We were lucky to catch up with Karina Ruiz recently and have shared our conversation below.
Karina , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?
COVID in 2020 has had a tremendous impact on my business. Business went through the roof! So many people were quarantined for so long or stressed out. When it was time for people to come out they went straight to booking massages to relieve stress, tension, depression or pain! 2021 was a roller coaster ride with the new variants coming out. Then 2022 has been more balanced and it’s starting to get a little back to normal.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I first got introduced to massage therapy through my mother Julia. That his how she took care of us if we had muscle aches or pain. I then began doing massage therapy as a side job but soon fell in love with the practice! I worked for Massage Envy 2005 to 2007, San Luis Spa in 2008 to 2015 and finally opened my own business Heavenly Touch Salon & Spa in Galveston in 2011 to present! At the Spa we offer massage therapy, facials, vaginal steaming, laser lipo, skin tightening, noninvasive bbl, lash extensions and more! We also sell CBD products for Adults and Pets from the HempSisters. The HempSisters are my sister Raquel Ramos and myself! Also offer products from Kiki’s Kandy. Cereal candles, birthday cake candles, body scrubs and lipglosses made by my six year old Kariana and my self in the spa. I love what I do because I am able to help others feel better. What sets us apart from others is that we are very personalable. Here at Heavenly Touch Spa we understand that every person is different. So every service will be different to the client based on their needs. I am very proud of my clients. They are loyal, always supportive, very encouraging and uplifting! It’s what keeps us going!
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
I originally was going to school to be an elementary teacher. I finished my associates degree and started massage school to hurry up, finish and begin working part time. The plan was to get my bachelors while working as a massage therapist. I started working at massage envy in 2005, then started working at the San Luis Spa in 2008. At the San Luis I met a lot of people and gained a lot of experience! I started doing massages on the side and my client base grew very fast. I really enjoyed it and before I knew I had to get my own place so that I would nt have to carry my table around. Galveston locals are so supportive and word of mouth traveled so fast! I stayed busy with it. I never finished my bachelors in education! I’m very happy with my decision.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
One of my favorite marketing moments was when I met BabyBash. My sister and I took my massage chair to a vendor event in Houston. A lot of people told me “why would you pay for vendor spot in Houston to promote a Spa in Galveston?”. We went set up the day before, there wasn’t a lot of people. We took our stuff to the spot BabyBash saw us he asked what we were doing? I replied chair massages. He asked do you have the chair now ? Can you do a massage now? I replied yes and yes! He’s been a client ever since and recommended me to a lot of other well known people! I’m glad we became vendors that day! It’s been a blessing ever since!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @karinasworld01 @hempsisters01
- Facebook: Heavenly Touch Beauty and Wellness Spa
- Other: @islandgirl_raki (laser lipo) @misskiki_kouture (candles) Heavenly Spa: 409.797.9330
Image Credits
Big Head Images