Today we’d like to introduce you to Avery Franch.
Avery, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Being a native of Colorado, I spent most of my life growing up in Colorado. After finishing high school, I was determined to become an elementary school teacher. I attended Adams State University and in 1987 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education.
My first teaching job took me to a small West Texas town called Pecos; I taught for nine years. I decided that I missed the big city life and wanted to return to a metropolitan area. Since my parents were already living in Houston, I thought that this would be a great place to start. So I packed up my belongings, resigned from my teaching job and moved to Houston. I found a teaching job in Aldine ISD and taught there for two years.
I decided that I wanted to look elsewhere, so I found my next teaching job in Katy ISD. I remained an educator for Katy for 19 years. So after 30 years of teaching, I decided to retire from teaching and pursue something that interested me, that helped people, and let me enjoy my retirement all at the same time. So I decided on massage therapy and opening my own private business. This gave me the opportunity to help people, earn a supplemental income and freedom to plan my retirement.
I researched the profession, what I needed to do, how long it would take me to complete the program and become licensed. I choose the Houston School of Massage to help me attain my goals of becoming a massage therapist. As I attended the classes, I realized that I had a true passion for massage therapy and really enjoyed the connection I make with my clients. I completed the Master Massage Program in June 2018.
After taking the required licensing exam, I became a Licensed Massage Therapist in September 2018. I created a comfortable, relaxing massage studio in my home.
Has it been a smooth road?
I found it quite challenging to adjust to a scheduled life for 30 years to a life where I had time to enjoy the things that I never got to do. I was constrained by schedules, calendars and holidays; Not any more.
I found Massage Therapy school to be a fun challenge because I had to go back and use the studying skills that I instilled into my students for 30 years. But as I became more involved with the people, instructors, and the material presented, I found it become more interesting and more challenging to learn.
I think the biggest hurdle I had to overcome was to complete the licensing exam required by the state, but after a month of preparing, I passed the exam and became a licensed massage therapist.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the AEF Massage story. Tell us more about the business.
AEF Massage is a private home-based massage therapy business. It offers mobile as well as in-studio massage and self-care services to any individual that is wanting to feel and be his/her best. I offer 60-90-120 min massage sessions with modalities in Swedish, Sport, Deep Tissue, Trigger Point. Aromatherapy can be used to enhance the massage experience. Hot and Cold Hydrotherapy can be used as well. In the near future, as AEF Massage builds it’s clientele that it will offer body wraps and scrubs to its list of services.
I’m very proud that I am starting my own business from the ground up on something I know I will enjoy offering and doing. It has only taken me a little over a year to get this up and running and all the work it takes to do it. I am very excited to provide a more personal service to the client that a resort or spa would be able to provide.
What sets AEF Massage from other massage therapy services, is that I offer a mobile service that most do not offer. I feel that is important for the individual who has a busy, hectic lifestyle and has only a certain amount of time to do something for their self-care needs.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think massage therapy services are becoming a high demand whether in a spa setting or personal LMT. People are engaging in more healthy active lifestyles, so they are looking for ways to help themselves so that can have the energy and stamina to maintain their way of life.
I think we will start to see more innovative ways to promote self-care…. and they will be more accessible to everyone, like cyro-therapy. I believe that there will be more therapies available to the geriatric population and become more affordable.
I think the negative stigma on massage services start to change and people will see it as a way to promote self-care and healing. What really needs to change is the stigma that male massage therapists have to face.
Pricing:
- 60 min. In-Studio $60 / Mobile $75
- 90 min. In-Studio $85 / Mobile $100
- 120 min. In-Studio $110 / Mobile $125
- Discounts for 1st-time Clients, Teachers, People over 55 and Military personnel
Contact Info:
- Address: Hwy. 6 and West Little York Houston, TX 77084
- Website: www.aefmassage.com
- Phone: 832-496-7999
- Email: AEFmassage@outlook.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aefmassage/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=aef%20massage
Image Credit:
Allison Ballesteros, Eleazar E. Catter
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