Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexis Dougherty. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alexis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Every job I’ve had has shaped me into the professional I am today. Before transitioning to massage therapy, I worked in the food industry, starting from the bottom and eventually moving into management. These roles taught me invaluable lessons in work ethic, customer service, and handling unexpected challenges, like resolving conflicts without making them worse. However, it was waiting tables that most closely parallels massage therapy. Both require you to take personal accountability for your client’s experience, guiding them from start to finish, ensuring their needs are met, and making their experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi! I’m Alexis Dougherty, the owner and a Licensed Massage Therapist at Kneaded Escapes in Fuquay Varina, North Carolina. My journey into massage therapy started with a personal experience. In middle school, I fell off a rock wall and broke my back. After trying various treatments—medications, injections—without success, I discovered massage therapy. It was life-changing, and I remember thinking, “If this can help me so much, imagine the difference I could make by helping others.” That realization led me to pursue massage therapy as a career. I’ve been licensed since 2016, and in 2022, I opened Kneaded Escapes to not only serve clients but to mentor other therapists as well.

At Kneaded Escapes, every massage is tailored to fit the client’s unique needs. We specialize in deep, therapeutic massages but also offer prenatal massage, CBD massage, Thai foot massage, reflexology, craniosacral therapy, and lymphatic drainage. Our goal is to show people that you don’t have to live in pain—massage can make a profound difference.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

If I could go back, I would choose massage therapy—specifically therapeutic massage—100,000 times over. I absolutely love what I do! Helping people get out of pain is incredibly rewarding, and I can’t imagine ever not loving it.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Social media has been our most effective tool, especially in our local area where many community groups allow free daily or weekly marketing. I’ve invested in paid marketing before with little return, but social media has consistently provided results. I’m active on it regularly, engaging with posts where people are searching for massage services, which has helped build our reputation and fill our books over the past two years. Reels have also been a great way to reach new clients—people love short, engaging videos. While staying creative and ahead of trends takes time, it’s rewarding to see our business grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.kneadedescapes.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/KneadedEscapesNC
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/KneadedEscapesNC

Image Credits

Photography by Amber Foster Smith Photography