Few massage therapists enjoy the breathtaking scenery that greets Shannon Galichowski on her 20-minute morning commute from downtown Calgary, Alberta, to her office in suburban Cochrane, some 23 miles northwest of the city. Just a few miles outside her clinic, Cochrane Massage Therapy, rise the spectacular, snowcapped Canadian Rockies, one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world.

The awesome view is quickly forgotten, though, once the hard-working Galichowski enters her clinic. In a few short years, she has developed one of the most successful massage therapy businesses in the Calgary, Alberta, area.

Building A Practice

The 29-year-old Galichowski has been a massage therapist since 1994, and she started her own business quite unexpectedly about two years ago. At the encouragement of Jennifer Kroeker, a friend who sold her the business, Galichowski agreed that it was perfect timing, and a great opportunity to achieve her goals and aspirations. Cochrane was the perfect place since a lot of working professionals live there. “I had many clients from my days working in Calgary, and about 150 of them followed me to my new practice. It was a great way to start,” she says.

Her physical education background has helped her in many ways, from assessing to treating her patients. She trained for 2,200 hours in both Edmonton, Alberta, as well as Calgary, and now has about seven years of working experience as a massage therapist.

Her reason for going into this field was simple. She wanted to be in the health-care profession since nothing else interested her. “My goal, when I got into massage, was to have my own practice. This was a great opportunity, since Cochrane is growing rapidly and I was tired of driving in the city and the rat race. Even though people in Cochrane work in the city, they are more relaxed and laid back.”

Galichowski has two other therapists working with her. Sheila MacDonald graduated from Rocky Mountain Academy (Calgary) in 1997 with 1,000 hours of training, and has been practicing ever since. Karen Flynn graduated from Edmonton College of Massage in June 2000, with 1,500 hours of credits.

Though Galichowski was enthusiastic about the acquisition of the business, she did have some reservations. “At first, I was extremely scared because I know how hard it is to start from scratch.”
Her clientele ranges from pregnant women to infants and children, migraine sufferers, the elderly, athletes, and stress management cases. Business professionals from all walks of life, from truck drivers, chefs, accountants, lawyers, chiropractors and the occasional doctor, get treated. (In fact, a large number of doctors refer their patients to her for massage therapy, as do chiropractors and physiotherapists.)

The ratio of men to women who get massages has changed since Galichowski first started. Initially, more women came to the clinic, but in the seven years she has been in this profession, the ratio of men to women has increased drastically. “On average, if I see 10 patients in a day, I will see six women and four men. I think the change is wonderful,” she says.

The transition from working for someone else to owning her own business was facilitated by Galichowski’s former classmate and massage therapist, who sold her the business. “Jennifer, who I went to school with, was selling her clinic. That took care of the location. I got a line of credit to buy the business. Initially, I wrote a letter to all existing patients of Cochrane Massage Therapy, and told them of the change, and offered a $10-off coupon. Jennifer and a previous employee stayed for the year to finish it up, which was a great help. So I only just had to hire. I placed an ad in the Calgary Herald, which resulted in many inquiries, and I put postings up at the two colleges.”

Though she was required to take business classes in school, Galichowski firmly believes her business experience was learned mostly by trial and error. She advises new graduates to read, and be aware of what you like and don’t like in your work experience. “When I first graduated, I worked out in Kananaskis in the spa atmosphere. Then I did locums for various therapists at a number of clinics; I worked on physiotherapists and chiropractors, and worked at a health club. Then I spent three years at one clinic. I think it’s very important to have a variety of work experiences, so you can bring it to the table and offer more to your patients.”

Galichowski also advises new graduates that the more experience obtained, the better idea they will have if they want to work in a more holistic or clinical setting. The first year in any practice is very difficult, especially in massage, in which it sometimes is necessary to sit and wait for walk-ins or for the phone to ring to give an extra massage. 

And as far as making mistakes along the way, they are part of growing and learning. “Life is bound to bring challenges, and mistakes are part of that. However, if I did not have the challenge of owning my own business, I would not have had the chance to make mistakes and improve on a daily basis. I would not avoid any mistakes that I’ve made, because they have made me a better person, employer and therapist to my patients and staff,” reflects Galichowski.

Currently, her clinic encompasses 980 square feet, and has four treatment rooms, one bathroom, a laundry/staff room, and the office and waiting area.

The customer base is comprised mostly of auto accident victims, pregnant women, infants and children. All employees are registered and licensed, and do a lot of insurance work. They assess and treat to the best of their knowledge. 

“Success of massage therapy on a number of conditions is extremely high,” says Galichowski.

Massage therapy techniques applied vary with the condition of each patient. Galichowski and her therapists do mainly therapeutic, sports massage and Swedish relaxation massage. Shiatsu or reiki are not offered. There used to be a reflexologist working at the clinic, but she is no longer there. Though Galichowski took 10 hours of reiki and 10 hours of reflexology, she mainly uses therapeutic and sports massage. “We do trigger-point therapy, we do hydrotherapy, we do ice massage, and we do frictioning. If you came in, for instance, and had a shoulder problem, I would incorporate all that into it, and you probably wouldn’t know what I would be using other than the ice and the heat. You would definitely know if we do active release. That would be me actually holding on and moving your arm or your knee into a certain position until the muscle released,” Galichowski explains.

Ice and heat techniques are applied depending if your condition was chronic or acute. “If you have tendinitis, let’s say, we’ll do frictioning, and that requires icing before and after the frictions,” she adds.

With auto accident victims, massage must be applied very gently at first, because accident victims are in a lot of pain. If you just graze the skin, even that hurts them. However, because the healing process is gradual, and a lot slower with clients in this category, Galichowski takes the time to get the desired result to reduce the pain of the patient. She is having great results with car accident victims, but unfortunately, there are some challenging issues regarding insurance coverage that will seriously curtail her ability to give them treatment. 

Galichowski admits that massage therapy is often the last priority with respect to treatment, especially when massage therapists are competing for the same health-care dollars. “It’s really tough, actually, because massage can do a great deal. It’s very successful,” she says.

Galichowski’s goal as a therapist is one that reflects the integrity she extends to her patients. “I recommend everything. If a chiropractor is more needed than me, then I will recommend that. If physio, if acupuncture, if shiatsu, or if craniosacral is needed, that’s what I will suggest. Why not? My goal as a therapist is to get that person better in the quickest amount of time,” she concludes.

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