Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Kukla.
Tara, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was raised by a family of massage therapists. My mother and two sisters were licensed massage therapists. I worked for our family-owned day spa from 2015 – 2020.
I had a toxic relationship with my mother’s husband (who was part owner of our family-owned day spa).
This toxic relationship included him berating me in front of clients, lowering my hourly pay if he couldn’t babysit my daughter, sending awful text messages and emails, etc.
So I quit and left his toxicity in October of 2020, which was also during the height of the covid pandemic, to start my own massage practice.
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?
I would say it wasn’t THAT difficult, I was lucky to have a very supportive mother.
My mother was part owner of the family owned day spa, so when I quit and left, she sent my regular clients to me. She gave them my phone number and new business address, and this was a lot of massage regulars.
These massage regulars of mine then followed me to my new massage practice which helped me to break even on my new business expenses.
The problem was finding brand new clients, and I had to learn on how to properly advertise.
To fix this, I joined and invested in a 6-week course on advertusing for small massage practices, which taught me how to properly advertise.
Opening a small business of your own is a huge investment of your faith, work drive, and money.
And it can all be worth it depending on how hard you want to actually try.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a licensed massage therapist in Mesa, Arizona and I specialize in the relief of back and hip pain.
I see people who complain of upper back pain, lower back pain, tingling down the legs, sharp hip pain, neck pain, or desk-related stress.
I want to say I am known for being the first massage therapist in my area who stopped accepting tips and also the most expensive in my area.
I stopped looking at what other massage therapists charge, and that is because most massage therapists live in poverty, and they never learned to actually calculate what it costs to run their massage business.
As the most expensive therapist in my area, my books were filled months in advance. I was also the busiest.
Other licensed massage therapists would always reach out and ask me, “how did you do it??”.
Unfortunately with this, I have also caught many massage businesses in my area copying my website. Word for word.
I am most proud of my work ethic, my determination, I am not afraid to invest in my knowledge, and I am also always willing to learn more.
What were you like growing up?
I was very shy as a child. I loved to play outside on my bike and scooters, and POKÉMON. I had a small group of friends.
Once I turned 16, I got out of my shell and became a very confident teenager. I made a lot of friends, was very artistic. I loved to draw on my pants, all over my school books, I was the only girl in school who wore a bow in my hair every single day. I was a very happy 16 year old.
My youth was short-lived and I had to grow up fast when I gave birth to my daughter at 19. I became a mom, a full-time housewife, and responsible.
Over time, I slowly became more inverted and focused on my family, my house, and loved being at home watching my shows with my family and tacos.
Pricing:
- $220 for a 90-minute massage
- $320 for a 120-minute massage
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Donna Thompson Photography
