Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tyrus Arthur. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Tyrus, thanks for joining us today. Can you share an anecdote or story from your schooling/training that you feel illustrates what the overall experience was like?
Massage Therapy School is a whirlwind of information, new ideas and personal growth. Imagine walking into a classroom filled with a dozen or so strangers, then within a few days you’re all laying on tables taking turns tracing out each others muscles and identifying boney landmarks. That progresses into advanced anatomy classes. finding out minute details about all the bones, ligaments, tendons and fascia. Learning the names of hundreds of skeletal muscles, where they are, what actions they’re responsible for, where they’re attached and what nerve controls them. It’s no joke,
Then, you start working on each other, developing your senses and learning from mistakes. I remember early on, in Reflexology class, my partner was working on the sinus points in my toes, noticed that I was having sinus congestion and asked if I wanted her to work on that area for a while. I said go for it, It was springtime in Alabama, pollen was everywhere, plus I was still skeptical that a points on the end of my toes had anything to do with my face. she accidentally overworked the area and I had the worst nosebleed of my life a few hours later. From that we learned the importance of not overtreating an area, and that reflexology does actually work.
Then you’ll see these moments of healing happening right in front of you. One student was a runner, but had to give it up due to a hip injury. One of our teachers worked on and around the injury for twenty minutes or so, and all but fixed an issue that had been plaguing this person for over a year. I remember the tears of joy and relief, and the issue was completely resolved with a few more spot treatments. Our minds were blown and opened up to a world of new possibilities.
I went on to teach for a couple of schools here in Nashville, and was able to experience more of these moments and see students learn, grow and discover new truths. And, as a bonus, I got to learn even more by teaching some of these subjects.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m Tyrus Arthur, I’m a licensed massage therapist in Nashville, TN. My pathway into this field wasn’t obvious one, but hopefully my story inspires someone else to follow their gut and pursue their purpose.
I unintentionally discovered I had a natural instinct for working with muscles in high school when a friend asked me to work on her shoulder pain before class. I remember working on it for a few minutes, having no idea what I was actually doing, but could feel the tissue changing and her pain disappeared. Word spread, and I worked on a few other people around school. A football player with elbow pain, a teacher with a headache, a few other random aches and pains. I was fascinated with the feel of it, and that it was such an immediate and easy way to relieve pain, but had no idea it would be my life’s calling.
At that time, my interest had been working on cars. My dad and I were restoring an old Mustang and I loved it, so that was my planned career. I worked in a local auto parts store through high school, moved to Nashville for automotive college, then back home to work at a repair shop in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. All was going as planned, but a couple of years in, I started to notice this feeling that wouldn’t go away, and only got worse, then it hit me. I’m supposed to be working on bodies, not cars!
It sounded crazy to me, and probably everyone around me, but I had never been so sure of anything in my life.
I enrolled at North Alabama School of Wellness, and instantly felt right at home. I soaked it up, graduated, passed the boards and got my license in February 2006. I soon landed a dream job at a busy local resort spa. This gave me the opportunity to really practice, around thirty sessions every week. You’re hands on for eight hours a day, so you find efficiency in the work itself and also in the communication side of things. All of these elements were invaluable to me and shaped my work and my world. I got married, moved back to Nashville and continued my time in the resort spa world at a local hotel. This all changed suddenly in May 2010. Nashville flooded, and my beloved hotel had to close for months of repairs. I spent the next several weeks volunteering with thousands of others helping clean up around town, especially in my neighborhood, East Nashville. This experience really affirmed what a special community was around me, and inspired me to open my private practice here a couple of months later.
Opening the doors had its own set of challenges, but a few connections from the flood relief efforts came through and I found the perfect spot in the heart of East Nashville. My wife and I scrambled to get all the necessary paperwork, furniture, and equipment in place, overall everything went smoothly. The next challenge was building steady clientele, so I filled my free time attending business mixers, making connections with anyone in the healing arts, and working on as many people as possible. I started working with musicians and athletes with over-use injuries, and anyone who I thought would benefit from my work. I’ve grown to be one of the go-to therapists for treating ailments of all sorts: headaches, TMJ disorder, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, etc.
The type of bodywork that I do is a blend of several modalities and each session is unique. I try to find the most efficient and effective methods to use with each individual. This allows me to be creative and tailor the work to best suite each situation. A typical session begins with listening to what the client is feeling, getting a detailed idea of their experience, and looking at their overall posture. We’ll spend the next hour or so on the table focused on providing relief. I’ve watched this work consistently to provide relief from an assortment of conditions over the years. From general back/neck pain, loss of mobility, recovering from injuries, and even prevent or delay surgeries. I’m still in awe of soft tissue therapy!
I’m now 16 years and roughly 15,000 sessions in, and cant imagine myself doing anything else. I’ve been able to grow into a bigger location, steadily booked for a few months out, and was recently voted Best of East Nashville – Massage Therapist for the second year in a row, I’m thankful every single day for all the friends I’ve made along the way and being able to make a living by doing what I love,
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Word of mouth has always been the most effective way to market for me. Caring about what you’re doing and the people you’re working with goes a long way, and folks will tell others about their experience. I work on so many musicians, artist, performers and athletes now, and that can all be traced back to a handful of people who had positive experiences with me in the early days. For example, I helped a drummer avoid wrist surgery early on, he told several friends and they all started seeing me. I was invited to a lot of shows and would go backstage to work on all sorts of aches and pains, with everyone in the band and crew. That eventually lead to working on country music artists and people who are in their circles. Word spread in that community and I still see a lot of those clients regularly. Similar instances got me into the worlds of professional football and hockey players, runners, yoga, pole fitness, burlesque performers, construction workers, teachers, etc. Also, networking with other healers. Chiropractors, acupuncturists, nutritionists, energy healers, and other massage therapists.
My advice to anyone starting out in any field is to be consistent with your availability, keep yourself open to new ideas or techniques, and network with other people who are in your field or could benefit from your work.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The first pivot was completely switching careers from working on cars to working on human bodies. I had no other plans from the age of 14 to 23. The automotive world had pretty much been my only focus until the day that I realized that I was meant for something else. I knew that I had to go back to school and learn subjects that I was entirely unfamiliar with. I would work all day in the repair shop, bathe in the sink, change clothes, and go straight to school after work. I remember getting to class one night and finding a big smear of axel grease still stuck in my hair during anatomy class! lol!
The flood was another pivot, with the scramble to open my private practice to start making an income. But I had a solid support group, and my wonderful wife helped me so much with all the paperwork and bookkeeping,
I’m currently in the middle of another pivot. I’m designing a new self-treatment tool to help people work on a variety of conditions on their own. It’s been a real learning experience with plenty of ups and downs so far, But, it’s progressing and going in the right direction.
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Image Credits
Leah Cunningham/Catherine Walsh