Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Ingalls.
Tracy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was an Executive Assistant for 16 years before making the most exciting career change of my life.
I was sitting at my desk one day and it suddenly occurred to me that I was not excited about my job anymore. This level as an Executive Assistant was a goal I hoped to reach for many years and here I was, yet it just wasn’t challenging me anymore. I remember feeling like someone out there is working hard to get to this position and I was being selfish by staying in it just because the pay was good.
So, I made a decision to find something else. I wasn’t sure what, but I would start school to learn something new. My daughter suggested Massage School. After all, it was just the opposite of the daily rush of deadlines that I had scrambled to meet over the last 16 years. As a matter of fact, it was the opposite end of the spectrum. A quiet room, calm vibes, people are relaxed. It sounded pretty good to me, so I signed up for the class. And that was the beginning of the best and most exciting decision of my life!
I went through school and received my massage license. While in school, I learned of different modalities used for massage. I started researching on my own and stumbled across Thai Massage. I read the history, watched videos, and found how it was used for treatment for over 2,000 years. I was intrigued. Thai Massage is a healing therapy in Thailand medicine, as a matter if fact, it is a part of the nursing program in Thailand. I knew it was something I wanted to study. Unfortunately, there were few classes in the U.S. that offered Thai Massage at that time, and those I did find were a more relaxed version of the therapeutic study I was reading about. So I decided to go right to the source. At 45, I booked my solo “first ever” trip out of the country. The moment I walked off the plane in Thailand, I recall this overwhelming feeling ” I was home”. I didn’t speak the language, nor knew exactly where I was going but I wasn’t worried. Everything just felt right.
Class was held five days a week, with free open practice on the weekends. I have to admit the first day we were stretching and using compression, I was worried I may had made a mistake. It was not a relaxing massage at all, it was quite opposite. It felt painful to receive. My body had never been stretched like this, joint rotation and compression was a foreign touch and my brain had no idea what was happening. However, by day three, I could not believe how great I felt. My energy level was massively increased, my skin looked better, my SI joint pain was gone after years of knowing it was there every day. My body craved Thai Massage, I was all in! I couldn’t wait to start the advanced courses.
While in school, I volunteered with a few doctors that worked across the street at a nearby hospital. The opportunity was arranged by an Instructor to travel to a Northern Village and under the guidance of the doctors, we worked on the people in the village who had pain or illness and whom did not have access to medical treatments. Working with the nurses inspired me. I knew then that I would be a “forever” student of my new career.
Over seven years, I continued to travel to Thailand for training with various medical practitioners and worked with a variety of techniques in my studies. I spent long periods of time in Northern villages supporting doctors and nurses while providing Thai massage to amazing people in these remote places.
It was hard having this passion and understanding of Thai Massage healing and yet, every place I worked here in the U.S. did not offer this service because most people here had never heard of it. A couple of my employers added this service so that I could offer it to my clients. But I found even with that, there are other added components that I was not able to offer, such as a heated Thai Herbal Compress or Individual Herbal Steam. These services are very much an added part of the healing. I have known for many years I would open my own Thai Massage location, but it had to be the right space! When I walked up the stairs and into my new location, I saw the three walls of windows in the midst of the treetops, I knew this was it!
Holistic medicine is my belief, practice and commitment. I have practiced Medical Thai Massage here in Austin for almost ten years now. I am always excited when someone comes in for their first Thai massage. Most of my clients go from wanting Deep Tissue on the table to Thai Massage on a mat and never go back to table work. Once they see how fully therapeutic Thai Massage can be, they always come back for more, and so the healing begins!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Financially speaking, it was a struggle. I would come back to the U.S and work 10 hour days, five days a week. In a Massage career that is unheard of because of the physical work we do. But I was relentless because I knew in just a few months my next class would be paid for, and my travel back to Thailand would be paid in full. I would rest when I got to Thailand. Every time I went back to study, I felt alive and energized. This was my life for seven years.
As you know, we’re big fans of Immersive Thai Bodywork & Massage. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I stay true to the principals of Traditional Medical Thai Massage and incorporate this treatment into all of my Bodywork Therapy. Thai Massage is done with clients fully clothed in traditional Thai clothing, which I provide for my clients to wear during service. This massage style is a holistic therapy done on a mat on the floor, not on a massage table. I start with compressions to help relax the muscles and generate blood flow for energy, then apply acupressure points to release tight muscle groups, and full body stretching to increase range of motion. Every client is different, so I offer customized treatment sessions. In some cases, several sessions are needed to help map a specific treatment plan to reach their goal.
I have been practicing Thai Massage in Austin for many years now. I would say my brand, my trademark is a more Medical Thai Massage Therapy. I bring even more to this holistic service with the addition of heated Herbal Compresses and Individual Herbal Steam sessions, giving my clients the full Immersive Thai Bodywork experience.
How do you think about luck?
I would say I am lucky to have a beautiful daughter that nudged me in a career direction when I needed it most.
I am lucky the first school I chose to attend in Thailand introduced me to an amazing Instructor who invited me into a medical Thai Massage program.
I am lucky to have had the courage at 45 to admit I wasn’t happy in my career any longer and I didn’t know what to do, but I had the courage to try something new.
I am lucky to have found my passion at 45! I am lucky that I “GET TO” go to work every day in a beautiful place surrounded by nature and work with beautiful clients to help them achieve their beautiful goals in health and life.
I feel blessed, fortunate, lucky and amazed that this is where I am today.
Pricing:
- Introductory Thai Massage $90.00 (60 min)
- Introductory Table $ 75.00 (60 min)
- Immersive Bodywork Bundle $195.00 (60 min Thai & 60 min Table)
- Variety of Thai Massage Packages (Discount 5 for the price of 4)
Contact Info:
- Email: immersivebodywork@gmail.com
- Website: www.immersivebodywork.com
- Instagram: Immersivethaibodywork
