We were lucky to catch up with Joslynn Asae Dominguez recently and have shared our conversation below.
Joslynn Asae, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
The kindest thing anyone has done for me is take a chance on me!
Back in 2019 I was building my clientele with my mobile massage practice, Rooted Releaf. I knew that I was going to have to find a part time job but I was really picky about where I wanted to work. I had no interest working in a Spa environment. The fast pace was never appealing to me… which honestly didn’t leave me with many options since I had only been an esthetician for a year and a massage therapist for three years. In the middle of my search a good friend who I attended massage school reached out to me in regards to a job opening at Sparrows Nest in Pasadena. Sparrows Nest is well known for their prenatal and postpartum massage services, the owner Sparrow Harrington was looking for an esthetician to join their team to add new services.
An interview and a sample demo was set up. I met Sparrow, gave her a treatment, and explained probably in too much detail that I was a brand new esthetician, that I had never worked in a spa setting, what my skin care beliefs were and everything in between… she loved it, she loved me, and I was hired!
She was honestly the loveliest person I had ever met, and I was so excited to be apart of her team!
My start date was February of 202o
I curated a belly facial and facials that were safe for prenatal and postpartum with the help and guidance from Sparrow, we collaborated and shared ideas to create something that wasn’t really offered. We were so excited to have these new services! Then bam, the pandemic hit in March of 2020 and we were unable to provide facials.
At this point I honestly was contemplating my entire career choice as an esthetician and massage therapist. Rooted Releaf, my mobile massage business came to an abrupt halt. I thought that no one was ever going to want to be touched again, ever! Dramatic, I know, but man. It was scary being a service provider during Covid!
Thankfully that wasn’t the case and Sparrows Nest was still able to accommodate their massage clients by making changes to their protocols.
Flash forward a few months I wanna say like august 2020…
Since I was a dual licensees (massage therapy and esthetician) Sparrow offered the opportunity to accommodate therapeutic massage clients, which was amazing, because now I was working again! slowly we were able to begin offering our facial services again, but it was still in the thick of the pandemic and I wasn’t getting booked very often…
Flash forward to an entire year at Sparrows Nest (February 2021)
Sparrow asked me if I was interested in learning Prenatal and Postpartum massage. With out hesitation, I said absolutely! Sparrow spent days and hours teaching me all the techniques, educating me about the physical, and hormonal changes the body goes through during and after pregnancy, she even gave me different client scenarios so that I would be able to accommodate any situation.
I was so nervous about working with pregnant clients, but the support Sparrow and her team offered was something I had only experienced during my time at massage school. So as time went by, I became confident in the work I was providing and clients would find out I was doing facials, and vice versa.
Basically, if Sparrow hadn’t given me that chance to join her team in 2020 I probably would have found a “safe” desk job and quit providing massages and facials, i would have gave up on my small business Rooted Releaf, I would have never had the opportunity to work with prenatal/postpartum clients, would have never known that this is the work that I LOVE!
I’m forever grateful for Sparrows kindness. I have been a proud team member at Sparrows Nest since 2020 and since then my private practice Rooted Releaf has grown, my clientele at Sparrows Nest has also grown. and since having been trained by Sparrow in 2021 I was also trained and certified by her mentor, Carole Osbourne.
Sparrow Harrington thank you for taking a chance on me, it led me on the most beautiful and wild adventure.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
HOW I GOT INTO THE INDUSTRY: I discovered massage therapy while I was discovering myself.
I was in my late 20’s tired of working a corporate job, tired of working hard to fuel someone else’s dream. So I started doing some self reflecting and found myself asking
“If you could do anything for money, what would it be?”
it always circled back around to helping people, if I could create a business to help people what would that look like!? That would be absolutely amazing!!! But how!?
I wasn’t sure what that would look like for me, I found myself looking at the people already in my life for inspiration. What are they doing? Are they happy?
A friend of mine was about to graduate from massage school, she always had nothing but amazing things to say about it, so of course I was curious! I asked her so many questions, I did my own research, I visited different schools. I was really excited but I also began to feel intimidated and didn’t think that I could ever fit the mold of what a “massage therapist” was. I had tons of self doubt and insecurities running through my head but I also had one more school on my list to visit. The second I walked into their open house and saw how diverse the teachers and students were, I knew I was in the right place and signed up to start just a few weeks after. Something in my gut just told me to take the leap and sign up.
EDUCATION:
I graduated from National Holistic Institute in 2016 where I received my Massage Therapist license and in 2018 I graduated from Aveda where I received my Esthetician License. I’ve gone on and participated in numerous different continued education classes with practitioners that I admire.
