Helping clients feel like 'royalty'

The person who nominated body kneads Massage & Wellness Center for the Red Wing Area Chamber of Commerce’s service business of the year award said getting services at the center is like being treated like a king.

“The quality of care offered is (equivalent) to royalty,” the nominator wrote.

It’s a feeling owner Dawn Bennett has strived for.

“We give people the freedom to choose,” she said. “I’ve worked really hard to make it an open place.”

Bennett has operated body kneads, a massage center offering services from basic massage to aromatherapy and body wraps, for 11 years in Red Wing.

When she started, Bennett’s client list could be counted on one hand. Now, body kneads has about 2,000 people in its system and employs nine part-time massage therapists.

“It’s been really fun,” Bennett said. “We’ve actually grown every year.”

The massage center has been a chamber member for about five years and has been nominated for the business of the year award twice before. Still, Bennett said winning service business of the year was a shock to her.

“I was just surprised and really excited,” she said.

For body kneads, the biggest benefit to being a chamber member is the chance it gives the center to get the word out about available services.

“It has increased our ability to network, to educate people,” Bennett said.

The chamber also gives community members the chance to learn about some of the more out-of-the-ordinary services body kneads offers, such as shiatsu (Japanese pressure point therapy) and the raindrop technique (a strategic application of essential oils).

Those services are among the newest the center offers. Recently, body kneads also added classical homeopathy, a natural healing technique, to its service list.

“I think it’s fun to try new services,” Bennett said.

Bennett takes care to make sure all of body kneads offerings are “beneficial services,” she said. “We look for ones that really have a wellness component.” That way, clients know that they’re getting services that have had proven results.

In addition to adding new services this past year, Bennett has worked to expand the center’s website. Now clients can book appointments online. Videos showing each of the services are also available.

“People can see what to expect,” Bennett said.

Looking ahead, Bennett said body kneads will continue to offer promotions — such as the upcoming “passport” where clients who buy a certain number of services are eligible for a prize — and is looking at adding more services.

For now, Bennett said she’s happy with the progress the center has made.

“I’m really proud and very grateful that people remember us,” she said. “(That) we make an impact in people’s lives.”

Tags: red wing, business, minnesota