Its Not Easy

The Truth About Building a Massage Practice in Iowa

People love to say, “You’ve got it made. Your books are full. It must be easier for you.”

Let me stop you right there.

Building a solo massage practice in Iowa is anything but easy.

It’s one of the hardest, most humbling, most character-building things I’ve ever done.

Everyone thinks Iowa means small towns and loyal clients.

That people here are friendly, supportive, and that word-of-mouth will carry you straight to success.

But the truth? You’re stepping into one of the most crowded industries out there.

Iowa is flooded with licensed massage therapists.

Some working full time, some part time, some burned out at chain studios where they’re pushed to work like machines.

You’re not just competing for clients. You’re fighting for attention, for trust, for recognition in a sea of sameness.

Then come the big chains.

The ones offering membership massages for less than the cost of dinner.

They sell a fantasy. Volume over value. Quantity over quality.

They spend millions in marketing while you maybe have 50 dollars you can allocate towards the marketing budget.

Clients get used to “cheap and fast,” and you’re left explaining why your work is different. Why healing can’t be rushed.

And then there’s the Groupon nonsense. Don't worry, Rebel Wellness will never be on there!

The biggest trap in the wellness industry.

They’ll tell you it’s great exposure, that you’ll get “new clients.”

But exposure doesn’t pay rent.

Those clients come once, tip small, and never return.

You lose money and they move on to the next discount.

While all of that noise goes on, you’re out here doing it the real way.

You’re spending thousands on certifications, supplies, websites, insurance, rent, laundry, and software.

You pay high rent because “charming historic” neighborhoods come with big price tags.

You pay taxes, licenses, continuing education, insurance, and still have to smile like it’s easy.

You’re showing up to networking events where you barely know anyone.

You’re writing social posts that nobody sees yet.

You’re building your business one conversation, one handshake, one sacred session at a time.

People see the full schedule now, but they didn’t see the years before it.

The nights you questioned if you could keep going.

The times you stayed up reworking your website, designing flyers, rewriting your story until it felt right.

The moments you prayed the next month’s rent would somehow get covered.

The parts where you gave everything and still wondered if it would ever pay off.

What they call “easy” was built from years of grit.

Years of consistency when no one was watching.

Years of showing up with clean sheets, sore hands, and faith in something bigger than burnout.

Building a massage business in Iowa isn’t luck.

It’s leadership.

It’s being your own brand, your own marketer, your own cleaner, and your own motivator.

It’s working twice as hard to make half the noise, because this isn’t a state that chases trends.

Its a state where snow melts faster than self care is valued

So when someone says, “It’s easier for you,” I smile.

Because what they’re really seeing is the harvest.

They just never saw the years I spent planting in the dark.

This is what it takes to build something real here.

Integrity. Grit. Patience. And a little rebellion.