Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Benson.
Hi Lauren, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Amusingly, when I was a little girl in elementary school we built a town in our classroom to learn how businesses work – my “business” was a bookstore where you could get a shoulder rub. Years later I got my Bachelor’s Degree in English and after working my first “grown up job” went back to school to become a massage therapist.
I studied at The Lauterstein Conway Massage School in Austin and completed my training in 2011. After I received my certification I worked at a lovely day spa in Round Rock for a couple of years before making a detour back to an office job at the University of Texas, but my interest in health and wellness never left me.
Fast forward to early 2021 when I had a discussion with my husband about opening my own practice on our property in Elgin (about 25-30 miles East of Austin). We decided to go for it and renovated an adorable 12×20 storage unit to be the perfect private space – complete with small greeting area, powder room, and of course, a relaxing space for therapeutic services. I am so excited to grow my practice and work for myself!
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?
Building a business in a rural area is a challenge because I am not on a main thoroughfare and don’t have street signage. I am starting to branch out to network more and hope that word of mouth through our community helps to build a client base.
The build out of the studio was fun because I got to create the exact space I was envisioning, but it was also a challenge since we did it mostly ourselves, luckily we have a lot of DIY experience and it is a small enough space to not be too overwhelming.
I am so lucky to have the support of my family so that I can grow my practice organically and make it what I want it to be.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I named my practice Brigid’s Blessings after the Celtic goddess, Brigid (also known as Brigit, Brighid, Bríd, and other iterations). She is the goddess of healing, serenity, life, fertility and motherhood, as well as inspiration, poetry, and smiths (among other things). It is Brigid’s connection to healing, women, and motherhood that inspired me to name my practice in her honor.
I know firsthand how difficult it can be do try to do it all – work, being a good partner, attentive parent, have hobbies, take care of your home, and still have time for yourself. I want to help my client’s relax and take time for themselves.
I offer therapeutic massage services to help with relaxation, pain and stress relief, recovery from strenuous workouts, and offer pregnancy massage for those who are expecting.
I recently received a scholarship to pursue my postpartum doula training and it is a goal of mine to explore this path further as a possible addition to my portfolio to assist my community and grow by brand.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I am a native Austinite and grew up in North Austin. I attended the University of Texas and also worked there for five years so Austin is a big part of who I am.
I most recently have lived in towns outside of Austin (namely Hutto and now Elgin). I like that Austin has lots of opportunities to try great food, a variety of activities, and has unique mixes of homegrown boutiques mixed with larger brands for shopping.
I am definitely struggling with the growth of the city I knew growing up in and with the sprawl that is resulting from the massive growth. We moved to a rural area to have more space and escape the city and it seems like it is slowly following us. Luckily a lot of the people we have met in Elgin are great like-minded people who have become good friends and neighbors.
Pricing:
- 60-Minute Therapeutic Massage – $75
- 90-Minute Therapeutic Massage – $115
- 60 – Minute Sports/Deep Tissue Massage – $90
- 60-Minute Pregnancy/Prenatal Massage – $85
Contact Info:
- Email: lbenson.lmt@gmail.com
- Website: brigidsblessingsmassage.com
- Instagram: brigidsblessings.lmt
- Facebook: brigidsblessings.lmt
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lauren-benson-lmt-brigids-blessings-massage-therapy-elgin?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
