We recently connected with Crystal Apel and have shared our conversation below.

Crystal, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

With Traveling Hands Massage Therapy, we bring the massage to you! With blended techniques from relaxation and clinical modalities client can expect to find muscle tension/knot release in a more relaxing way. Those who feel uncomfortable going into the office can now reap the benefits in their own home. We bring all supplies to you; all you have to do is book and then sit and wait!

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.

My name is Crystal Apel and I am the owner and massage therapist for Traveling Hands Massage therapy! I graduated from Northwestern Health and Science with a therapeutic and relaxation certification with the goal to provide clients the ability to heal and learn about their bodies. Our techniques used in sessions are typically blended clinical and relaxation modalities to provide nerve and muscle pain relief with a relaxing touch. What makes Traveling Hands stand out from other therapists is that we truly blend western and holistic methods into your session so we can reach your goals. Some of our enchantments include red light therapy, cupping, hot stones, and herbal compresses. Having a clinical background helps a lot of our clients who have pain after major surgeries/injuries, as well as for those annoying reoccurring knots causing myofacial pain. Many of our clients find after a few sessions that they can reduce or even completely eliminate medications! Our goal is to make sure you feel your best during and after your sessions, no matter what your goal is. What also makes us different than other therapists is that we travel to your home! We understand that sometimes it’s uncomfortable to walk into a spa/office and undress in an awkward space. We eliminate that completely by coming to you! Clients who have mobility issues, elderly, and even those with REALLY busy schedules that don’t allow them to get in during typical business hours usually seek us out. Plus, this gives you the chance to have your sessions OUTSIDE! If you’ve never had an outdoor massage session YOU MUST!

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

For those of you who don’t know, I previously worked in childcare for 5 years. During 2 1/2 of those years, I woke up at 4:50 am, worked 5:30-6:00am for 10-12 hours, 4-5 days a week, drove to Bloomington MN, worked on my schooling until 10:00-10:30 pm, drove an hour home to do some homework, and repeated the process the next day. 9 of those months I was pregnant with my 2nd daughter.

I. Was. Exhausted. I was afraid, scared that I couldn’t make enough as a massage therapist with 2 girls at home and a husband that depended on me and my income. It wasn’t until over a year after receiving my certifications that I made the jump over to working in a physical therapy office. I made income, but it wasn’t always stable and I also couldn’t work as many hours (I became pregnant with my 3rd daughter at this time) as I had previously.

Nearing the end of my maternity leave, my husband encouraged me to start my own mobile massage business. It was a huge risk; we would have to sink in what little money we had left after my maternity leave into a business I couldn’t promise would financially help us. I cried. I cried a lot.

Two weeks. It took me two weeks to have my schedule book up and stay consistent. And I CANNOT thank my clients enough for allowing me to share my passion and allow it to support me and my family. We are just about to hit our 1 year mark this July and I couldn’t be happier!

Have you ever had to pivot?

There were a lot of turning points this past year for Traveling Hands Massage Therapy. Fresh out of school I had really wanted to do pediatric massage, but in northern MN there really wasn’t a need for it. I also have some training in oncology and hospital based massage and tried to market ourselves as such. Although we did have many clients reach out to us for hospice/elderly massage it didn’t fill the books.

It really wasn’t until I sat myself down and realized what my “why” was. I was a mom running from 5 am to 6 pm with three kids, burnt out from work and unwilling to bring myself in anywhere. Taking that experience and connecting with clients with similar schedule issues I was able to market myself to clients I COULD RELATE TO. Looking back I can see now that it’s one of the key reasons our clients love us and continue to stay with us.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.travelinghandsmn.com
• Instagram: Traveling_hands_mn
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelinghandsMN?mibextid=LQQJ4d