Today we’d like to introduce you to Suwanna S.
Hi Suwanna, 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?
I grew up in Thailand where I was first exposed to Thai massage. After immigrating to America many years ago, there was a time that I thought of a career in the medical field. For that reason, I took an internship at a nursing home. Seeing the residents at the nursing home going through pain and depression, I wondered how I could help them. I started giving them massages and was surprised to see how happy they were to receive my touch and attention. That’s when I began to consider going to a massage school. I also wanted to know more about how the human body works and how I can help others and myself through alternative healing.
In 2012, I graduated from the Healing Hands School of Holistic Health in California and became certified by the State of California as a certified massage therapist. That same year, I started my own practice “Chaba Thai Bodywork” offering massages consisting of eastern and western modalities. Many clients asked if I could massage them at their home. Seeing the demand for home massages, I started to advertise a mobile massage service with the name “Chaba Thai Mobile Massage”.
During my career as a masseuse, I have met many gifted massage therapists. Networking with local talented therapists has been a way to advance my knowledge. I learned many good techniques by exchanging messages with them. Following the recent pandemic changes, mobile massage has been on demand more than ever.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The challenge of practicing massage as a female therapist was being stereotyped and mistreated of sexual impropriety. This happened when I first started my practice and did not have a reputation in the market. Eventually, my reputation grew in a positive direction. As clients spread the word and wrote reviews informing potentially new clients that the services were for a good legitimate therapeutic massage.
The other challenge is the competition. The massage business is very competitive in San Diego. I have to compete with both local and national cooperation’s. In 2021, I had a serious health issue. I did not know which direction my health was going. Therefore, I referred many clients to other therapists. At present, I am happy that I am healthy and back on my feet doing the work I love, as said on one of my picture quotes “Giving you massage is my meditation”.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Chaba Thai Mobile Massage?
Chaba Thai Mobile Massage or Chaba Thai Bodywork are serving San Diego, with an in-call location in Rancho Bernardo. While the in-call location accommodates one customer at a time, the mobile service is a network of skilled massage therapists who support each other. Our mobile service can accommodate individuals, couple massages, parties and corporate events.
My massage specialty is a combination of Swedish (firm pressure) and Thai stretching. During the traditional Thai massage, clients wear loose clothing while the therapist incorporates stretching and acupressure. I prefer including oil in the massage because kneading with oil can get into more detail of the muscles and promote more healing benefits. Many clients have told me that I have a very good sense of pressure. And they like the relaxation from my massage in conjunction with the good deep pressure. Having good energy inside out and playing soothing music is an important part of a good massage session. During my years in this career, I have experienced working with different types of clients such as athletes, exhausted individuals, children, seniors, and cancer patients. I only do a limited number of massages in a day because I want to only pass on good energy to my clients. I try not to overwork. Overworking does not only affect me negatively, but it also affects the clients in terms of the quality they receive from the session.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
One good thing about having a local massage business is the low startup investment. When I first started, I worried about having enough clients to pay the office rent and other expenses. For mobile service, there is a risk of not knowing where I am going and whom I am going to meet. I have been lucky that I never encountered a dangerous situation. However, there were times that my intuition told me not to take that appointment. I think the greater risk is how massage work will affect my body in the future. For the present, I have to have a healthy body to stay in this work. That is why I try not to overwork, take time-off as needed, take care of my body, exercise, and get massages regularly. In the meantime, I am exposing myself to other alternative healing work, which I plan to do along with massage therapy in the future.
Contact Info:
- Email: ChabaThaiBodywork@gmail.com
- Website: ChabaThaiBodywork.com
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/wpXJmXMtpob
