ton of commitment and work from my husband James, we built a beautifully renovated studio in the heart of Downtown Grand Marais in the Redpine Realty building.
In May of 2018, I was approached by Mike Larson who at the time, owned The Mountain Inn at Lutsen. He asked me if I was interested in opening a second massage business location. This would enable him to offer a high-value amenity to Inn guests. James and I began renovations immediately on two gorgeous studios in Lutsen. Once the studios were completed, we quickly realized that we had no control over the client experience because we did not own the hotel.
In December 2018 that same year, we purchased the Mountain Inn at Lutsen. We signed the papers and hit the ground running with a full hotel, in two of the busiest weeks of the year around Christmas.
It was an eye-opening experience: We purchased a building- an outdated operating hotel, without employees, nor a property management system in place (this is how a hotel collects payments or makes/tracks reservations). There was no one to greet us on our first day, to show us “how” to run the business. We had no manuals on how to operate any aspect of the business; no housekeeping, laundry, or front desk staff, no maintenance logs, or a history of guests. It was just James and myself, our two sweet Labradors, and a vision.
James and I both operated our respective businesses, LutZen Massage and James Business, Boulder Point Services contracting company. (What were we thinking?!) It was daunting. We manned the desk, cleaned the rooms, checked folks in, did the massages, plowed the driveways, and high-fived each other at the end of each day. We’d fall into bed, and do it all again the next day. I cried tears of joy and kneeled dramatically with prayer hands thanking the heavens when the first applicant came in for a job we had posted.
What we did know: James and I knew how to take care of people, how to make them feel at home, and how to engage and create relationships. And the people we hired, also knew how to care for people. In the hospitality business, that is essential, and the most significant thing you can do. We set out to create a culture of care that went beyond our customers. We cared for each other, our team, and the community. We ensured that everyone was heard and appreciated, which created a bond and connection that was essential for our success.
James and I rebuilt the #newmountaininn one space at a time, taking special care of the smallest details. The first year we had no money, after investing every penny we had in the purchase. We rolled up our sleeves, splashed paint on the walls, reupholstered furniture, got on our hands and knees, and scrubbed the whole place down so it was immaculate. Sure, it wasn’t fancy, but it was clean and friendly. Guests started coming in, and before long, it bustled with happy & contented guests. We felt proud of both the transformation we had accomplished and the culture we had created. We knew our dedication and work had paid off.
In 3 short years, we proudly transformed the “building” into a true North Shore gem. A special and quaint boutique-style Inn. It’s been challenging, but rewarding work; full renovations in every room and space, done by our hands, COVID, and county-wide staffing shortages were difficult for all businesses. It’s been a wild ride. We quadrupled profits and improved the ratings from 3 stars to 9 stars. And we received an award from hotels.com for the highest-rated hotel in 2021 in the area.
In March 2022, we sold our beloved Gem to Odyssey Resorts. One of our 3 studios for Lutzen Massage is still located at the Mountain Inn and we have established a strong relationship with Odyssey Resorts. It’s really the best of both worlds.
On June 17th, 2022, we opened the next chapter of our book in Cook County: by purchasing The Blue Moose Garden Center and Cabins in Grand Marais. (which we heard about from Linda) This is the sweetest garden center and local housing community of 6 small cabins on a hill overlooking the town and harbor of Grand Marais on Lake Superior.
We love everything that this small neighborhood business represents: a sense of community, sustaining jobs and housing for our locals, organic practices, and a shop for things you might not know you “need” but we are certain you will find some treasures here.
Jumping forward: The story returns to the community-minded Linda Garrity. I can’t say enough about this fellow entrepreneur. She embodies community in the truest sense. I now consider her a dear friend. I try to emulate her generosity whenever possible and contribute to our community and to newcomers. Linda launched my LutZen Massage Studio business by offering me her personal office space in 2014. (Which is now a fabulous massage studio on the lake!) This lady has changed my path over the past 6 years with many selfless acts and kindness.
Drum roll to NOW! Our latest collaboration with Linda is in the Songbird Realty building, which she owns. We have renovated another lovely space and opened our third studio in Grand Marais in the Songbird Realty building on Highway 61 in downtown Grand Marais. We are surrounded by beautiful views and amazing humans. This space is an ideal addition to LutZen and we are excited to continue to expand. We look forward to welcoming more clients into our studio spaces and creating a higher awareness and connection to self.
