We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bowen Maygren. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bowen below.

Bowen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

I started massaging in 2016 after being inspired by my friend Dr. Regan Golob, an incredible healer and chiropractor. He introduced me to bodywork and alternative health and I’ve been captivated ever since. Prior to making my move to massage therapy I had an 11 year career with a major retailer as a merchandising manager. I left a successful career to do something I believed in and to build something that was my own. The process of starting my own practice as an independent massage therapist was a challenging process starting out. I found an athletic training facility in Spokane Valley, WA that had its own in house personal trainers, chiropractor and available therapy rooms so I opened my practice there and began to build some referral relationships with the trainers and the chiropractor. Building a new practice from scratch has a steep learning curve and in the beginning it built slowly but by my second year in business for myself I completed 650 massage appointments and was at that point fully self employed and living out the dream that I set out to accomplish. For any new professional thinking about getting started on your own I’d encourage you to have a detailed business plan, set goals that are measurable, build relationships with professionals related to your field so you can build a referral network, take care of your body and don’t give up.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started massaging in 2016 after being inspired by my friend Dr. Regan Golob, an incredible healer and chiropractor. He introduced me to bodywork and alternative health and I’ve been captivated ever since.

Massage as a practice can be technical or not really at all, but like many things you could analyze, there’s a lot of nuance. Some benefits are social, some are medical, and some are miracles. I’m okay with whatever it is. I just know that I love it, and I know it’s powerful.

As a massage therapist I have studied with teachers both within my discipline and a little outside of it. I’ve studied bodywork styles for balancing the nervous system with chiropractors, I’ve studied soft tissue release techniques developed by osteopaths, and I’ve studied eastern and western massage modalities from massage therapy instructors. The majority of my practice utilizes western deep tissue and Swedish massage techniques for relaxation, pain relief, and stress management. These techniques are ideal for a vast majority of people from young to old at all activity levels and I find them to be effect and enjoyable styles of massage that bring a lot of relief.

My practice focuses on corporate chair massage events to improve morale and productivity in the workplace, mobile massage for events/private sessions in home, and one on one individual sessions at my home office which has a separate and dedicated space for clients.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I absolutely would choose the same profession again! The only thing I might do differently is start sooner

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

To succeed in this field you need to know all the ways that your service provides value. I see all professions at their core to be service based in someway or form. With massage it’s easy to directly see the service you provide to people, businesses, your community… take the knowledge of the value you know you provide and go offer it those who stand to benefit. Build real life connections with individuals, organizations, business owners, etc… and offer what you have to give

Contact Info:

• Website: Bowenmaygren.com
• Instagram: Kineticmassagetherapy

Image Credits
Alivia Cunanan Jen Roberts