Today we’d like to introduce you to Lenelle Armstrong.
Lenelle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Lenelle Armstrong; I am the owner of Take You Away Mobile Massage & Wellness Spa. I’ve been operating this business for 9 years. I am a mother of 5 children; 3 living children, and two twins who are deceased. I’ve been an entrepreneur since the age of 9 years old. I own a Cleaning Business that’s been in business since 2010 called Spic n Span Cleaning Services where I service corporate & residential customers. I offer Personal Chef Services, Mobile Notary, Resume Writing Service, and I also own an Event Planning Service called Next Level Luxury Events. I was born in Rochester New York, and later moved to Sanford Florida as a young girl. I grew up in Central Florida where I graduated from Seminole High School. I later attended college at Seminole Community College; which later became Seminole State College; with a major in Political Science. I moved to Houston Texas in 2015. When I began my journey in Houston, I obtained a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement License, and I started a position with the City of Houston as an emergency dispatcher with the Houston Emergency Center. I later attended Laurel School of Massage, and later obtained a Certification in Massage Therapy. I didn’t have very many connections when I first moved to Houston, so every weekend, I started taking my massage table & chair to the beach in Galveston and gave massages on the beach. I also cooked fresh seafood, soul food and island food on the beach, and sold dinners to my customers. Social media, particularly Instagram started to get very popular back then, and my customers would take pictures of me giving massages, and they would also take pictures of my food and leave reviews on my social media pages. Before I knew it, I grew a large following, and my phone started ringing off the hook. I started booking a lot of large spa parties and corporate events, so eventually I needed more assistance with the increase in business. I hired on two more people to assist in my journey. I was blessed to have my first celebrity client booking in April of 2019 when I was called by the Queen of Neo Soul; Erykah Badu to give her a massage at the Arena Theater before her show. I’ve also had numerous celebrity client bookings such as Tyler the Creator, Kali Uchis, Moneybagg Yo, Inayah Lamis, Houston Astros, and I anticipate a lot more. I’ve always had a passion for helping & healing others. My clients are the absolute best. I’ve had clients that have stood with me for the entire 9 years I’ve been in business, and they’ve never left my side, It’s because of my loyal clients that I am able to prosper and keep going towards my dreams. The Most High has been very good to me, and I am thankful for favor.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road; I’ve faced many challenges in this journey; one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced thus far is the Covid-19 pandemic. When the pandemic first hit the United States, it shut everything down; including businesses, schools, churches, parks; just about everything that we as a society enjoyed was gone in the blink of an eye. When I was forced to close the doors of my businesses, I fell into a very deep state of depression, and I started to isolate myself from the world. I had to home school my children, so I no longer had the time to focus on anything else but making sure they were receiving a proper & adequate education. I was a sitting duck; waiting around for Governor Abbott to give the all clear to re-open. When I was able to finally re-open my doors, things definitely weren’t the same, people were more disconnected than they’ve ever been. There was a lot of fear spreading among everyone, and it definitely impacted my business revenue, and how I interacted with my clients. Since the affects of the pandemic, I’ve found that a portion of my clients don’t reach out for the necessary self care needed to properly function. Many people are running on empty and don’t take the necessary steps to care for their health until they’re forced to.
Some of the common struggles I’ve had in this business is the physical strain and pressure on my body. Being a mobile spa therapist can be one of the hardest things to do physically. Providing my services to my clients in the comforts of their own space means that I’m the one responsible for totting, packing and unloading all of my equipment back and forth between clients. It’s definitely a lot of strain on your body. That’s why it’s highly important for me to take care of myself and make sure that I get the care that I need for me as well. Sometimes it can get very hard for me to focus solely on my own self care because between being a mom, running businesses, and dealing with life’s changes; i’m literally always on the go.
Because of inflation and the rising costs of everything these days; it seems as if most people have drastically cut spending to necessities only, and most people unfortunately don’t view self care as a necessity. These are definitely very interesting times, but despite the economic climate, I still hold faith that everything will be just fine.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Take You Away Mobile Massage & Wellness Spa?
Take You Away Mobile Massage & Wellness Spa is a full service, mobile wellness spa who offers services to all of Houston and surrounding areas of Houston, We travel near and far, and have serviced clients in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Florida. Take You Away Mobile Massage & Wellness Spa is the only mobile massage & spa provider in Houston who offers gourmet dinner services. We also offer Yoga Retreats, Spa Parties, Corporate Chair massages, Beach Massage services, Hospice Massage Service, Post Operative Care, Prenatal Massage Care, Geriatric care, Facials, Body Scrubs, Pedicures, Manicures, ASMR Hair Brushing, Steaming & Sauna, Head Spa, Thai Herbal Massage, Bamboo Massage, and Waxing.
I am most proud of being dubbed as “Houston’s Finest” The amount of blood, sweat and tears that I’ve endured to build this business should be studied, I am proud of being a strong figure that many can & have aspired to be. I’ve had many people openly give me my flowers in this life, and I am grateful to be seen as an inspiration to many.
I want my clients and future clients to know that I will always work diligently and strive to give my absolute best in all of my endeavors. I will always strive to elevate my services and bring the best experience possible. Booking with Take You Away Mobile Massage & Wellness Spa is not an ordinary booking; it’s a complete experience that one must indulge in.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was always interested in music and singing, I sang in my grandmother’s church choir as a child. We had church services at home in our living room, and I used to love to play the tambourine and sing, I come from a long line of family musicians, so music has always been a big part of my childhood, I also sang in an Award winning gospel choir all throughout high school. Our choir director was an amazing man by the name of Bob Maguire. He pushed me to be the best that I could be. When I felt like my confidence was fading, he always helped build me back up. I am forever grateful for the imprint that he left on my life. I learned entrepreneurship at a very young age by attending a school named Tajari School of Arts; where I was taught the basis of how to be an entrepreneur. I attribute my ambition and entrepreneurial roots to a wonderful woman by the name of Camilla Barnes. She is my mentor and plays a huge part in how I move in business today. I was always outgoing and easy to talk to and get along with. When I got to high school, I started to get a little more reserved because I was very conscious about my image. I was heavier than most of the kids around me, so I didn’t really have as much confidence as most kids growing up. It wasn’t until I reached around 20 years of age is when I started to grow really confident in my self. I knew that I always stood out from everyone else. I was always meant to be different and unique; one of a kind.
Pricing:
- $125.00 – Basic Swedish Massage
- $165.00- Deep Tissue Massage with Hot Stones
- $245.00 – Couple’s Massage
- $175.00 – Prenatal Massage
- $!70.00 – Sports Massage with Cupping
Contact Info:
- Website: https://takeyouawaymobilemassagetherapy.setmore.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takeyouawaymobilemassage
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/takeyouawaymobilemassages
- Twitter: https://x.com/TakeUAwaySpa
