Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Lashley.
Sarah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Somavida began in 2010 with just me, Sarah, as a sole proprietor in Evanston. I had gone to massage school specifically to help my husband who had severe TMJ Dysfunction. I was so surprised this was the road God had led me down because I was on my way to seminary when I felt God leading me to massage school instead.
I had no idea my calling in life was to help people in pain. Jaw pain is my specialty, but I also have worked with clients with headaches, neck, back, leg, arm, foot, and hand pain among others. When I saw incredible results through my hands-on treatments, I knew the massage work I learned through Precision Neuromuscular Therapy (PNMT) was too good to keep to myself.
So in 2016, I opened Somavida Pain Relief Center and hired my first employee, Al. I plucked him right out of massage school and seen him blossom into a chronic pain specialist as he has gone through the PNMT training. Once our weeks were full of helping people in pain and I hired my second employee, Yu, in April of 2017.
Due to a knee injury from her professional dance career, she has developed a specialty in knee pain and continues to become an expert in the PNMT program. Our team has been extremely successful in helping guide our clients to pain-free living. We have a 90% success rate!
We don’t heal everyone who walks through the door. If we believe the pain is not neuromuscular or fascial, we guide them to the right practitioners for their best healing. Many clients have chronic pain and require regular maintenance to stay out of pain and others come with muscle injuries that are cured.
We are happy to currently serve 60-70 people per week and plan to expand for this is just a fraction of the 100 million people in the US who have pain every day.
Has it been a smooth road?
When I began to expand, I had to take out loans to build out my new treatment space and hire contractors to design and build the space. My interior designer did an amazing job, but a few days before we submitted the plans to the city, I discovered I needed a licensed architect to sign off on the plans. God provided an architect within 24 hours and redrew plans within a week – including creating a handicap entrance in the rear!
Then 1o days before the carpeting was to be installed, I went to order the flooring for the foyers. It was as if the flooring I had chosen for my whole color scheme didn’t exist anymore at home depot. I worked with multiple customer service reps and they got me my flooring 2 days before the carpet was to be installed, in just enough time to put it down.
The jump from being a sole-proprietor to becoming an LLC with employees was more complex and difficult than I had imagined. I am so grateful to my husband who really helped me with this transition. He set me up with LegalZoom for paperwork, Gusto for payroll and helped create my business model. Somavida would not exist without him!
6 months in, January 2017 looked to be a sparse month for clients, with an email marketing push and strategic chair massage event at a local business, we reignited our client flow. I also learned how important it is to partner with local businesses to keep my business going.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
At Somavida Pain Relief Center, people will find therapists who listen to their story of pain. Thinking like a detective, we help clients understand if their pain is muscular or neural and search for the cause.
Combining evidence-based approaches to muscular pain with caring, thorough, thoughtful hands of healing, Somavida therapists seek to bring life back to each client’s body.
I, Sarah, am a Certified Precision Neuromuscular Therapist (PNMT) with a specialty in TMJD treatment. I also teach the TMJ Intensive class for Precision Neuromuscular therapy seminars and educate area dental offices about TMJD.
All my therapists are trained in PNMT and working toward their certification, which includes 100 hrs of education, testing, and a case study. I also have trained all my staff in excellent customer service.
Personally, my passion for being a “soft tissue detective” shines through in my treatments as I seek to problem solve the source of your pain. I know when to refer you out to other medical professionals to assure you are receiving the best care.
In addition, I am not just a qualified therapist, but have a compassionate heart that drives me to help relieve my client’s pain. I have a strong faith in the healing power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ and combine my knowledge of muscles and body function with care, compassion, and faith to provide a holistic approach to my work.
We as a team have a quest to guide you towards pain-free living. Using thorough assessment, precise treatment, and excellent service, We seek to give you a healing, collaborative and delightful treatment experience.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
When I set up a massage establishment in 2010, Chicago was not a welcoming city, which is why Somavida is located in Evanston, although I live on the Northside of Chicago. Since 2010, Chicago has become more welcoming to massage therapy establishments, but they can still improve their regulations.
Currently, they still see all massage establishments as potential threats of the illegal prostitution business, when the reality is that the majority of massage establishments are seeking to become healthcare providers.
A better understanding of our profession and education of how massage is thoroughly researched to be an alternative to pain medications could truly help the city understand our place in the healthcare system.
http://massagetherapyfoundation.org/infographics-spreading-awareness/
Pricing:
- Initial Neuromuscular Assessment and Treatment (75min) $120
- Initial TMJD Assessment and Treatment (60min) $100
- Follow-ups range from $50-$90, see somavidapainrelief.com/rates for details
Contact Info:
- Address: 2000 Maple Ave Evanston IL
- Website: somavidapainrelief.com
- Phone: 847-400-0477
- Email: guide@somavidapainrelief.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somavidabody
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/somavida-pain-relief-center-evanston
Image Credit:
Liz Hansen Photography
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