THE BEGINNING:
In the beginning I was offering massages to friends and family. Offering mobile massages, I would load up all my gear, show up to their house, set up a nice little ambiance and give them a massage. I had been providing mobile massages off and on for about 3 years. I graduated from Esthetician school in 2018 and that’s when I really started putting more thought into what kind of practice I wanted to build. Rooted Releaf started off as a school project focused on cannabis massage and cannabis facials. I was so excited about my future and what I had to offer that I started to build my clientele through word of mouth. All of my clients are referrals. I was now providing mobile facial and massage services all over southern california. Right when things were moving along, I was growing, gaining more confidence in the services I was providing, the pandemic came and I abruptly stopped seeing my clients. It really made me feel like I made so many wrong moves. I felt as if no one would ever want to get a massage or facial again. I didn’t give up, and I continued to see my clients that still wanted services through the pandemic. In 2021 a regular client of mine who became a friend, had an office space available and offered it to me. I was hesitant at first because I’ve been providing mobile services and wasn’t sure if my clientele would give up their in-home services. Thankfully, the majority of my clientele was just as stoked about my office space as I was. Fast forward almost 3 years later, I’m still at the same place in Gardena, CA.
SERVICES I PROVIDE:
Rooted Releaf provides holistic services which include therapeutic massage, prenatal massage, postpartum massage, and facials. I incorporate various modalities, techniques and tools into each session which is curated based on your physical and energetic needs.
Rooted Releaf provides a touch that is slow, focused, and deep. Rooted Releaf believes that Massage Therapy is a great tool that allows us to listen to our body. Taking care of yourself is a crucial part of your well-being. The stress of everyday life causes people to feel disconnected, drained, and overwhelmed. Rooted Releaf’s holistic approach focuses on healing your body, mind and soul, keeping you rooted and feeling rejuvenated. Providing unique customized experiences to help you feel, operate, and live your very best life.
WHAT DO YOU THINK SETS YOU APART FROM OTHERS:
I think what sets me apart from others is that I’m solely doing this out of the pure joy that it brings me. I have absolutely no idea how a small business is run, but I’m making mistakes and I’m learning along the way. I’m so proud that the clientele I have is strictly built based on word of mouth. My focus is on helping the people in my life that can truly benefit from the work I provide. Rooted Releaf will continue to evolve and grow based on the needs of my clientele. Which I’m so lucky to say, are some of my dearest friends.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
I feel like this is a really hard question to answer… Especially since what I consider “successful” may not be what another person considers “successful”…
I’ve been working on building Rooted Releaf since 2018 and I can honestly say that I still have a lot to learn and accomplish.
But if I could share a few pieces of advice with another future massage therapist/esthetician I would say this:
It doesn’t matter what school you choose to go to because all the “real” learning happens after you graduate and begin taking continued education courses from practitioners you are actually interested in learning from. (this doesn’t mean you won’t have to BUST your ass to pass the state exams)
“Comparison is the thief of JOY” – Mark Twain
In a world where we are constantly posting all of our accomplishments, business moves, and everything else in between. Do your best NOT to compare yourself to others. It’ll only make you feel like you’re not doing enough and that’s not that case. YOUR path isn’t going to look like anyone else and that’s the beauty of it. Excuse my language, but F*CK what everyone else is doing and focus on your accomplishments and your vision for your business. Even if it feels like someone else is already doing the exact same thing as you, don’t get discouraged.
SLOW DOWN AND LISTEN.
In my experience in this field as a massage therapist and esthetician… slowing down and listening has brought me a long way. Slow down and listen to what your clients energetically and physically need at the moment. When you slow down and really take the time to listen to your clients, it provides a sense of comfort and when your client is comfortable with you, they will most likely tell you exactly what they need, and all you have to do is listen.
This also goes for slowing down and listening to YOURSELF. Building a business and a steady clientele doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of patience and time. Remember to slow down and evaluate what’s working and not working for you. From there you can decide what next steps to take. LISTEN to your body! This work can be physically and mentally draining, so it’s important that we take care of ourselves as we take care of others. (This is something I’ve had to learn the hard way)
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I was fired from my corporate job at Health-Ade Kombucha as a Logistics Coordinator and a week later I signed up for the Esthetics program at the Aveda Institute to learn another skill that I could intertwine with my Massage Therapist education.
I absolutely loved esthetician school, and I fell in love with facials. I had no idea that facials were heavily massage based so pulling the trigger and making that quick decision to attend esthetician school really reinsured that I was on the right path.
I could have easily started searching for another corporate job in logistics, but after being fired it pushed me into the place I am at now. It took a lot of patience and time, but I’m so thankful for all the struggles over the years because the past struggles are what keep me present and thankful for all that I have right now in this moment.
Contact Info:
- Website: Rootedreleaf.com
- Instagram: @rootedreleafmassage
Image Credits
Elizabeth Villagomez