Meet Rachael McIntosh of Chicago Bodywork in West Town

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael McIntosh.

Rachael, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I was 17 I began working privately as a caregiver for elderly and individuals with ALS, which eventually evolved into providing end-of-life care. I fell in love with the people I worked with and it was heartbreaking to see them suffer and pass away in a state of suffering, so after almost 9 years, I couldn’t do it anymore. I wanted to continue working one-on-one with people, but I needed to do something that would improve their functional ability and quality of life, though I didn’t know what form that would come in.

I moved to Chicago in January of 2010 and began working under a chiropractor providing massage therapy in July of 2010. I worked in that capacity for a year and a half and grew increasingly discontent with how restrictive insurance was regarding who received care and what kind of care they received. I also disliked the “insurance game” of running through an individual’s insurance visits – while trying to charge for the maximum number of services per visit- with the intention of the person eventually becoming a cash patient.

While I was at the chiropractic office, I found out I had a brain tumor and with no health insurance, I quickly experienced another side of the healthcare system. Despite having a symptomatic tumor that was becoming more active and problematic, I was rejected when I appealed to doctors and the medical system for help. I was never told “no”, but that I would have to wait until my vision was affected for it to be deemed an emergency to receive treatment, or that it was a $400,000 surgery and I would receive a 25% discount, but have to pay $300,000 up front to receive care.

I began Chicago Bodywork in January of 2012, after a falling out with my employer and having reached my limit being a cog in a broken healthcare system that financially exploited people in need. In the beginning, I was barely making rent and I constantly questioned whether I should get a part-time massage job. I was so fed up with being forced to adapt to a broken system or greedy bottom line that I could never bring myself to do it.

Chicago Bodywork began as an underground practice in my 3 bedroom apartment in Logan Square. I just wanted an opportunity to provide quality therapeutic bodywork according to my own ethics, without having my hands tied by an employer or health insurance company. Despite having brain surgery in June of 2012, my little business grew consistently in the first year. In June of 2013, I was honored by the Chicago Reader in the Best Of issue for “Best Cure for Pain”, and my practice practically doubled overnight. After three and a half years working from home, I opened Chicago All Inclusive Health in August of 2015.

Chicago All Inclusive Health provides an affordable way for independent health practitioners to have their own practice without the hardship and overhead of a commercial space. It is a 3000 sq. ft. holistic health center that features 5 treatment rooms, a classroom, and an 800 sq. ft. private gym – all rented hourly to autonomous independent contractors. We currently have between 25-30 practitioners signed on to the space, offering services in physical therapy, acupuncture, personal training, massage therapy, bodywork, counseling, and energy work.

Financially speaking, Chicago All Inclusive Health will never make me rich. From a capitalist’s perspective, it’s a horrible business venture. From my perspective, it is a truly unique shared space with a growing community of wonderful practitioners. I am so fortunate to have found a path that fills me with passion and excitement every day. I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to work, and connect, with so many amazing people. And I’m grateful for the opportunity to show people that as a society, we can have healthcare that is based on genuine concern for our fellow human beings, rather than the ability to profit from pain and suffering.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been an amazing roller coaster of a ride, the lows of which were just as valuable and formative as the highs.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Chicago Bodywork – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My approach to therapeutic bodywork is one that gets results as quickly as possible, by using my full scope of practice as a licensed massage therapist, integrating multiple tools and modalities, and working within a person’s limitations and abilities. Much of the pain and dysfunction that plagues people is addressable without pharmaceutical or surgical intervention. My job is to figure out where pain is coming from, what might be causing it, address it, and then teach people how to maintain pain-free mobility and treat themselves, so they don’t need to pay me anymore, or at least not very often.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Once my health center is financially sustainable, and eventually profitable, I plan to purchase property to expand the classroom, the number of treatment rooms, and the gym. This will provide new and existing practitioners the space to grow their practice and provide services to more individuals.

Contact Info:

• Address: Chicago Bodywork & Chicago All Inclusive Health
  2618 W. Division St.
  Chicago, IL 60622
• Website: www.chicagobodywork.com & www.chicagoinclusive.com
• Phone: 774-239-0423
• Email: chicagobodywork2012@gmail.com
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chicago-bodywork-chicago