Today we’d like to introduce you to Elisabeth Adams.
Hi Elisabeth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Becoming a licensed massage therapist is a second career for me. After high school I looked into attending a trade school to learn massage therapy. I didn’t take the path at that time and instead worked in other parts of the healthcare system. Over the years I found myself wishing I had followed the massage therapist path. After some deep reflection and once my 3 daughters were a little bit older I left a successful long term job and went back to school to complete the training program and opened my own practice in downtown Astoria.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I opened my own practice out of chance. I’m a single mother of three daughters I wanted to provide myself an opportunity to be as present as I could for my children, but also build a business model that could sustain us as a family.
I opened Wild Roots Movement and Massage on an absolute shoestring budget. I chose a location that was not built out and in fact had not had a tenant for 30 years. The building had new owners and was going through a significant historical restoration process, and the owners took a chance on me and I took a chance on them.. After the restoration of the building I was the first tenant and now it has five tenants and has created vibrancy in a part of downtown that was neglected. I was working very long very hard days building up a clientele to be able to be prepared to bring on other therapists and services for expansion. We have 3 LMTs and have added soaking tubs and an infrared sauna.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We offer a variety of bodywork services and massage modalities. We are authentic, respectful and inclusive. You don’t have to subscribe to any kind of culture or belief system or method or workload. We believe that all bodies deserve attention and care. Many people feel that there is a prescribed idea around what feels relaxing or what we’re supposed to do to feel like we’re taking care of ourselves. Our studio is set up like a cozy living room. We have a record player and a cozy couch and that’s what we call our vinyl lounge where you can relax and put on a record. We have soaking tubs that are pulled from the old Victorian homes in Astoria. And we also have an infrared sauna. You can book any of those things individually or as an add-on to your Massage service. We’re really proud to provide massage therapy to many of our colleagues in the area as well as our service industry workers and other business owners in town. We believe that taking care of each other helps keep us going during the really busy times. If you’re looking for a spa, we are not it however, if you’re looking for an experience that doesn’t feel like a canned version of what relaxation is supposed to be we’re probably what you’re looking for.
Our business has grown so much that we’ve had to open a new studio for our movement classes. That prompted opening up a secondary sister business with retail that we started in a small corner of the massage studio. Now we operate our massage studio, our outdoor store- Astoria Dirtbag and our new upcoming reimagined movement studio – The Rhythm Ritual all because I “quit my day job” and trusted the power of reinvention.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
When I opened wild roots, I was a LMT that was working by myself. I knew eventually I wanted to add people to the business, but it was going to take some time to do that. So in order to stay connected to other massage therapist while I opened my business, I continuedß to work two days a week at a spa in Cannon Beach. That helped me feel connected to other massage therapist and gave me an opportunity to not get burnt out in my own practice as I was starting to build it. I also stayed very connected to other massage therapists that had opened their businesses to ask for mentoring sessions, advice, and business planning. Our community is rich with strong business support. Becoming involved in that support and being encouraged also led me to run for a seat on the city council. I was elected and in 2023 began my term representing ward 3, which include includes the downtown. I love Astoria. I love having a massage studio downtown. And I love being in service as a massage therapist, movement instructor shop owner and city councilor.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Wildrootsastoria.com
- Instagram: Wildrootsastoria
- Facebook: Wild Roots Movement & Massage