James and I continue to apply the principles and lessons we have learned along the way. Life is full of surprises. Savor every moment. Surround yourself with people you admire and emulate those qualities. Believe in yourself and the kindness of others. Reach for the stars and dream as big as your imagination will allow. Life unfolds some pretty incredible experiences when we get out of our own way.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This could be a whole book. (Laughing). Struggles happen. Life happens. It’s how you handle challenges that makes it noteworthy.
We live in the best place. We have a mecca of outdoor beauty and adventure right outside our doors. Our community is amazing, and living here is worth it. Folks come from all over the USA to vacation here and take in the beauty. It can be pure magic. The downside to being in a rural area is that running a business can be extremely challenging: There is a small workforce, so there is no one to replace an employee who may not be quite a good fit.
So, you have to do your best to work with what you do have; we try to find strengths where an employee will thrive within the business, sometimes, even creating a whole new position around an employee if they show dedication and enthusiasm. The other big challenge is the housing shortage in Cook County, there is no place to live for newcomers who wish to move here.
Challenges require one to think outside the box. We have operated all of our businesses that way- you have to learn how to adapt, or pivot when challenges arise that can not be overcome.
We focus on creative solutions. Like really creative. That is our golden nugget of advice for others. Identify the issue, pour a glass of wine, take a breath, don’t be afraid to ask for help, keep it light, and create solutions. We have had some of the most successful outcomes from this process. Sometimes you have to take a hard right and go in a completely different direction altogether.
There is some seasonality to our lives and businesses in Cook County. Summers buzz with tourists every day while winters offer a much slower pace with weekend warriors. There are still plenty of folks who love visiting for winter sports such as mountain biking, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.
Lutsen Mountain Ski Resort keeps things lively with live music, lots of snow, and plenty of terrain for skiing on the weekends.
My favorite thing about life is having new experiences. I love to be inspired. I always try to get a massage or spa treatment whenever/wherever we travel. I have learned so many new skills, ideas, and modalities while traveling. There are so many people with unique talents and there is so much to learn and absorb in this big beautiful world! I have experienced over 850 massages in my life from around the globe. That is an education in itself. My mind fully absorbs the new surroundings. I listen, feel, and watch every detail when I walk into an establishment. I pay attention and stay present. When the session is finished, I jot down notes on how to improve on what I just experienced. What did I like? What if we did x?
The LutZen staff takes “field trips” a couple of times per year to a spa day or similar experience. There is always a classroom component to our spa adventures. They take note of the entire experience, it is a great way for a therapist to level up on their own skills.
Most therapists have burnout rates of 3-7 years. LutZen offers a unique massage style with techniques that are beneficial to the therapist as well as the client. No routines are taught instead, we teach therapists to work intuitively with eyes closed.
Therapists are taught to use awareness of all of their senses, listening to the client’s body with their whole being, offering comfort, energetic intention, and healing presence to our clients. It means listening to the person who will receive the session. Finding out why they have come here to see us, where they are on their journey of life, and where they may be holding life’s stress and tensions.
We also offer a very unique couple’s massage experience. It is one of our most popular services. Connecting busy folks in love who sometimes require a little nudge to remind them why they fell in love. Our Staff loves couples in love! And that is just a few ways Lützen stands apart from our competition.
I believe the whole experience should be memorable. From the time the client walks in, to the time they depart. We want them to think as they get into their cars, “When can I do this again?”
Our team of therapists are really, truly Olympic all-stars in the field. It is so much more than just a massage; it’s a technique, a style, a brand, and an experience unique to our therapists at Lützen. We have a special culture here; we train together and play together.
Down to the last detail; from our cozy spaces, our wildly talented and intuitive massage therapists, our comfy massage tables, and all of the small mindful extras. Come see why we have a 5-star rating!
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
We love everything about Cook County. It is a great place to live, work and play. On a social level, for such a rural area, this place is hopping for locals. There is something fun happening nearly every day. (The only downside? no sushi or Chinese restaurants!).
Pricing:
- Full appointment time on the tables.
- Hot towels, hot stones, and aroma therapy used in every massage
- 5 stars and 100% satisfaction over 10 years
- $125-60 Minute Signature
- $199 90-Minute Sweetheart Couples Massage
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lutzenmassage.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lutzenmassage/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lutzenmassage/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teri-chilefone-794a969/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lutzen-massage-studios-lutsen
- Other: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60837-d12874968-Reviews-LutZen_Massage_Studios-Grand_Marais_Minnesota.html
